Radnor wide receiver Jahmair Rider is Main Line Boys Athlete of the Week
The junior wide receiver has been on fire the past few weeks, catching four passes for 110 yards and three touchdowns in the Raiders’ 38-25 win against Lower Merion Nov. 6, and grabbing four receptions for 97 yards and a TD in the district tournament against Upper Dublin. Rider finished the season with 25 catches for 487 yards, averaging nearly 20 yards per reception. A fine all-around athlete who also plays defensive back, Rider wrestles in the winter (posted a combined 32-18 varsity won-loss record as a freshman and sophomore) and plans to run track this spring (100- and 200-meter run). Off the field of play, Rider is a member of Radnor High School’s Fishing Club.
Q: What did it mean to you to play in the 121st annual Radnor-Lower Merion football game?
A: It was a great honor to play in something this historical. Sean [Mullarkey] threw me some great passes.
Q: What play from that game stands out in your memory? Can you share with us your role in it?
A: The play on which I scored from 42 yards out [and gave Radnor a 24-6 lead in the third quarter]. It was a slant-to-vertical pattern where I lined up on the right. The coaches told me before the play that if the safety stays back, to run a slant pattern, but if he comes up, to go vertical. He came up, I went long, and Sean hit me with a perfect pass.
Q: What do you think have been the biggest keys to your recent offensive production?
A: The coaches trusting me to run plays that I can run [well], and Sean [Mullarkey] having confidence in me as well.
Q: What do you think is the strongest aspect of your game? What part of your game are you working on the most currently?
A: I think my strongest aspect is my speed. I am trying to work on my size and getting bigger for the next season.
Q: You wear No. 7 for Radnor. Is there a reason you picked that number – does it have any particular significance to you?
A: My birthday is on July 7 (7/7), so I grew up always liking number 7.
Q: Tell us a little about your pre-game preparation the day of a game.
A: Before the LM game, I went to Jimmy Johns to get a sandwich and then I got a Redbull from Wawa. I had to get my ankle taped twice before the game because I injured it a little during the Upper Dublin game the week before.
Q: Who is your favorite football player and why?
A: Aaron Rodgers is my favorite football player. Growing up, my cousin and I would always watch football games together. He was a little older than me so I would always look up to him and he liked the Green Bay Packers so I grew up liking the Packers also.
Q: Who have been your biggest mentors as a football player, and what was the most important thing you learned from each one?
A: My biggest mentor I say would be Coach Ryan [Radnor head coach Tom Ryan]. He is always leading me in the right direction and helping me become not just a better athlete but a better person.
Fun facts – Jahmair Rider
Favorite book: Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief.
Favorite TV show: Shameless and Stranger Things.
Favorite movie: Get Out.
Favorite pre-game pump-up song: Dreams and Nightmares.
Favorite team: Green Bay Packers.
Favorite place to visit: Jamaica.
Favorite pre-game meal: Jimmy Johns.
Favorite color: Blue.
(To be selected as Main Line Boys Athlete of the Week, a student-athlete must first be nominated by his coach.)
