Billy Sims. Bo Jackson. Barry Sanders. Tim Tebow. RGIII. New York City. And Riley Cooney?
Yes, the Mountain View senior found herself among college and prep royalty last week. Cooney was one of a dozen finalists nationally who were bidding to become male and female winners of the Wendy’s High School Heisman as the collegiate Heisman also was awarded.
Of course, she had zero complaints.
“Oh, it was incredible,” she said on Saturday. “They were spoiling us.”
The dozen finalists each won $2,000 for their schools.
Cooney entered the Wendy’s contest on a whim. She has been a three-sporter into her fourth year — she runs cross country, plays guard on the Mountain Lions basketball team and handles the distances in track. She has had terrific grades — her weighted 4.3 grade-point average ranks her first in class of 273. And she loves community service and helping others — she volunteers with everyone from the elderly to children and even knits for cancer patients.
Still, the aspiring doctor headed to Kansas’ Jayhawks was surprised to join all of the big names and participate in the activities, including the banquet and live telecast.
“I had never been to New York City,” Cooney said. “There were so many applicants and to find out I was one of them, I was so shocked. I thought to myself, “Maybe I’ll win a free trip to New York. And here I am!”
