Tag: Andy West

by Mike Pavlichko

Andy West stepping down after five successful seasons leading Ridge football

Every new football coach faces challenges in their careers, but for Andy West, one of the biggest ones came right out of the gate, even though a celebration came first.

West officially was handed the reigns after Bill Tracy stepped down following the 2019 season. But that didn’t come until April, and by then, the COVID-19 pandemic was in full swing. West – who lives in New Providence – was recognized with a parade of cars outside his house with signs heralding the news.

On the field, the Red Devils didn’t flinch. Coming off back-to-back 8-2 seasons, West’s 2020 squad went 6-2 – while many programs struggled during the pandemic – then went 7-3 each of the next two seasons, and 8-2 each of the past two.

But now, West has stepped down, telling the team of his intentions last Friday. West will finish with a five-year record of 36-12, a .750 winning percentage, and never missed the state playoffs in four seasons. (There were no state playoffs in 2020 due to COVID.)

West will remain at Ridge, where he’s also pitching and catching coach under Tom Blackwell for the CJSR-ranked Red Devils’ baseball team, which this week is ranked No. 2 in the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten, and has a pair of games Tuesday and Thursday against new No. 1 Immaculata. He also helps coach boys’ and girls’ swimming.

West joined the staff of Bill Tracy – who’s now at St. Joseph Metuchen – in 2012, and in 2015 became the team’s defensive coordinator. The Red Devils went 34-17 in that span.

Click below to hear Andy West talk about stepping down as Ridge football coach:

by Mike Pavlichko

After five straight trips to sectional semis, Ridge looks to take next step Friday, and exorcise some demons, against Ramapo

The Ridge and Ramapo football teams have some recent history, but the Red Devils will look to alter its course Friday night.

That’s when second-seed Ridge (8-1) will entertain third-seed Ramapo (6-3) in the North 1, Group 4 semifinals, with a trip to the sectional title game on the line. It’s a level Ridge hasn’t reached since winning a title in 2013, but there’s more to the story.

The Red Devils are in the sectional semis for the sixth playoff season in a row. They got that far in 2018 and 2019 under Bill Tracy – now the head coach at St. Joseph-Metuchen – and after the no-playoffs COVID year, have been there the last three years. In 2023, they fell to Northern Highlands by five, and the two previous years lost both times to Ramapo.

But those games – a 34-27 defeat in 2022, and a 41-31 loss in 2021 – were on the road. This time, the Red Devils get them at home. And it still won’t be easy.

The Raiders started the year 0-3. They opened with a loss at Somers (NY) by five, then lost to Ridgewood by 12 and Old Tappan by six; both of those teams are No. 1 seeds in their respective sections – and still alive – this postseason.

Ramapo has its own storied playoff history, too. They have 13 state sectional titles.

They’re the defending North 1, Group 4 champs, topping Northern Highlands – the team that knocked Ridge out – in last year’s title game, 14-10, before falling in the Group 4 title game to Mainland, which is down to Group 3 this year.

They also made the finals in 2022 and 2021, losing to Northern Highlands both times. And they’ve been in the semis the last 12 playoff years, dating back to 2012, winning titles in 2015, 2018 and 2019.

Click below to hear Ridge coach Andy West talk about the Red Devils, and Friday’s playoff game against Ramapo:

by Mike Pavlichko

Ridge outlasts Rahway in North 1, Group 4 opening round behind big game from Stieglitz

On 20 carries, Aidan Stieglitz powered his way for 178 yards and all three of his team’s touchdowns in a 22-14 win for second-seed Ridge over visiting seventh-seed Rahway Friday night at Lee Field in Basking Ridge.

The Red Devils now move on to next Friday night’s sectional semifinals at home against third-seed Ramapo, which topped 6-seed Randolph 47-27 in their opening round game.

Stieglitz staked Ridge to a 7-0 lead on a one-yard touchdown run with 6:50 to go in the first half, but Rahway tied it up on Andrew Avent’s run from a yard out just over two minutes late.

That held until 49 seconds before halftime, when Stieglitz punched in a six-yard score to give the Red Devils a 14-7 lead at the break.

After a mostly scoreless third quarter, Jaquan Robinson scored from six yards out to knot the score at 14 with just 25 seconds remaining in the third.

Just 90 seconds into the fourth, Stieglitz saved his longest touchdown of the night for last … scoring from 26 yards out to give his team a 20-14 lead, then adding a two-point conversion to make it 22-14 with 10:30 to go.

The Ridge defense played bend-but-don’t-break football the rest of the way. Rahway moved the ball, but got stopped on fourth down with 4:30 left, but despite calling all three of their time outs, Ridge held onto the ball to pick up the win.

Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio analyst Marcus Borden, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen!

by Mike Pavlichko

Steiglitz’ 3 TDs, strong ground game, propel Ridge to 28-21 win over No. 1 Phillipsburg

The Ridge linemen – on both sides of the ball – controlled the line of scrimmage, and Aidan Stieglitz did the rest, scoring three touchdowns en route to a 28-21 win over visiting No. 1 Phillipsburg Friday night in the Big Central Game of the Week presented by Bellamy & Son Paving on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

The win was the first for the Red Devils (2-1) over the Stateliners (2-1) since 2003, their first win in a series in which P’burg had won the next nine – until this year.

Stieglitz carried 23 times for 217 yards and three scores. He had the first and last touchdown of the first half for Ridge, which saw them go into the lockerroom up 14-7.

Joseph Dachnoqitz scored on Ridge’s first possession of the second half to build a two-score lead, but Phillipsburg had some tricks up its sleeve.

They cut it to 21-14 on a two-yard touchdown catch by tight end Luke Hywel. Quarterback Jett Genovese rolled right and looked like he might run it in himself, but Hywel was wide open, and caught a soft toss in the back of the end zone.

Then, with 6:09 to play, Matthew Scerbo caught a 25-yard touchdown pass, but not from Genovese. It was from Felix Matos, his first career touchdown pass and only second attempt of his career. Matos took it on a handoff and tossed it on the option, tying the score with the PAT.

Ridge, though, got the lead right back, just three plays later, on a six-yard run by Stieglitz, who had his way with the Stateliner defense. It could have been too soon though.

Phillipsburg got down the field and had a pass completion inside the red zone, but Felix Matos fumbled as he was hit after the catch. The ball sat on the field for a near-eternity before Ridge fell on it.

And it still wasn’t over. They got just past midfield, after P’burg used all its timeouts, and still had to convert a fourth and inches.

They did, and then it was over.

The win gives Ridge head coach Andy West his 30th career win. He’s now 30-10 in his fifth season at the helm in Basking Ridge.

Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Chris Tsakonas with senior Aidan Steiglitz and head coach Andy West, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

Ridge looking for statement win as No. 1 Phillipsburg visits the Somerset Hills

The long trek in either direction on Route 78 through West Jersey is not for the faint of heart. On top of rush-hour, it can be downright miserable.

By around 9:30 at night, it’s usually clear sailing.

But the Ridge Red Devils hope the ride back to Phillipsburg is just as miserable, when the top-ranked Stateliners visit Basking Ridge on the “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving.

The teams square off at 7 pm with pregame at 6:45, as Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas call all the action. Click here to listen.

Ridge has lost a slew of talented players on offense and defense. There’s quarterback Ryan Olivo and his 1,149 yards passing and 15 touchdowns, along with runningback Will Deady and his 1,149 yards and 15 scores. On defense, lineman Christopher Lover and his seven sacks and nine TFLs is gone, as is defensiveback Andrew Serluco and his four picks.

And yet, they come in 1-1 against Phillipsburg (2-0), thanks in large part to the return of Ryan Turner, who rushed for a team best 367 yards last season, and is at 146 already through just two games. And the defensive front, led by guys like Nate Engdahl and Nate Schneider, held Hillsborough to just 58 yards on the ground last week in a 34-7 win in which they scored the first four touchdowns.

Click below to hear from Ridge head coach Andy West:

by Mike Pavlichko

Ridge spreads it around as Red Devils drop Woodbridge, 35-14, in North 1, Group 4 first round

Everybody got into the act for the Ridge football team Friday night at Lee Field.

In an opening round North 1, Group 4 playoff game, the second-seeded Red Devils scored on every possession but one in a 35-14 victory over visiting seventh-seed Woodbridge.

Ridge (8-1) now moves on to play third-seed Northern Highlands in the sectional semifinals at home next Friday night. The 3rd-seeded Highlanders – the defending North 2 Group 4 champs and Group 4 finalist from a year ago – improved to 8-2 on the season with a 48-21 win over 6th-seed Randolph Friday night.

Woodbridge ended its season at 6-4.

Senior fullback Will Deady scored twice for Ridge, rushing for 123 yards on 20 carries to put him over the 1,000 yard mark for the second straight season. Ryan Turner had a 58-yard touchdown catch and a 15-yard TD run, while Aiden Stieglitz ran in a one-yard score, and Matthew Bober returned a punt 40-yards for a touchdown.

The Bober score was somewhat of a turning point in the game, even though Ridge was up 28-7 at that point. A fumble for the Barrons in their own end was almost recovered by the Red Devils at the one, but the ball went out of bounds, forcing Woodbridge to punt from its own end zone. The return for six put Ridge up 35-7 with 8:16 left in the third quarter.

Ridge had seven full possessions in the game – not counting getting the ball back with 50 seconds to play in victory formation – and scored touchdowns on six of those drives.

The only one where they didn’t was their second possession after halftime, where senior quarterback Ryan Olivo threw an interception from the Woodbridge 42, but the Barrons wound up turning it over on downs for the second time in the game, again leaving points on the table, as they did on their opening possession of the game.

