Elliott Pontious had a TD run in Ridgway's win at Johnsonburg

JOHNSONBURG – Ridgway stopped Johnsonburg four times from inside the 5-yard line in the waning seconds of play Friday night to pull out a 22-21 win at Johnsonburg in the 103^rd meeting between the Elk County rivals.

The Rams drove from their own 31-yard line to the Elkers 1-yard line in the last seconds where they faced a fourth-and-1 play. Johnsonburg head coach Tom Launer decided to go for it instead of sending out the kicker, who was 1-for-2 in extra points on the night. The decision backfired when Ridgway’s defensive stuffed the fourth-down run with three seconds left to seal the victory.

Barry Wilson’s 45-yard touchdown run and subsequent 2-point conversion run with 9:35 left in the game had given Ridgway (2-1 overall, 2-1 AML South) the lead.

Johnsonburg (0-3, 0-3) trailed 14-13 at halftime but took a 21-14 lead on a 72-yard Zane Zelehoski run and a 2-point conversion pass from Zach Padasak to Ren Yonker 1:06 into the second half.

Zelehoski had a big night in the loss for Johnsonburg running 20 times for 148 yards and the touchdown.

The team exchanged touchdowns in each of the first two quarters to set the halftime score.

Elliott Pontious, who ran 18 times for 130 yards and a touchdown, put Ridgway up 6-0 on a 47-yard touchdown run midway through the first quarter.

Johnsonburg then took a 7-6 lead at the end of the opening 12 minutes when Padasak hit Ren Yonker with a 25-yard scoring pass. Padasak was 8-for-18 passing for 203 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Yonker had four catches for 69 yards and the score.

The Rams then extended the lead to 13-6 on a 79-yard pass from Padasak to Craig Carrow, who ended the night with three catches for 116 yards, early in the second quarter.

But Ridgway took the lead on the last play of the first half when Hudson Rees caught a 30-yard scoring pass from Nick Dickant and Pontious scored the 2-point conversion.

Dickant finished the night 8-for-18 passing for 126 yards and the touchdown. Wilson added 10 carries for 60 yards and a score for the Elkers, who now lead the overall series with Johnsonburg 49-46-8. It was Ridgway’s first win in the series since a 27-20 win in 2003.

NOTES – It was just the third 1-point game in series history and the first since 1925 when Johnsonburg got a 7-6 win. Ridgway had beaten the rams 7-6 in 1923 … Mark Myers had 19 tackles to lead the Johnsonburg defense.

RIDGWAY 22, JOHNSONBURG 21

Score by Quarters

Ridgway 6 8 0 8 – 22

J-burg 7 6 8 0 – 21

Scoring Summary

First Quarter

R – Elliott Pontious 47 run (kick failed), 6:24

J – Ren Yonker 25 pass from Zach Padasak (Matt Shuey kick), 2:33

Second Quarter

J – Craig Carrow 79 pass from Padasak (kick failed), 10:13

R – Hudson Rees 30 pass from Nick Dickant (Pontious run), 0:00

Third Quarter

J – Zane Zelehoski 72 run (Yonker pass from Padasak), 10:54

Fourth Quarter

R – Barry Wilson 45 run (Wilson run), 9:35

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing – Ridgway: Pontious 18-130, Wilson 10-60, Aiello 6-7, Dickant 3-6, Darrek Johnson 3-8. Johnsonburg: Zane Zelehoski 20-148, Mark Myers 6-12, Zach Padasak 1-7, Ren Yonker 4-(-13).

Passing – Ridgway: Dickant 8-for-18, 116 yards, 1 touchdown. Johnsonburg: Zach Padasak 8-for-18, 203 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception.

Receiving – Ridgway: Renaud 4-56, Rees 1-30, Wilson 2-28, Aiello 1-2. Johnsonburg: Craig Carrow 3-116, Ren Yonker 4-69, Andy Benson 1-18.  

Interceptions –  Ridgway: Joe Renaud