Ridge head coach Andy West talks to his team after an upset road win over Woodbridge in the opening round of the playoffs on November 5, 2021.
Woodbridge might have known it was in trouble from the opening kick.
Sixth-seed Ridge, playing on the road in the opening round of the North 1, Group 4 playoffs, figured why not try an onside kick to start the game. And that was the beginning of the end for the third-seeded Barrons.
The Red Devils recovered the kick, and on the ensuing drive scored their first touchdown of the game in a 38-0 win over Woodbridge (7-3) to advance to the second round of the playoffs.
Ridge (7-2) got 164 rushing yards on 13 carries from quarterback Mike Olivo en route to the “upset,” if you want to call it that.
The Red Devils’ only two losses this year came to two of the best teams in the Big Central: Hillsborough and Phillipsburg.
Ridge was dominant on defense, picking off Barrons’ QB Matt Stanton three times. But they also excelled on offense, scoring on every posssesion except the ones that ended the first half and the game.
Ridge now moves on to play next Friday night at 7 pm up at 2nd-seed Ramapo, which beat 7th-seed Chatham 47-21 Friday night at home.
Click below to hear postgame reaction from Justin Sontupe down on the field after the Ridge win: