Ridley

By MATT SMITH

msmith@delcotimes.com

RIDLEY TWP. — Six and five.

Two numbers that signify an incredibly empty feeling, rooted in anger and disappointment. Two numbers that also serve as motivation for the Ridley Green Raiders.

After 11 games and a rare District One Class AAAA playoff absence, 6-5 was the only thing left from a season of unfulfilled expectations. That was the Green Raiders’ final record, which would be a source of satisfaction and pride for many programs in Delaware County. That’s not the case at Ridley, where every win, loss and so-so record is magnified. The reality is, the Green Raiders have to be better than six wins.

“Last year, 6-5 wasn’t a horrible year, but at Ridley it’s not a great year at all,” sixth-year Ridley coach Dennis Decker said. “The expectations are there from the community, but we’ve got to let the kids know that they’re here to get better and to build relationships and rapports and memories. In the back of my mind, that’s my job to worry about what the community thinks and try to take the pressure off the kids, and not have them worry about that. But I let them know they’re going to hear stuff and that it’s important to just block it out, go out there and play football and have fun. The history and the tradition is here — there’s no ignoring it. They know it and they hear it, especially with the season we had. I tell them that we’re a different team with new aspirations, and last year was last year. Leave it behind, go out there and make your own history.”

Starting linebacker Ryan Dougherty is one of three returning starters on defense. He and fellow team captains Pat Najmola (offensive line) and Tre Hinchey (quarterback/defensive line) are poised to avoid last year’s mistakes that so often plagued the team. It started with having the right mindset in August.

“There was a lot less dedication than in years before, which is very unusual for a Ridley team,” Dougherty said. “This year, it’s more about the team than any ‘I’ or ‘me’. There’s a lot more communication than before, and we all share the same goals, so that helps. A lot of the juniors (in 2013), when we came back in the winter, we went harder than usual in the weight room because we didn’t want to have what happened in the Interboro game or what happened in the Garnet Valley game to happen again. We don’t lose to teams in that way. We folded instead of fighting to the end. It wasn’t Ridley football.”

While the Green Raiders are far from a finished product, there is more optimism in camp this year compared to 2013, when the team had question marks across the board, save for the quarterback position.

“Two years ago, in 2012, we had a stacked team. Everyone on the team was two years straight, so you knew we were going to be good,” Najmola said. “Last year was a matter of everyone on JV moving up to varsity, and this year we have more players that played on the team last year. That’s definitely going to help.”

Najmola, who tore his ACL last fall, is back to full strength. The 5-10, 230-pounder is penciled in at left guard spot after playing fullback and linebacker a year ago.

“It’s probably the easiest position on the field for me to play,” Najmola said.

The offensive line, which featured all varsity newcomers last fall, should be vastly improved under second-year line coach Mike Bonner.

Legendary defensive coordinator and former Ridley head coach Ralph Batty retired in February after 37 years of coaching football. Former Bishop Shanahan coordinator Jeff Hamson takes over for Batty.

“Obviously with Ralph not here, we’re going to be different defensively,” Decker said. “Jeff has a lot of experience. He’s been at Bishop Shanahan the last 12 years, 10 as the D-coordinator. He brings a lot of schemes to the table and is going to do some different things. We’re happy to have him.”

Other returning starters include senior offensive lineman Jesse Lesher (6-3, 210) and defensive end/tight end Mike Cropper (6-1, 210), who showed tremendous pass-rushing ability last fall, and should be one of the top defensive players in the Central League.

Hinchey (6-0, 190) is competing with fellow senior Jake Hoffman (5-8, 165) for the coveted starting quarterback role.

“My biggest job is improving my footwork, making my reads quicker and getting the ball out as fast as possible,” Hinchey said. “It’s good to have a competition. You can’t just sit back and say, ‘This job is mine.’ You really have to bust your butt all day, everyday to win the job.”

Whether it’s Hinchey or Hoffman behind center, the quarterback will be working with a new set of skill players, including the running back position. In the early days of fall practice, senior Dasantae Callis was the favorite to win the No. 1 job.

“It’s a whole different group of kids, a different type of leadership,” Decker said. “When we started in January, the focus and intensity has been there and most of all the commitment has been there from the kids. That’s what we want to see every time they step in here and put on a Ridley uniform.”