Saline Graduate Riley Behrman, Killed in Car Crash, Lit Up Hornet Stadium With His Smile

The Saline community is mourning the death of Riley Behrman, who died Saturday just short of his 21st birthday.

A source informed The Saline Post that Behrman, a 2023 graduate of Saline High School, died in a vehicle accident. An obituary has not yet been posted on the Robison-Bahnmiller Funeral Home website, but the page indicates Behrman died Oct. 11.

Police and fire scanner files from early in the morning Oct. 11 indicate that police and fire were dispatched for a crash near Dancer and Jackson roads in Lima Township at around 1:40 a.m.. The driver was pinned in the overturned vehicle and was later pronounced dead at the scene, according to scanner files.

Behrman studied entrepreneurship at the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University and he'd interned in real estate for Beztak in Detroit.

He was the son of Jonn and Aimee Behrman.

At Saline High School, he'd gained a taste of entrepreneurship in the DECA program.

Behrman's achievements during his senior year at Saline High School athletics were the stuff of legends. Behrman was the placekicker for the varsity football team and the starting goalie for the varsity soccer team.

Joe Palka, now Adrian College football coach, coached him at Saline High School. Palka said news of the death of the popular young man was devastating.

"Riley was a phenomenal young man who was incredibly well-liked by everyone he came in contact with. He was always happy and was such a positive guy. Nothing fazed him. I remember him winning a soccer game for his team one night and delivering clutch kicks for us the next night. His loss is one that will be felt by the whole community and all of us who were lucky enough to know him," Palka said.

In the soccer game Palka is referring to, Behrman turned in one of the all-time great Hornet performances. Former Saline coach Ryan Williams said news of Behrman's death was heartbreaking. He struggled to find the words to describe what Behrman meant to his team. He noted that Behrman was a three-year varsity  player who showed remarkable ethic and growth throughout his career.

"Over the years, Riley gained the respect and trust of his teammates to be named a team captain as a senior and helped lead the program by always putting the team first," Williams recalled.

Williams said Behrman's competitive nature never showed more than it did in his final soccer game at Hornet Stadium, when Saline faced Pioneer for the district championship. The game was tied after regulation and overtime periods. The championship came down to the shootout - an enormously tough spot for a goalie.

Behrman was more than equal to the moment.

That night, a legend was born.

The shootout was tied after several rounds. In the last round, Behrman dove to his right and knocked down the shot. 

Behrman didn't just make the fantastic save, he gestured back to his teammates in a primetime fashion that he was known for.

But that wasn't it. He was called out to take the next shot. He took a knee and tied his shoe as he stared down the soccer ball before his next moment.

Then, he lined up for the shot and kicked it past the goalie to win the game and the district championship.

"He scored the game-winning goal for the District Championship, on his birthday, nonetheless," Williams said, recalling the magic moment.

"The crowd rushed the field; Riley had a smile that lit up the stadium," Williams said. "Those are the memories and moments his teammates think about when they think about Riley, the playmaker, always captivating the crowd due to his infectious smile and outgoing personality. "

As if he wasn't busy enough that fall, Behrman found time to launch a fundraiser called Hornets Kicking Cancer. He asked people to pledge money for every extra point he kicked for the football team. He raised nearly $6000 for pediatric cancer research.

Whether it was on the field, in class or in a conversation, Behrman was brimming with life and energy. That makes this week's news even harder.

"To learn about his tragic, untimely passing is hard to process," Williams said. "Riley was a leader who lived in the moment and will be missed beyond measure."

An obituary for Riley Alan Behrman will be posted at Robison-Bahnmiller Funeral Home's website.

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