Snowy Loss Ends Impressive Football Season

The Ridge High School varsity football Red Devils fell to the powerhouse Phillipsburg Stateliners in the NJSIAA North II Group IV Championship. With the 34-7 loss, the Red Devils' season came to an end and their record dropped to 9-3.

The snow was light as Phillipsburg kicked the opening kickoff out of bounds, giving Ridge the ball on their own 35-yard line. The Red Devils offense was stopped quickly in three plays, forcing a punt, but the punt was dropped by Phillipsburg returner Andrew Nesmith and recovered by Ridge sophomore J.D. Moore.

Ridge quickly capitalized on the dropped punt with a 5-yard TD run from senior Nick Cefalo, and after a successful extra point kick by John Graves, the Red Devils held a 7-0 lead with 7:45 remaining in the first quarter.

Phillipsburg responded quickly with a return to midfield and a 26-yard run by Dana Lee, the first of many long runs on the day for the dominant junior running back. The Stateliners pushed closer to the end zone with a couple more runs, and finally on first and goal, Phillipsburg quarterback Justin Scuorzo punched the ball in on a QB keeper. After a successful fake kick turned 2-point conversion, the Stateliners were up 8-7 with 5:32 remaining in the first quarter.

Neither team scored again until Phillipsburg took advantage of a Ridge fumble and drove from midfield to the end zone, again led by Lee, and again resulting in a touchdown on a QB keeper for Justin Scuorzo. Brandon Hull's extra point kick was good and the Stateliners improved their lead. The half ended with Ridge trailing 15-7.

The second half started just as the first ended: with Lee charging down the field and with Phillipsburg scoring on a 13-yard run by Gerald VanDeCruz. The PAT was no good, and the Stateliners were leading 21-7 with 8:17 remaining in the third quarter.

The Red Devils next drive was essentially ended before it even began with a pass interference call that resulted in a loss of down and a loss of 15 yards. Ridge was again forced to punt and Phillipsburg scored on the next drive after a 40-yard TD reception by Andrew Nesmith. The PAT was botched, bringing the score to 27-7.

Phillipsburg struck one final time in the fourth quarter with another VanDeCruz run for a TD. The game ended with the field covered in snow and with the final score 34-7 Phillipsburg—the Stateliners earning a state championship.

Ridge may have lost the North II Group IV state championship, but they still had an impressive year, beating teams like Immaculata, who went to a state championship game of their own, and Woodbridge, who ended their regular season with four straight wins—a streak that was ended by the Red Devils in the semifinals of the playoffs.

The Red Devils only regular season losses came early in the season at the hands of Union and North Hunterdon. Their loss against Union, another strong team who went 8-3 this year, was by only two points. After the Red Devils started off 2-2, they improved to 9-2 with 7 straight wins, until their loss in the state championship against Phillipsburg brought their final record to 9-3.

Senior quarterback Ben Edsall had only positive things to say about his team after the loss.

"I love every one of these guys... I'll probably remember this for the rest of my life," Edsall remarked as he walked off the field, adding that the season was "A great experience."

Head Coach Bill Tracy was clearly proud of his players and could be seen embracing them one by one at the end of the game, offering encouragement and thanking them for a job well done.

"These kids are the best. To come here with them has been a dream come true," Tracy said of the '09 Red Devils.