Football preview: Ridgewood will lean on 'D' to stay elite

WEST LAFAYETTE — Many things are different at Ridgewood this year, namely the quarterback and his corps of receivers.

One thing remains the same, however — the expectations.

Even as three-time All-Ohio quarterback Gabe Tingle has exited the Generals program following four banner seasons, Ridgewood is not dialing back its outlook. Coach John Slusser, coming off four straight playoff berths, will bring a veteran front seven to the table as the Generals aim to maintain its place among the elite in the Inter-Valley Conference.

Just one full-time starter returns on offense in senior center Cohen Cabot, meaning a litany of new faces must adapt quickly. A challenging early schedule featuring road games with county rivals Coshocton and River View and road games with Alliance Marlington and Beloit West Branch only makes that more critical.

But a veteran defense led by senior linebackers Kaulean Smith and Quincy Hains figures to make this another competitive squad. No team scored more than 19 points on them during the regular season last year.

"Every time we get on the field it feels a bit more normal," Slusser said. "The group we lost last year had been there for so long and were such a big part of what we were doing. There is an adjustment period for all of us. I do think our kids have bought into being a team — a different team. They're taking great pride in themselves. It's still Ridgewood football and our kids play alright."

OFFENSE

The team was dealt a hard blow when 6-3, 205-pound senior quarterback Carter Fry, who spent his first three years at River View, was told his transfer was flagged by the Ohio High School Athletic Association, citing residency issues. The district appealed to the OHSAA, but the decision was upheld.

That means the strong-armed Fry, who passed for 1,477 yards and 12 TDs in the Muskingum Valley League's Big School Division in 2021, will only be eligible for the season's first five games — half of the season. That will also apply in basketball.

He and senior Josiah Cahill, who will play receiver, will share time under center while Fry is eligible. It will be Cahill's job from Week 6 forward.

"We are starting over," Slusser said. "Everyone is new on offense except for one guy."

Cabot is the anchor of a line that also features two of his classmates at guard in Jonas Paugh (6-2, 233), who saw some time as a junior, and Cam Hershberger (5-9, 240). The tackles feature a junior on the left side in Cam Stanton (6-3, 287) and a sophomore in Logan Sesser (6-1, 253) on the right. Seniors Taylor Crews (6-1, 290) and Parker Cognion (5-8, 249) and sophomore Cohen Parsons (5-9, 197) are the backups.

"Cohen is a nice guy to have back," Slusser said. "Cohen is real smart, he’s a great Ridgewood football guy. We think Sesser is going to be really good at tackle and Jonas and Cam are good football players. The offensive line has a chance to be okay."

The receivers and running backs are tasked with replacing one of the state's deepest receiving corps, namely an All-East District picks in Dalton Patterson and the reliable Stroup twins, Alex and Zander. Versatile Kigenn Millender, equally adept at running and receiving, has also graduated after an All-District campaign.

The bruising Smith (5-11, 209) will team with junior Cohen Booth (5-11, 165) and sophomore Aiden Sparger (5-11, 172) in the backfield.

Hains (6-0, 197) and Kaleb Schrock (6-1, 178) headline a receiver corps that also features Cahill and junior Mason Colvin (5-10, 141), with sophomore Grant Lahmers (6-1, 187) and speedy classmate Matt Humphrey (5-9, 141) also in the mix.

"We're missing some of our skilled guys, and that hurts, but we're fine," Schrock said.

Smith is confident the quarterback situation is in good hands.

"We've got a guy that can sling it and a guy that can run it," Smith said. "I like it. It's a good mix. I am confident in both of them. They both do their job really well and they execute."

DEFENSE

Paugh (6-2, 233), a senior end, headlines what figures to be another strong four-man front on Slusser's defense, even without graduated All-Ohio Kadin Bradford. Paugh and Hershberger are returning starters, while Cabot joins them at end and Sesser at tackle.

Behind them, an All-Ohioan is gone in versatile Xavier Lamneck, a player Slusser felt was one of the best players in the state at his position. Filling his role is a first-year starter in the promising Sparger.

Smith (5-11, 207) brings two years of starting experience to outside linebacker, while senior Hains returns after starting last year in the middle. Both players will be leaders on the front seven.

"We need Kaulean to be really good," Slusser said. "This is his first time playing both sides of the ball. We’re going to count on him to be a big running back for us and make a lot of tackles. ... (Quincy) played really well for us down the stretch last year, and we hope that he gets to that level again."

Last year, senior Kaleb Schrock was a menacing pass rusher but he will move back to strong safety this season to help a highly inexperienced unit. Cahill joins Schrock at safety, where they are flanked by first-year varsity starters at cornerback in Booth and sophomore Matt Humphrey (5-9, 141).

Slusser called that group "a work in progress," admitting he is seeking more from the safeties.

"They’re all four pretty decent athletes," Slusser said. "I think Matt Humphrey is going to be a decent athlete for us at some point. He’s real aggressive and runs really well. He’s an elite sprinter in the area, and he tries. We’re really hoping those two seniors have a nice year for us on the back end, because we’re going to need them. If those guys aren’t very good back there, we won’t be very good back there."

Senior Calob Patterson (6-2, 272), senior Colin Davis, junior Eli Stroup (6-3, 203) and freshman Logan Ridenbaugh (6-1, 172) will provide depth on the line, while sophomore Cohen Parsons (5-9, 197) and freshman Talon Carns (5-6, 131) back up at linebacker and Colvin and Lahmers are the reserves in the secondary.

"I fully expect us to be as good, if not better, than we have been," Hains said.

Blake Wells (6-0, 155), a junior, will handle punting duties and senior Zac Starkey (5-7, 152) has been the placekicker.

OUTLOOK

The Generals have long since established themselves as a program that churns out playoff teams, so there hasn't exactly been a panic in camp with the new faces in key roles. But Slusser has no preconceived notions that this will be a team that boatraces opponents, especially given the difficulty of the schedule.

In addition to a West Branch team that was 13-1 in 2021 and reached the state semifinals, IVC rivals Garaway and Indian Valley are expected to be even better. Garaway is the lone team to defeat Ridgewood in the regular season the past four years.

"Every game is going to be a battle for us," Slusser said. "We’re not the same team we have been the last four years, but we still have Ridgewood football players. We’ve scrimmaged Kirtland, Strongsville, Eastlake, Zanesville — all pretty good programs — and we’ve held our own in all four of them. Our kids have bought in."

Hains said the team "is ready to get what we didn't get last year," when a season-ending ankle injury to Tingle in the third quarter of a playoff loss against Wheelersburg ended what many saw as a lengthy playoff run.

"I have more than enough faith in our guys, guys that have played and guys that haven't played," Hains said. "I'm not really worried about that."

The players have embraced the rare role of being overlooked, Hains said.

"Personally, I love it," Hains said. "We're underdogs. We get to go out and prove people wrong, and I love it. People want to say that we're not as good, but they'll see."

Smith's enthusiasm is a bit more tempered.

"We've got zero two-way starters returning" Smith said. "We're pretty young and inexperienced, but I am still confident in the team we have. It will be a test (for the program)."

sblackbu@gannett.com; Twitter: @SamBlackburnTR