20 • The Beacon October 29 , 2020
Senior leadership is a key to Generals ’ winning ways
By Dave Mast
Every great team needs leaders , and the Ridgewood Generals appear to be blessed with many of them as they roll through another winning season . Among those leaders are a solid and dedicated group of seniors who have been through the battles together growing up , and it is culminating in an exciting final go-round their senior year .
Head coach John Slusser said success didn ’ t come easily for this senior group , having struggled through junior high to put it all together . However , he said they have developed a mental toughness that combined with a talented junior class has made a complete unit with very few holes .
“ It ’ s a nice mix , but what we have seen is that our skill guys from this senior group in junior high were all small back then ,” Slusser said . “ They hadn ’ t developed physically . But things change , and they have worked hard , and I am proud of the work they put in . They deserve this opportunity .”
That opportunity is not something the seniors nor the rest of the Generals will take for granted .
“ We are very thankful and blessed right now ,” senior tailback Deontae Brandon said . “ We are always thankful for every opportunity we get to play together . Most of this group has been together for a very long time , playing together since we were kids , and we have an incredibly strong bond .”
One of the things that seems to make this team tick is that nobody cares who does the job as long as someone is making plays and everyone is where they need to be , whether on offense or defense .
After dropping a 24-14 game to state power Ironton in the regional finals last
Dave Mast
The Ridgewood Generals have plenty of reasons to truly believe they are a serious challenger for a state title this season . One of the bigger reasons is thanks to a dedicated group of seniors , who have meshed with an athletic group of underclassmen to forge a strong unit .
season , the Generals are bent on rectifying that this year .
“ It ’ s been a total team effort ,” Brandon said . “ Offensively , we want to put as many points on the board as we can . We are definitely out for revenge in losing in that playoff game last year . That continues to drive us forward , and we are focused .”
Senior lineman J . J . Durr moved into the school district his freshman year and said he quickly became acclimated to the Generals ’ program and what is expected of players and the team . He also said he was accepted immediately by the seniors and welcomed into the group .
“ I feel like family , like I have been here my
whole life ,” Durr said . “ It ’ s an exciting opportunity to play alongside a bunch of guys who are so dedicated and hungry to work hard to achieve our goals .”
Durr said the leadership exhibited by this senior group has been incredible on the field of play , built off it as well , where they take part in growing as leaders in their community . He said that is all part of becoming a single unit that understands in order to achieve their goals , they have to play together as one .
As for adversity on the field , the Generals have had nothing to do with it as they have created a running-clock scenario by being ahead by more than 30 points in every game this year .
“ We ’ ve been running clocking everyone , but we know we have some really good teams in our region , and we are excited about the challenges ahead ,” Durr said .
The total team package was on full display in Ridgewood ’ s playoff opener , where the Generals handed Oak Hill a 49-7 loss .
In the game junior quarterback Gabe Tingle found Dalton Patterson on a 36-yard touchdown pass for the only score in the first quarter , but the second quarter was all Generals .
Tingle connected with Javen Bell on a 67-yard score seconds into the quarter , and moments later Patterson returned an interception 32 yards for a score , Andy Troyer ’ s extra point making it 21-0 .
The defense continued to shine with junior linebacker Xavier Lemneck making a leaping interception on the Ridgewood 45 , and that quickly turned into a 46-yard bubble screen touchdown play from Tingle to Patterson , who scored his third TD of the game .
After a stop , Slusser turned to the running game , and Brandon roasted Oak Hill on a 20-yard touchdown scamper .
Finally , with just under a minute left in the half , Tingle connected with Kigenn Millender on a 54-yard touchdown to make it 42-0 .
With the clock running throughout the second half and with Slusser sending in the reserves , Oak Hill managed to punch one in , but Ridgewood responded with the game ’ s final tally on a 20-yard scoring run by backup quarterback Josiah Cahill .
It was another dominant performance by a team that has its sights set on the big prize at the end of the high school season rainbow .
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