By By BRUCE HIXON – Sports Editor
When the T.R. Miller Tigers lost their semifinal game at Pike County, senior wide receiver/defensive back Mikel Riggs found it very difficult to take off his high school uniform for the last time.
Although the name on the jersey will no longer read T.R. Miller, Riggs will get another chance to put a uniform back on for the next four years at Huntingdon College in Montgomery.
While Huntingdon, an NCAA Division III school is not allowed to give athletic scholarships, Riggs is going to the school through his academics as well as his playing skills.
This past season the 5-9, 160-pound Riggs hauled in 22 catches for 403 yards and five touchdowns. On the defensive end, Riggs made 75 tackles with four interceptions. Those accomplishments helped Riggs land a spot on the Class 3A All-State Team.
Riggs said early indications are Huntingdon is leaning towards playing him on the offensive side.
While the Huntingdon program is still relatively new with just three years of competition, the Hawks are rapidly making their presence known in Division III. Last season Huntingdon went 7-2 and just missed making the playoffs under the direction of coach Mike Turk.
Riggs, the coach and father, said the creation of the Huntingdon program has opened a lot of new opportunities.
Mikel Riggs said he knows he will have to step up his game to play at the next level.
The elder Riggs said size is not as big a factor at the Division III level as some would think.
Mikel Riggs plans to study education at Huntingdon.