40 teams in 40 days – Day 21: Ridley (1)

Written by: David Mika on Saturday, August 11th, 2012. Follow David Mika on Twitter.

2011 season

Jalen Randolph led all rushers with 1,208 yards and 12 touchdowns. Matt Davis passed for 1,273 yards and 11 touchdowns. Mike Smoluk was the leading receiver with 29 catches for 481 yards and five touchdowns.

Ridley finished the season with a 9-3 record. The Green Raiders had big wins against Malvern Prep and Strath Haven. Their season came to an end when Garnet Valley defeated them in the first round of the District one playoffs, 28-6.

Q & A with Ridley head football coach Dennis Decker

We sat down with Decker and talked to him about his team for the 2012 season.

How is your off-season going this summer?

The off-season is going well. We got kids in the weight room and out on the field. They are chopping at the bit to get their pads on. The kids are looking forward to the season.

Who do you have coming back on offense?

Matt Sinex (6-2,260) is returning. Steve Plousis (6-0,210), Tyler Shiber (5-10, 250) and Frank Cullen (5-10, 250). We have four of the five lineman returning.

My wide receivers will be Mike Crowley (5-9, 170) and Mike Smoluk (5-10, 180). My tight end is Dennis Bryson (5-10, 190).

In the backfield I have Richie Coia (5-8, 185) and Shane Dougherty (5-10, 195). Both are returning starters.

There is a battle at the quarterback spot between Senior Eddie Hild (6-0, 175) and Junior Collin Wright (6-1, 175).

Who do you have coming back on defense?

Matt Sinex and Richie Coia are back on the defensive line.

Shane Dougherty and Dennis Bryson play at middle linebacker. We also have Drew Harrison (6-0, 190) at linebacker.

In the defensive backfield we have Mike Crowley and Mike Smoluck who are back.

What about special teams?

The only person we have back on special teams is our kicker, Kelton Heverly. We aren’t sure who the punter is right now.

League

I think the league is going to be real tough this year. A lot of teams return good quarterbacks, teams like Garnet Valley, Haverford Township and Harriton.

We need to control the offensive and defensive line to be successful. With an inexperienced quarterback this year we are going to run the ball more. We are going to rely on our guys up front who have experience.

To have a successful season you have to?

Get quality play at our quarterback position. We aren’t going to ask him to go out there and win games, we need him to manage games. We’ve got to limit the turnovers.

Home Opener

Ridley opens home at Glen Mills on August 31^st

40 teams in 40 days

Day 1 – Mount Carmel Area (4) Day 11 – Scranton (2)

Day 2 – Manheim Central (3) Day 12 – Pottsville (11)

Day 3 – Delaware Valley (2) Day 13 – Cardinal O’Hara (12)

Day 4 – Southern Columbia (4) Day 14 – Shenandoah Valley (11)

Day 5 – Berwick Area (2) Day 15- Central Dauphin (3)

Day 6 – Easton Area (11) Day 16 – Scranton Prep (2)

Day 7 – LaSalle (12) Day 17 – Garnet Valley (1)

Day 8 – Downingtown East (1) Day 18 – Spring-Ford (1)

Day 9 – Council Rock North (1) Day 19 – Southern Lehigh (11)