WOODLAND – This spring’s 2A Greater St. Helens League football season was short, but Ridgefield used it to work toward long-term success.
With Friday’s 26-7 win over Woodland, the Spudders finished this COVID-altered season 4-1.
More importantly, its players and coach Scott Rice believe standards have been raised and a new foundation laid for Ridgefield football.
“’Raise the expectation’ was our tagline for the year,” Rice said. “They’ve set that expectation significantly higher.”
Not only did Ridgefield finish second in the 2A GSHL, they showed they can hang with the league’s best. Friday’s win came six days after the Spudders took Hockinson, which has won seven straight league titles, down to the wire in a 14-7 loss.
Senior quarterback Luke Price threw for 267 yards and four touchdowns, three of which were more than 30 yards.
Ty Snider hauled in three of those touchdown passes and had 113 yards receiving. Isaiah Cowley added 111 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Ridgefield took advantage of having a strong east wind at its back in the second quarter. Price found Cowley behind the defense for a 54-yard touchdown. Then, on Ridgefield’s next play from scrimmage, he hit Snider for a 48-yard score to extend the lead to 20-0.
A defense that allowed just 21 points this season turned in another stifling performance, holding Woodland (2-3) to 160 yards of offense. Senior Bryce Harrison had a standout showing in his final game with two interceptions.
Harrison said the defense was powered this season by a sense of urgency.
“If we got a chance at having a season, we needed to make the most of it, Harrison said. “When you only have five games, you’ve got to play your heart out.”
After breaking a 14-year postseason drought in 2019, Ridgefield had high hopes for this season. But the disruption of COVID scrubbing the fall 2020 season could have derailed even the most talented group.
The Spudders made sure that wouldn’t happen.
“We talked all year through our Zoom meetings that we’re going to get there,” Rice said. “Once we do get there, let’s be ready to be a part of it.”
Once they got on the field, Ridgefield hit the turf running. The Spudders began the season with three consecutive shutouts.
And when this fall’s season arrives, the next group of Spudders will have a tough act to follow.
“We made great strides last year,” Rice said. “Then this year, with a really special group of nine seniors who came out and battled every week, they’ve set a really high standard for what kids behind them will have to follow.”
RIDGEFIELD 26, WOODLAND 7
Ridgefield 8 12 0 6–26
Woodland 0 0 7 0–7
First quarter
R – Ty Snider 12 pass from Luke Price (Ryan Jenkins pass from Price)
Second quarter
R – Isaiah Cowley 54 pass from Price (run failed)
R – Snider 48 pass from Price (run failed)
Third quarter
W – JJ Fuerst 2 run (Emmanuel Cruz kick)
Fourth quarter
R – Snider 30 pass from Price (run failed)
Individual statistics
RUSHING – Ridgefield: Tanner Roberts5-25, Matt Vance 4-29, Luke Price 8-0, Sam Everett 3-17. Woodland: JJ Fuerst 23-122, Daymon Gressett 8-16, Matthew Yager 2-12, Dalton Beassie 2-10.
PASSING – Ridgefield: Luke Price 16-24-0-267. Woodland: JJ Fuerst 0-9-2-0.
RECEIVEING – Ridgefield: Isaiah Cowley 7-111, Aidan Hundt 1-10, Ty Snider 5-113, Ryan Jenkins 2-26, Matt Vance 1-7.
