Each one has his own distinct story.

One is a coach’s kid. One is fighting his way back from a season-ending injury. The other is in the running to be senior class valedictorian.

Indeed, Ryan’s three standout linebackers all have different backgrounds and personalities. Individually, they’re all pretty good at their position, too.

Together, though, they may make up one of the best linebacker corps in the entire state.

Meet Jonny Paramore, Jordan Richmond and Alex De La Torre, the backbone of a Raiders defensive unit that head coach Joey Florence thinks will play an instrumental role in leading the team on another deep run into the playoffs this season.

The trio will play a prominent role as the Raiders (1-0) play their home opener tonight against Carrollton Newman Smith (0-1) at C.H. Collins Athletic Complex.

Florence considers himself pretty lucky. Having one star linebacker is always a plus. Having three? At the same time?

“It’s rare,” Florence said. “We’ve had some great ones here, but these are a different type of linebacker than we’ve had in the past. They’re bigger and more physical.”

And smart, too.

Never mind the old stereotype that pegs linebackers as, well, not the brightest bulbs in the room. Florence said the defining characteristic of this group is their intelligence -- both on and off the field.

“That’s the thing about this group,” he said. “They’re intelligent. Jonny is number one in his class, Alex is around seven or either and Jordan does really well, too. They’re high-character, physical players that are highly intelligent.”

Nobody demonstrates this trait more than Paramore, who is currently tied for first academically in Ryan’s senior class with teammate Daniel Martin. At 5-foot-11 and 195 pounds, Paramore is smaller than De La Torre and Richmond but just as potent on the field.

Last season, the senior had 121 tackles, including 12 for a loss, after stepping in as a starter early in the year. In the Raiders’ season-opening win against Sulphur Springs, he also recovered a fumble, had one tackle for a loss and broke up a pass.

All of this, of course, while maintaining his class standing.

“You just have to stay focused,” Paramore said. “I have homework right after I’m done with football, and then I go to sleep and its back to school and football and then homework again.”

De La Torre is no slouch, either. He’s ranked in the top 10 of the junior class at Ryan and has emerged as one of the top players on a loaded Raiders defense.

He stepped into a starting role last year after his father, Aaron, left the college ranks at Stephen F. Austin to take a position as Ryan’s defensive line coach. Since then, he’s put on weight and, at 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds, has an imposing presence on the field. As a sophomore in 2009, De La Torre recorded team-high 156 tackles to go along with nine sacks, and added another eight tackles to open 2010 against Sulphur Springs.

De La Torre credits his emergence to the work he put in last season when he transferred in to the program.

“Hard work will take you everywhere,” he said. “This time last year I wasn’t really big or strong, so I worked my butt off. I came out here and learned a whole new defense and just tried to adapt my game.”

While De La Torre and Paramore were emerging, Richmond was trying to get back on his feet.

The 6-foot-2 junior had already made a splash during his freshman campaign after stepping into a starting role during the playoffs in 2008. In 2009, though, his promising sophomore campaign was derailed by a season-ending shoulder injury in the Raiders’ 52-0 win over Denton that required surgery and months of rehab to fix.

 “It was rough on [Richmond],” Florence said. “It was tough for him to sit out the second half of the season. But he went through his rehab like he was supposed [to do], had his surgery and now he’ll be out there on Friday night. We’re real proud of him.”

Richmond suffered another set back against Sulphur Springs, injuring his ankle and missing a large chunk of Ryan’s season-opening win. He’ll be back in the starting lineup against Newman Smith, though, and said he’s confident that he’ll be ready to return to form.

Then again, with teammates like Paramore and De La Torre, he’s got plenty of help.

“Alex can play, Jonny can play and I can play,” Richmond said. “If we all just play as one, honestly, I don’t think anyone can touch us.”

Florence, meanwhile, was a little more tentative but just as confident about the trio’s abilities.

 “I’m not comparing them to those championship defenses yet,” he said. “They have a lot to prove before all of that, but they definitely have the potential to get there.”

De La Torre, at least, is ready for the chance.

“We set our goals and expectations to the highest,” he said. “We want our [defense] to be relentless and dominant. We want to destroy everyone in our way. I think we’ve got the talent to do that. It’s just going to boil down to how hard we work and how hard we prepare.”

MARSHALL MOORE can be reached at 940-566-6869. His e-mail address is mmoore@dentonrc.com.