Click below for postgame reaction from Mike Pavlichko, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

Ridge senior fullback Will Deady
Ridge head coach Andy West
by Mike Pavlichko

Deady, Olivo and company primed to make a postseason run with Ridge

There’s no Thanksgiving Day game, so the regular season is over. Done, finished, and in the rear view mirror.

Then again, the playoffs will be somewhat of a mirror image for the Red Devils. Because while many other Big Central teams played some good teams, and some lousy ones, Ridge has had a playoff opponent on its schedule every week for the last seven weeks.

Well-tested? Heck, they’ve already been through the gauntlet, so what’s three more to win a state title?

Consider the fact that in their five-team Big Central American Silver Division, four of the teams were ranked at one point, with three still in the CJSR Top Ten: themselves, Hillsborough and Phillipsburg. Hunterdon Central was ranked for a time, too.

The first step comes Friday night, when Ridge (7-1) – the No. 2 seed in North 1 Group 4 – takes on seventh-seed Woodbridge (6-3). A win would put the Red Devils in the sectional semifinals next week at home against either 6th-seed Randolph or 3rd-sed Northern Highlands.

You can hear that game on Central Jersey Sports Radio with pregame starting at 6:45 and kickoff at 7. Mike Pavlichko and Dylan Allen will call all the action; click here to listen.

by Mike Pavlichko

No. 4 Ridge pulls away with four unanswered TDs for 41-13 win over No. 9 Hunterdon Central

Hunterdon Central – having one of its best starts in years – hung in there with Ridge for one half of football.

But after halftime, it was Ridge’s night.

The fourth-ranked green-clad Red Devils broke a 13-all tie before the half then scored three more touchdowns in the second half while keeping the other “red” Red Devils off the scoreboard, en route to a dominating 41-13 win at Stewart Field in Flemington Friday night.

Ridge QB Ryan Olivo ran for a touchdown and threw four TD passes on the night: two to Ryan Turner – one of which went for 66 yards – and one each to Wilson Brady and Rooke Donohoe.

Ridge improved to 3-1 on the season, while Central suffered its first loss, and is now 4-1.

Click below for postgame reaction from Marcus Borden presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

Deady’s three TDs power No. 4 Ridge past No. 2 Hillsborough to get back in the win column

A week ago, the Ridge Red Devils – then the No. 3 team in the Central Jersey Sports Radio Top Ten – gave Phillipsburg all it could handle in a tough 21-14 loss at Maloney Stadium.

Whether it was a good game plan, excellent execution, or a bit of frustration, they fourth-ranked Red Devils took it out on No. 2 Hillsborough Friday night.

Will Deady scored three touchdowns – two on the ground plus a TD pass from QB Ryan Olivo – en route to a 28-7 win over the Raiders in Basking Ridge.

Deady finished with one catch – the one that went for a touchdown – as well as 185 yards on the ground on 25 carries, while Olivo was 5-for-10 passing for 65 yards and the six-point strike to Deady.

Ridge improves to 2-1, while Hillsborough suffered its first loss of the season to drop to 3-1 ahead of a matchup with the Stateliners at Rutgers next Sunday, September 24th, in a game that can be heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio with a noon kickoff from SHI Stadium in Piscataway, part of a doubleheader on CJSR that will feature Sayreville and North Brunswick locking horns at 3:30.

Click below to hear CJSR’s Mike Pavlichko talk with Ridge head coach Andy West about the win over Hillsborough:

by justinsontupe

Ridge focused on one game at a time; this week just happens to be the BCC’s No. 1-ranked team

Ridge head coach Andy West is ultra familiar with the challenges that come with a trip to Phillipsburg: the atmosphere, the tradition, the road trip, and – this season – the No. 1 team in the Central Jersey Sports Radio rankings.

West joined Bill Tracy’s staff at Ridge in 2012 and took over the program ahead of the 2020 season. The Red Devils’ last win against the Stateliners was its only win, in 2003, en route to a state championship.

But Ridge has been knocking on the door. In 2021, the Red Devils’ last trip to Maloney Stadium, Ridge came within one with a fourth quarter touchdown. A failed two-point conversion allowed Phillipsburg to escape. Last season, Ridge led at halftime before the Stateliners pulled away with a red-hot second half.

Might this be the year?

No. 3 Ridge opened the season with a convincing 41-7 win at Monroe last week. This after winning the last five regular season games in 2022 by an average of 26 points.

Fullback Will Deady returns for his senior season after leading the Red Devils in rushing yards and touchdowns.

Last year, Ridge reached the semifinals of the North Jersey, Section 1, Group 4 state tournament and hopes to find itself in a similar position when cold weather falls again this season.

But the focus right now for Ridge is week-to-week. And this week, the Red Devils are well aware of the challenge ahead. Kickoff is at 7:00 Friday night and coverage from Phillipsburg begins at 6:45 with Mike Pavlichko and Justin Sontupe on the call for Central Jersey Sports Radio live from Maloney Stadium. Click here to listen.

Click below to hear Justin Sontupe talk about the matchup with Ridge head coach Andy West: