Schools
Part 2: Reflections on a Banner Year for Ridge Sports
Some observations from those who participated in Ridge High School sports programs this spring and winter.
This is the second part of a story on some of the highlights in Ridge athletic programs in the past school year, including recent comments from athletes and coaches.
The first part of ran on Friday.
BASEBALL
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The varsity Ridge baseball team accomplished a tremendous feat this past season by winning the Somerset County title for the first time since 1989. They did it in remarkable fashion by outlasting rival Hillsborough 4-3 in eight innings. They overcame a three-run deficit to win the title and star player JB Kole delivered the game-winning hit that drove in Greg Fazio.
Kole, who also played a vital role on the basketball team, is heading to Villanova to continue his baseball career, said this of his senior season: “We started off a little slow at 2-8 [early season record] but picked it up from there and played well throughout the year. The County championship was a tremendous accomplishment. It’s been a great ride and really good way to end it with the county title. The coaching staff and especially pitching coach Eric Dial helped me a lot to develop as a pitcher. The results showed out there. It’s sad to leave Ridge and the memories we all made. I wish the juniors who will be seniors next year the best of luck and Coach (Tom) Blackwell raised the bar to new levels.”
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BOYS LACROSSE
The Ridge boys’ lacrosse team, one of the state’s powerhouses, fell one victory short of winning back-to-back state titles. But considering the team was out of the gate for the season after losing 16 seniors from the previous season, the Red Devils were able to reload quickly. The team advanced all the way back to the title game, only to lose to Moorestown. The Red Devils went 14-7 on the season.
One of the highlights for the team was their stirring overtime victory in the state semifinals over Morristown 8-7. Senior captain Kevin Kelly scored the game-winning goal in overtime with two-and-a-half minutes left.
Coach Ken Marsh: “Our team accomplished a great deal this past season. Our seniors committed themselves to keeping our program at a high level. We were able to get back to a state final after graduating 16 seniors the previous season.”
Jason Mertz, who will continue his lacrosse career at Muhlenberg College, Pa.: “No one expected us to get back to the state title game. Everyone said it was a rebuilding year but we put in a lot of work to prove people wrong and show it was the real deal.
The Morristown game stands out because we didn’t play our best game but we needed adversity at some point and it showed what type of team we had and we weren’t going to be denied.
I had a blast playing on the lacrosse team and wouldn’t trade it for anything else. The senior class is close to the junior class and we have a lot of memories and even after season is over, we do everything together and we all became brothers. Winning the state championship my junior year is something I’ll never forget. It was the first time in Ridge lacrosse history we won the title and awesome to be part of something that big. We created a legacy that will be followed by others.”
BOYS TENNIS
The boys varsity tennis team, with only two players returning from last year's squad, didn't know what to expect entering the season. Led by senior star Alex Ruderman, the young team surprised everyone to end up eighth in the state at the end of the season, with Ruderman second team all-state to cap off one of the best careers in Somerset County tennis history.
The Red Devils went 23-1 on the season and avenged last year’s NJSIAA North II, Group IV Sectional semi-final loss to Westfield by defeating them in this year's final, winning the state sectional title for the first time in team history.
Ruderman went 27-1 on the season and advanced to the state individual quarterfinals before losing to last years state champ, No. 1 seed Michael Lippens from Shore Regional. Ruderman will continue his tennis career at Emory University in Atlanta.
Ruderman: “Individually, I couldn’t have asked for a better year. I won the county title, which one of my biggest goals. We knew going in it would be a tough match with Westfield. Everyone stepped up and played their best. It was a great feeling for everyone on the team to accomplish our goal of winning the state.”
ICE HOCKEY
The Red Devils hockey team enjoyed another banner year under the guidance of Coach Tim Mullin. Ridge advanced to the NJSIAA Public A state quarterfinals. They finished the season at 13-6-7.
Coach Tim Mullin: “We had outstanding leadership from our four seniors (captains Peytoon Linn and Alec Wells, Josh Raff and Jake Boudreau. This was the main reason we were able to get to the quarterfinals of the state tournament.”
Defensemen Peyton Lynn, who’s attending Univerity of Massachusetts —Amherst in the fall: “I was really happy with our season and we won a couple game in the playoffs and made it to the quarterfinals. We weren’t expected to make it far and it was awesome to prove everyone wrong.
“Our win over Pingry in the seventh game of the season was a win I’ll remember. We came out and won over a team that was considered a private power and it surprised a lot of people. It was an amazing experience to play for Ridge hockey.”
