Ray Tomlin commends River Smith, who plays defensive midfield, as the glue of the 98 Elite team. Tomlin sums up his importance: “Stopping counter attacks, intercepting passes, winning tackles when the team is defending — when our team has the ball, River supports the attack, changes the point of attack and gets forward when the opportunity presents itself.” River is one of the team captains and one of a handful of players who lead this team. He has committed to play D1 at Belmont University.