Tag: Andy West

by Mike Pavlichko

“A lot of hard work” helps Ridge keep winning

When he was up on the dais at Big Central Media Day No. 2 on August 16th at Iron Peak Sports & Events in Hillsborough, Ridge head coach Andy West had a lot of tradition on the stage with him. After all, Phillipsburg was up there, and they were just talking about having beaten Easton in New Jersey’s biggest Thanksgiving Day rivalry game for the first time since 2014.

But West was quick to point out that Ridge has tradition, too. And in all of that, there have been a lot of Ws.

Bill Tracy won a title as head coach there in 2012, and Tom Falato in 2003 before him. Both won a good deal of games; Falato was 81-36 in 11 seasons in Basking Ridge, while Tracy was 71-38 in his 11 years.

West has continued that, going 20-9 in three seasons, including the wacky COVID year. His teams won six, six and seven games in that span. Mind you, they’re playing in perhaps the toughest division in the Big Central Conference, with Hunterdon Central, Hillsborough, and Bridgewater-Raritan also in the mix.

A big part of the tradition that one imagines would continue in 2023 will be Ryan Olivo and Will Deady.

Olivo’s brother Mike played his senior year for Ridge in 2021, and now Ryan will run the offense at quarterback, while Deady is a talented two-way player who can pick the ball off on defense, and ran for 1,200-plus yards last year on offense.

Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko at Big Central Media Days with Ridge head coach Andy West, and seniors Ryan Olivo and Will Deady:

by Mike Pavlichko

Ridge pounds Roxbury to move on in North 1, Group 4 playoffs

On a night when only seven Big Central teams advanced from the first round of the state playoffs – and three of them had to because there were a trio of all-league matchups – Ridge made it one for the BCC with a big win of its own.

The third-seeded Red Devils took a 35-7 lead into the locker room at halftime over 6th-seed Roxbury, and added a bunch more insurance while the defense held in the second half, for a 52-7 victory Friday nigh in the North Jersey, Section 1, Group 4 first round.

After a 1-2 start – albeit with the losses coming to Phillipsburg and Hillsborough – Ridge has now won six straight and is 7-2 heading into a sectional semifinal clash at 2nd-seed Ramapo, which won Friday night 49-19 over 7th-seed Woodbridge. That game is expected to be a 6:30 pm kick at Ramapo next Friday night.

Will Deady had three touchdown runs to pace Ridge.

Click below for postgame reaction from Ridge head coach Andy West:

by justinsontupe

Ridge dominates Woodbridge wire-to-wire on strong run game from Olivo, stout defense

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:

Ridge quarterback Mike Olivo
Head Coach Andy West
by Mike Pavlichko

Ridge has a real opportunity to make a playoff run, as Red Devils open at Woodbridge Friday night

It’s hard to say with a straight face that any Ridge football team has flown under the radar over the last decade or so, having typically been quite successful from Bill Tracy right on through to Andy West, the current head coach.

But that’s what they’ve done to some degree, and they seem OK with it.

Friday night, 6th-seeded Ridge will begin what it hopes is a solid playoff run, visiting third-seed Woodbridge at Priscoe Field in the first round of the North 1, Group 4 playoffs.

Northern Highlands – the top seed in the section – is one of the top teams in the state, ranked No. 8 in the NJ.com Top 20; they’re also the second-highest ranked public school in the state.

But that’s not a concern yet for the Red Devils, who first must face a Woodbridge team that barely missed a beat in losing key players like Anthony Santino and Ali Lee, Jr., from a 2020 team that didn’t lose a game until it faced Somerville in the first week of pod play last year.

Click below to hear Ridge head coach Andy West talk about the Red Devils’ season – and their game against the Barrons – with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko: