Post 412 – HS Football Preview 2019: Ridgewood

Ridgewood Maroons  

2018 in Review:  

  • 9-3 record 
  • Lost to Piscataway in the North Jersey Group 5 bowl game  
  • Beat Montclair in the North Jersey Section 1 Group 5 finals
  • Beat Clifton in the semifinals and Passaic Tech in the first round 
  • Scored 338 points – 28.17 average
  • Allowed 198 points – 16.5 average 
  • Wins Included: Irvington, Clifton, Hackensack, Kennedy, Passaic Tech 
  • Losses: Old Tappan, Paramus 

Departing Seniors:   

  • RB Will Cardew – Monmouth 
  • DL Jackson Pfund – Franklin & Marshall 
  • OL Cooper Vellis – Susquehanna 
  • DL Thomas Park – Rochester 
  • K Patrick Luby – SUNY Cortland 
  • QB Will Mollihan – Franklin & Marshall for lacrosse 
  • RB Will McDermott – Catholic U for lacrosse 
  • TE Luke Simpson – Middlebury for lacrosse 
  • DB Gavin Peene – Air Force for lacrosse 
  • RB James Hogan – Ohio State for lacrosse 
  • DB Kevin Seitter – Quinnipiac for baseball 

*The bold print below is a returning starter. This includes one who had playing time and one who started on the other side of the ball only in 2018, with explanation included after their name.

Offense: 

Formation: Wing-T
Returning Starters: 4 

Quarterback:  

  • Liam Tarleton, Senior, 5-8, 175 – returning starter who replaced injured starter 

Running Backs:  

  • Gabe Santiago, Senior, 5-10, 185 – returning starter at halfback 
  • George Hadfield, Senior, 5-10, 170 – projected starter at halfback 
  • Sean Emmanual, Junior, 5-11, 180 – projected starter at fullback 

Split End:  

  • Tom Bourque, Senior, 6-2, 170 – returning starter 
  • Derek Sullivan, Senior, 5-9, 150 – part of rotation 

Tight End:  

  • James Miller, Senior, 6-4, 230 – returning starter 
  • Cameron Smith, Junior, 6-3, 220 – will play as second tight end 

Offensive Line:  

  • Andrew Messineo, Senior, 6-2, 250 – projected starter at tackle; started on defense 
  • Logan Albronda, Senior, 5-11, 255 – projected starter at tackle 
  • Caleb Walsh, Senior, 6-2, 215 – projected starter at guard 
  • AJ Liguori, Senior, 5-11, 235 – returning starter at guard moving from tackle 
  • Brendan Powers, Senior, 6-1, 280 – projected starter at center 

Defense:  

  • Formation: 3-4
  • Returning Starters: 

Tackle: 

  • Andrew Messineo, Senior – returning starter 
  • Ryder Langsdale, Junior, 6-5, 210 – projected starter 

Nose Guard:  

  • Anthony Vaccarella, Junior, 6-2, 230 – returning starter, shared position  

Outside Linebacker:  

  • James Miller, Senior – returning starter 
  • Cameron Smith, Junior – returning starter   

Inside Linebacker: 

  • Jack Wittmaack, Senior, 6-1, 185 – returning starter 
  • Luke Otterstedt, Senior, 5-10, 175 – projected starter 

Cornerback:  

  • Tom Bourque, Senior – projected starter 
  • Derek Sullivan, Senior – projected starter 

Safety:  

  • Harrison Roberts, Senior – returning starter at strong safety 
  • John Kearney, Senior – returning starter at free safety 

Special Teams: 

  • Junior Max Gluck is the kicker and Tarleton is the punter
  • Malone and Pillai return kicks 
  • Sullivan and Bourque returns punts 

Schedule: 

  • Friday, 9/13, Old Tappan at home 
  • Friday, 9/20, at Irvington  
  • Friday, 9/27, at Passaic Tech 
  • Friday, 10/4, Eastside at home 
  • Friday, 10/11, Paramus at home 
  • Friday, 10/18, at Clifton 
  • Friday, 10/25, Kennedy at home 
  • Friday, 11/1, at Hackensack  

Concerns: 

  • Graduating four 2-year starters on the offensive line – the replacements are doing well, but they’re inexperienced and need to get that experience in a hurry 

Recruiting:  

  • Bourque verballed to Lehigh for lacrosse 
  • Wittmaack verballed to UMass for lacrosse 
  • Messineo has Georgetown and Bucknell offers plus 1-AA interest 
  • Miller has a Columbia offer and interest from Princeton and Penn 
  • Carney has Columbia and NESCAC interest 

Coach’s Comments:  

“Offensively, we have some skill players back, while the others are still battling. Our offensive line has new kids who are doing well, but what happens when the bell rings? Defensively, we have five players back in our front seven. We have three safeties with experience, but we will have new corners.” – Head Coach Chuck Johnson   

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