Corning runner flies the coop to Tabor

A life of football continues for one former Corning High School Cardinal, as 2010 graduate Fontaine Richardson has signed a national letter of intent to play for Tabor College this fall.

Richardson, who stands 6 feet tall and weighs 180 pounds, will play running back on offense and safety on defense for the Bluejays, who won back-to-back Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference titles in 2004 and 2005 under coach Mike Gardner.

A trio of Tehama County athletes played for Gardner during that reign: Corning's Joe Fenske and Tyler McKim and John Ohm of Red Bluff.

Fenske, who is now the parks and recreation director in Orland, saw Richardson play for the Cardinals this past season and recommended him to Gardner, who returns to Tabor in 2010 after a three-year coaching stint at another school.

"He had watched me play and

knew I had talent," Richardson said of Fenske. "So he told me about Tabor and had talked to the coach for me."

After hearing about Fenske's experiences playing NAIA ball in Kansas, and speaking to Gardner on the phone, Richardson visited Tabor and decided he wanted to become a Bluejay.

Richardson, who will major in pre-medical studies, earned a 70 percent scholarship, of which $8,000 per year is athletic and $5,000 academic. Annual tuition at Tabor is $19,000, according to Richardson.

While at Corning High, Richardson twice earned the school's Tag McFadden Offensive Player of the Year award. He was an All-Northern Athletic League performer in his senior season, in which he led the Cardinals to an 8-3 record and Northern Section Division I playoff berth.

Richardson averaged 7.89 yards per carry and amassed 1,112 yards during senior year, scoring 13 touchdowns. His average of 101 yards per game was second best in the Northern Athletic League behind Lassen's Darren Lee, who has committed to Boise State.

"Fontaine is a tough player who will help us become better," Gardner said. "He also is a great open-field tackler in the kicking game."

Richardson said he has always been inspired to succeed by those who believed in him most, especially his father, Stephen Richardson.

"To this day, he believes I could make it to the NFL," Fontaine said of his dad. "My teammates also looked to me to make big plays, because they knew I had the spark to go the distance every time I touched the ball. Their opinions and comments pushed me further."

Richardson remembers one play in particular in last year's Tehama County Shootout. He rushed for two touchdowns to aid the Cardinals' 26-14 victory over rival Red Bluff, but his fourth-quarter score helped seal his team's win, ending a three-year drought in the Shootout series.

Richardson also credits Corning head coach John Studer with helping him make it to the next level.

"My junior year, I didn't stand out as much because I didn't really get the amount of carries I wanted," Richardson said. "Studer knew the kind of talent I had, and my senior year he let me go. A big part of where I'm going today is because of him."

Richardson said he was also recruited by Southern Oregon University and several community colleges throughout the state, but he believes he will receive a strong education at Tabor and earn ample playing time.

Also, his high school sweetheart and fellow 2010 grad, Regan Albee, has signed to play basketball at Tabor.