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Ridgway Uses Strong Second Half to Down Clarion and Claim 4th Straight D-9 Crown

Tagged under: District 9, Gameday Hub, News

| November 17, 2019


Photo credit to Jared Bakaysa of D9Sports.com


The Ridgway Elkers trailed by 14 at halftime and Clarion was getting the second half kickoff.  Ridgway had failed to stop Clarion in four of the Bobcats’ five drives and gave up an astounding 320 yards of offense in those first two quarters.  But in a tale of two halves, the Elkers outscored the Bobcats 42-7 in the third and fourth quarters to win going away, 56-35 Saturday night at Mansell Stadium in DuBois.  In doing so Ridgway made history by winning a fourth straight District 9 title, the last two in the AA classification.

How does a team turn things around like that one might ask?  Well, five Clarion turnovers may have something to do with that reversal of fortune.  When asked what his defense did differently in the second half Elker head coach Mark Heindl said matter-of-factly, “their jobs.”

The game had the makings of a shootout from the get go.  Ridgway scored first on a 74-yard drive aided by a pair of back to back 15-yard penalties.  Austin Green pulled down the first of his three touchdown catches from Paul Gresco who threw for five touchdowns.  Clarion answered when Austin Newcomb caught a pass and outran the defense to complete a 63-yard pass and catch.  After Damon Kelley picked up a Colton Zacherl fumble near mid-field and returned the ball to the Clarion 21, Gabe Watts crossed the goal line from six yards away to give Ridgway the 14-7 lead.

The second quarter was all Clarion.  They scored 21 unanswered points to go into halftime with a 28-14 advantage.  Cutter Boggess started things off in quarter number two by catching a Cal German toss for 22 yards and the score.  Later after the Bobcat defense recovered a Ridgway fumble, Boggess ran ten yards for the score.  What could have been the key to the game occurred on the Ekers’ subsequent drive.  With the ball at Clarion’s one and poised to tie the game, the third down snap went awry and Boggess recovered the agate at the eleven, thus thwarting a Ridgway opportunity.  More importantly, Hunter Craddock grabbed a German pass and scored on the third play of that Bobcat possession with 39 ticks remaining in the half.

“Clarion did a lot of good things against us in the first half and Austin Newcomb is everything he’s put out to be.  When you don’t play your responsibilities correctly against a very good running attack like that, they’re going to get us and they got us in the first half.  But credit the kids, we made a couple of adjustments at the halftime and shut them down,” coach Heindl stated.

The omen of things to come for Clarion came when they fumbled the kickoff to begin half two and Ridgway scored (Wickett ran 32 yards).  Next, the Bobcats failed to gain a half yard on a fake punt from their 29 and Ridgway scored to tie the contest (Green caught an 11-yard pass from Gresco).

Gresco (#3) and Gabe Watts (#2) Photo credit to Jared Bakaysa of D9Sports.com

Four of Clarion’s next five drives ended quickly in interceptions, three by Jack Cowan and the other by Matt Dush. The other drive was a three and out.  The Elkers, correspondingly, scored three times in a span of exactly three minutes in the late stages of the third quarter and the first 11 seconds of the fourth to put the game on ice.  Matt Dush ran 38 yards on a double hand-off to give Ridgway the lead for good at 35-28.  Then Green caught his third TD pass, which went for 26 yards.  That was followed by Wickett’s 42-yard TD after catching Gresco’s pass.

Clarion got on the board again, cutting Ridgway’s lead to 49-35 with eight minutes left on a Newcomb 58-yard pass reception.  But Ridgway closed the scoring with a Wickett 24-yard TD grab and run four minutes later.

Clarion only managed 96 yards in the second half, giving them 416 for the game.  German threw for 266 yards by completing 13 of 24.  He had 4 TD tosses, but also threw 4 picks.  Boggess had 5 catches for 52 yards and a score.  Newcomb grabbed 4 passes for 130 yards and two scores.  He also ran for 66 yards.  Clarion’s leading ground gainer was Zacherl with 98 yards on 7 totes.

Ridgway ended up with 440 yards for the game.  Gresco was 13 for 16 passing for 236 yards and the 5 touchdowns.  Green snabbed 8 passes for 123 yards and the 3 TDs.  Wickett caught two for 66 yards and two scores.  Wickett led Ridgway with 97 yards rushing on 15 carries and a touchdown.

Clarion ends the year with a 10-2 record, while Ridgway, now 11-1, moves on to play undefeated and state ranked Wilmington next week.

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