Riverside Military Academy’s Julian Suber isn’t defined by a specific position on the football field.

Although officially slated as a quarterback, the 5-foot-9, 175-pound junior can be anywhere on the field, and as he proved Friday in the Eagles’ 56-28 win against Banks County, the end zone is one of those places — no matter how he got there.

Suber scored four touchdowns in as many different ways against the Leopards: passing, rushing, receiving and returning.

He finished the night with 106 passing yards, 63 rushing yards on five carries, 26 yards on his only reception and 111 return yards, including one 72-yard return.

“I didn’t really know at first that I had gotten so many until after the game,” Suber said of his four-touchdown performance. “People were telling me that I had four touchdowns.”

While Suber’s individual efforts are impressive enough, he can’t say enough about his teammates’ support in the early season. Riverside (2-0) had 406 total yards against Banks County, including a perfect 16-for-16 in pass attempts.

“You can’t score three or four touchdowns without your teammates,” Suber said. “You’re as good as your brothers around you.”

Unlike many of his teammates, Suber isn’t getting his first glimpse of GHSA competition this year.
Before enrolling at Riverside Military, he was a return specialist and a back-up running back behind Kenny Miles, who is now at the University of South Carolina — for traditional Class AAAAA powerhouse Brookwood in Snellville.

Rather than stay at running back, a position already taken by senior Logan Clemens, Suber moved to quarterback, and eventually moved to special teams at practice, despite still calling
signals for the Eagles.

“He’s very athletic,” Riverside coach Chris Lancaster said. “He can run, he’s powerful, he does a good job protecting the ball, he’s very smart with the ball, he has great vision, and he’s elusive but has the speed to break away.

“He knows his role, and as quarterback, he’s also the general in the huddle. He has to know how to flip the switch in every situation to get the respect of his men.”

Now at Riverside, Suber’s time is split between leading his football team and the demands of being a cadet at Riverside.

After each day of school, the Private attends military formation until 2:30 p.m. Once formation is complete, he attends practice until 5:30 p.m., which is followed by study time until 7:30 p.m. His free time during the day comes from 8-9:30 p.m., also known as “Eagle time,” when students are allowed to relax, check their e-mail, call their parents, or anything else they desire.

At 10 p.m., the lights go out for sleep, and Suber starts another day of school and football.

“Once you get the rules and regulations down you learn how to abide by them and it makes it a lot easier,” Suber said. “School comes first, then football, but I’ve learned how to manage both.

“I like the environment here,” he added. “Everyone here is trying to help you and not give you a hard time.”

That includes his teammates, who have become his best friends at his new home away from home.

“I can’t do it without those guys on the hill,” Suber said, gesturing to his new school across the street. “I consider myself nothing without them. They pick me up after every play, bad play or good.”