JOHNSONBURG 39, RIDGWAY 6

Sept. 15, 2006

RIDGWAY – The Johnsonburg football team didn’t wait until the second half this time.

The Rams piled 26 points on the scoreboard before halftime on their way to a 39-6 romp over rival Ridgway Friday night at Ridgway’s Memorial Field in the 102nd meeting between the two schools. It was the third straight win in the series by Johnsonburg, which now trails in the series 48-46-8.

Johnsonburg (3-0 overall, 3-0 AML South) took a lead they would not relinquish on their first offensive possession. Quarterback Calvin Grumley hit Jesse Dennis three times in the drive, including a 24-yard touchdown connection to give the Rams a 6-0 lead.

Dennis had success locating gaps in the Ridgway zone all night, reeling in five balls for 83 yards.

"I just kept staying in the holes in the zone," Dennis said. "I hit the lanes, Calvin hit me."

Johnsonburg coach Tom Launer explained how his team’s game plan attacked the Ridgway zone.

"We wanted to spread them out," Launer said. "We planned on throwing short and intermediate routes, just dragging a guy across the middle of the field."

After each team traded two scoreless series, Johnsonburg struck again.

Grumley capped a five play, 39-yard drive with a six-yard touchdown run. Dennis’ extra point made the lead 13-0.

"The two things I feared came true," Ridgway head coach Mark Morelli said. "They took control of the game early and they beat us in every facet of the game."

The Rams built on the edge on their next series, as Grumley targeted John Yonker with a 10-yard scoring pass to expand the score to 20-0.

Ridgway (1-2) put together what would have been their initial first down of the game if not for a mistake at the play’s end. Quarterback Nick Dickant hit Shane Lindgren over the middle and Lindgren took off down the field after shedding a defender. After a 33-yard pickup, Lindgren was stripped from behind and Johnsonburg’s Chris Perez recovered the fumble.

Johnsonburg cashed in on the Ridgway miscue.

Grumley tallied his second rushing score of the game, a seven-yard gallop which made the halftime score 26-0 Johnsonburg.

"We came out ready to play," Launer said. "I could sense it on the bus. These kids meant business."

Dennis thought the opponent made a big difference.

"We’ve been starting slow," Dennis said. "Tonight we came out with intensity, probably even a little extra intensity because it was Ridgway."

Morelli lamented that his team was unable to create or take advantage of opportunities.

"We didn’t get the job done," Morelli said. "We need to make plays. When you’re successful, you make your own luck."

The second half was more of the same. Johnsonburg opened the second half with a drive which lasted nearly five minutes and culminated with another Grumley seven-yard run to make the score 33-0.

"We worked on containing him," Morelli said. "We tried to keep him in the pocket, but he does things on a football field you just can’t coach. He beat us at times with sheer athletic ability."

With 3:47 to go in the third quarter, Johnsonburg experienced a scare of the worst kind. Grumley rolled to his left, ran down the sideline and was hit and did not get up. Trainers worked on the senior quarterback for nearly 10 minutes before he walked off the field gingerly under his own power. He did re-enter the game for the final play to celebrate with his teammates. Initial reports were that Grumley had cramped in both legs, but would be fine.

The lead became 39-0 when backup quarterback Zach Padasak found Perez in the back right corner of the end zone for a one-yard connection.

Ridgway avoided the shutout when Dickant rolled to his right and lofted a pass, which Barry Wilson went airborne to pull in a 38-yard touchdown to account for the final score.

Wilson’s touchdown was one of Ridgway’s few offensive highlights. The Elkers were held to 101 total yards, 71 of which came on two plays. Ridgway’s Jerico Weitzel was held to 32 yards rushing on 12 carries.

"I thought this game would be decided by the play of the offensive and defensive lines," Morelli said. "Johnsonburg did an excellent job. If Johnsonburg stays healthy, they will be a force to be reckoned with in the AML."

Dennis believes his team’s defense is at the top of its game.

"We’re stopping the run, and we’re stopping the pass," Dennis said. "Right now, we’re one powerhouse defense."

Grumley threw for 198 yards and ran for 65 more. John Yonker had three catches for 66 yards, while Perez added three receptions of his own.

The game marked the final time the Johnsonburg seniors will face the Ridgway seniors. Johnsonburg’s seniors continued a run in which they have not lost to Ridgway at any level of football, an achievement in which Dennis and his classmates take great pride.

"It means a lot," Dennis said. "We never lost to Ridgway at any level of football and we made sure that streak didn’t end tonight."

With difficult games against Curwensville, Coudersport and Cameron County lurking on the schedule, Launer was more than happy to see a complete performance from his team.

"The first couple weeks, we got complete games from our defense, but our offense was one half good, one half bad," Launer said. "This was a total game. It was great to see that from us with a tough stretch of schedule ahead."

Morelli’s concerns were not put to rest by his team’s effort against the Rams.

"Our season is at a crossroads," Morelli said. "We’ve struggled offensively the last couple games. Our players need to do some soul searching. They have to decide how the rest of this season is going to go.

"We are doing everything we can as coaches. It looks like we’re not doing anything the way they’re playing out there. These kids need to show some intestinal fortitude. We need to start hitting people and being more physical."

Ridgway gets back into action at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23 at Sheffield. Johnsonburg will attempt to push their record to 4-0 when they face Otto-Eldred at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 22 at Otto-Eldred.