The starting linemen on Ridgefield’s football team aren’t the biggest in the 2A Greater St. Helens League.
But they might be the best.
Seniors Lane Andersen, Jesse Dobson, Logan Black and Jack McGinley won’t appear in a game’s scoring summary. But they are the major reason Ridgefield is undefeated headed into Friday’s showdown with Hockinson that could very well decide the league title.
“We set the tone for the whole game,” Black said. “We play tough. We play mean, and I think most teams can’t handle that. It gives us an edge in the games. Our intensity, the rest of the team feeds off it.”
Through five games, Ridgefield is averaging 268.4 rushing yards per game. Running backs Tommy Herz and Jalen Williams average 8.5 and 7.4 yards per carry, respectively.
But it’s not like Herz and Williams are having their paths cleared by behemoths on the offensive line. At 255 pounds, Dobson is the largest of the bunch. McGinley is 245. Black is 240 and Andersen is 225.
Compare that to Woodland, which started three linemen bigger than 265 pounds against Ridgefield on Sept. 25. But that didn’t stop the Spudders from rushing for 395 yards in a 60-27 win.
“Blocking for those guys is personal,” McGinley said. “We’re friends with all of them. We’re not just blocking so they can score. We’re blocking to protect those guys.”
Also, winning is personal for many of Ridgefield’s players. Many of the team’s 18 seniors were on varsity two years ago when the Spudders went 0-9.
“I think we still have a chip on our shoulder from that 0-9 season,” Andersen said. “I think it’s incredibly important that we’ve all played together. We all trust each other and know how each other think.”
Ridgefield’s turnaround began last season, which the Spudders finished 5-4. Dobson and Andersen were honored as first-team all-league linemen. Black and McGinley received second-team honors.
As with most players in 2A football, Ridgefield’s linemen play both offense and defense. That can mean 120 plays each game of battling in the trenches.
“As a lineman, you have the responsibility of each play,” Dobson said. “Each play you’re thinking ‘punch in the mouth.’ It’s a fun game, but it’s also a serious game.”
Those four core linemen spend plenty of time together away from the football field. There are weightlifting sessions, but also some serious food-lifting sessions at El Rancho Viejo in downtown Ridgefield, where the conversation turns to more typical teenage topics.
“Girls, food, video games, the basic stuff,” Dobson said.
Years from now, Dobson, Andersen, Black and McGinley might gather over dinner and reminisce about their football days at Ridgefield.
That story will likely be how their class helped the program go from a winless doormat to one competing for a league title and state playoff berth.
And they hope Ridgefield’s success won’t stop with them.
“Our job is to prepare the people younger than us to fill our shoes,” McGinley said. “It doesn’t just stop here. It continues.”
