Richmond-Burton running back Hunter Carley proves he belongs: ‘He’s never satisfied’

Richmond-Burton's Hunter Carley tries to avoid Sandwich's Jeffrey Ashley during a Kishwaukee River Conference football game on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, at Richmond-Burton High School.

Richmond-Burton’s Hunter Carley grew up in Michigan playing mostly eight-man football.

His first crack at 11-man came with growing pains.

Understandably so.

“Jumping from eight- to 11-man, it’s a big difference. It’s tough,” the 5-foot-10, 200-pound running back said. “It’s a ton more teamwork. It’s not just playing your best player and he wins the game for you.

“It wears on you, but it’s a lot of fun.”

Carley was called up to varsity for a few games at the end of 2023, and a year ago, showed he was up to the challenge of tackling a full IHSA season for the first time.

Now stronger and faster, Carley returns to lead an impressive ground attack for the Rockets, who are coming off their second straight 7-3 season. He was a magnet to the end zone with 20 touchdowns while running for 1,097 yards (7.9 per carry).

Richmond-Burton’s Hunter Carley tries to catch a pass during a 7 on 7 football practice Monday, July 14, 2025, at Richmond-Burton High School, with teams from Crystal Lake Central, Grayslake Central and Mundelein.

As a team, the defending Kishwaukee River Conference champions averaged 33.8 points a game as the Rockets made the Class 4A playoffs for the 17th straight season.

Carley, the team’s top rusher, was in the middle of a lot of that offensive production, earning Northwest Herald All-Area first-team honors.

“He’s dynamic with the ball in his hands and he’s one of our best receivers, too,” said Rockets coach Mike Noll, who noted Carley not only was one of the strongest players, but also one of the speediest juniors in the school.

“To be honest, if he had been here all that time as a Comet [R-B’s feeder program], he’s a kid who could have played varsity as a freshman. We had a pretty good team, and he just wasn’t ready.”

Carley was more than ready last year. He’s one of many tough runners returning for R-B, which also brings back fullbacks Riley Shea, who had over 800 yards on the ground, and Blake Livdahl, the team’s top returning tackler.

Carley, Shea and Livdahl, all juniors, can cause headaches for defenses with their rugged style of running. This season, Carley aims to add a little more balance to his game.

He, of course, still wants to remain tough to catch and take down.

“I think I need to work on my speed and just a little more shiftiness,” Carley said. “I’ve never had a problem being strong and powerful. I’m just working on getting quicker this year.

“All of our guys can create problems. Teams have to worry about everybody in our backfield.”

Senior quarterback Ray Hannemann got a good look at Carley’s abilities last fall. He said it made his job a lot easier to have so many teammates averaging 6, 7, and 8 yards per carry.

Richmond-Burton's Hunter Carley cuts back assigns the pursuit of Woodstock North's Emmanuel Fadahunsi during a Kishwaukee River Conference football game on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, at Richmond-Burton High School.

So what makes Carley so effective in the backfield?

“Man, you can’t really pick,” Hannemann said. “Not many kids in the world are that fast and that strong. He’s a lean 200 pounds and probably runs the fastest 40 on our team. He has a work ethic that’s unmatched.

“I think he’s as shifty as he needs to be, but he’ll tell you he can always work on more stuff. That’s where the work ethic comes in. He’s never satisfied.”

Senior offensive and defensive lineman Christian Ojeda enjoys making room for his bruising backs.

“He’s fast, he’s strong and he finishes – he runs over people,” Ojeda said of Carley. “Same with Riley [Shea]. I got to lift a lot with him and I’ve seen big improvement. I’m excited to play with both of them.”

Richmond-Burton started 1-2 last year, dropping Weeks 2 and 3 matchups to Quincy Notre Dame and conference rival Johnsburg, before winning their final six regular-season games. That included a convincing 35-0 win over Woodstock North, which finished the year with a program-record eight victories.

But the Rockets’ first-round exit to St. Laurence in the Class 4A playoffs was a tough pill to swallow. The Rockets lost 35-17, and the game wasn’t particularly close as R-B went down 28-3. Carley scored on runs of 5 and 57 yards late and had more than 100 yards.

“We want to win those tough games and be able to perform better against bigger teams in the playoffs,” Carley said. “Hopefully, we can make it a little farther this year.”