congrats on a great year Ridgewood, your seniors where awesome

Congrats to Ursuline... The better team won last night...no sour gapes here...Living my entier 55 years in West Lafayette, I have NEVER seen such support for a Ridgewood team from our commuity, our school, and the surrounding area!!! The Team, coaching staff, and their loyal fans will think back on this season in a week or two and not be sad the way it ended but glad for what it brought to each of them....Proud to be a GENERAL !!!!!

Really don't know why everybody just can't admit it, Ridgewood brought a knife to a gunfight last night thanks to the great OHSAA. I think even the Ursuline fans know this.

Thanks for a great season Wood Players and Coaches!!!

Last night, I had the experience of witnessing the best and worst of High School Football.

Under the best, I watched a Ridgewood team that was outmanned and outgunned battle with every part of there heart and soul for 48 minutes. In the 4th quarter, down 48-0, these guys were still slapping hands with teammates, helping teammates and opponents up, and I watched as RW teammates on the field, helped one another stay positive between plays. I witnessed a small community come out by the thousands and shower love (win or lose ) on THEIR boys.
Under the Worst-
- I watched a Division 1 or 2 program impersonate a D5 school in order to win a football game. Notice I dont say Division 1 or 2 school because a school, my opinion, is a community and anyone who was at last nights game and witnessed the pathetic community support given to this very good Irish team quickly realize at Ursuline it's not about community its about the "program".
While standing on the Irish side, I overheard a person say, that the father of a Ursuline player was "sponsoring" 12 players on their team.

I know for a fact all of the Generals started Kindergarten together , they all will graduate together, they will know each other for life, their kids will play ball together 20 years from now. The OHSAA has gone to great strides to level the playing field by creating 6 divisions, only to see these football factory's maintain lower level status by picking and choosing who gets in their school based on athletic ability, we in public schools don't have that ability ( nor would we want it) we are a community.
Dan Ross made a comment a couple weeks back on how impressed he was with Ridgewood's student athletes and community support. Dan, impress us by addressing this issue before its ruins highschool sport.
OPSAA stands for OHIO Public School Athletic Association, sounds good doesnt it!!!!
Still ...awesome year Generals.....Thanks for the memories

I completely agree that private has a big advantage and anyone that is honest with themselves would have to agree. But, who ever said life is fair. Why teach our kids that it has to be a level playing field when in life it never is. If your school and community want to win a state title so bad, do something about it. Do your own recruiting, hire a big name coach, move some kids in from other areas, get their parents good jobs, whatever it takes. My school made it to the title game once in 87 and got beat up by Mooney 30-7. That's fine with me, they were better. Will those kids end up being better in life, who knows, but winning that game will have had nothing to do with it.

The conspiracy continues.

There are a lot of private schools that do not go about things the way some do. I think everyone can see the ones who do it the wrong way and the ones who run things the way they are meant to be.

Some of the "real smaller" private schools are losing stutdents left and right while others seem to have that fater who sponsers a lot of player.

I had no dog in this fight.
I went to a public school but root for a small private school who loses more students than they get and most of the ones they have been in the system since grade school.

At least this is the talk I hear from the few I talk to about the school I root for.

Some of the privates just want to win more than you and they do what it takes. They kick ass and more power to them. They are just better.I don't begrudge anybody for their success. They do however has obvious advantages over public schools.....duh.

Junior Samples wrote: The conspiracy continues.

The joke is still here.

Congrats to the Generals on a wonderful season!!!!!!!!!

Food for thought on the public - private debate.

I believe winningest football program in the State since 2000 is not a private school. It is Public. And it is not a D-I or D-II school. it's a D-V (142-14 I think). Further they beat the University of Mooney twice in the finals as a D-IV school (2005, 2007). Now they have a shot at avenging a 2000 State final loss to Ursuline (49-37).
If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best.

Oh, the school - Coldwater. If I'm wrong, please let me know.

ECIC wrote: Food for thought on the public - private debate.

I believe winningest football program in the State since 2000 is not a private school. It is Public. And it is not a D-I or D-II school. it's a D-V (142-14 I think). Further they beat the University of Mooney twice in the finals as a D-IV school (2005, 2007). Now they have a shot at avenging a 2000 State final loss to Ursuline (49-37).
If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best.

Oh, the school - Coldwater. If I'm wrong, please let me know.

Coldwater is one school out of 720. There's gotta be something in the water out there.

Genreals....wow what an awesome ride! I have enjoyed watching you this year! This team has done more for Ridgewood Football than any other team; you won the first regional title! You did not win last night on the field but you have won the hearts of all of us here in West Lafayette and we owe you so much for the pride that you have brought to this community.

ridgerunner88 wrote:

ECIC wrote: Food for thought on the public - private debate.

I believe winningest football program in the State since 2000 is not a private school. It is Public. And it is not a D-I or D-II school. it's a D-V (142-14 I think). Further they beat the University of Mooney twice in the finals as a D-IV school (2005, 2007). Now they have a shot at avenging a 2000 State final loss to Ursuline (49-37).
If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best.

Oh, the school - Coldwater. If I'm wrong, please let me know.

Coldwater is one school out of 720. There's gotta be something in the water out there.

It's gotta be the beer and McSober's chicken wings!

And it might have something to do with their excellent coaching staff and success playing Anna, Delphos SJ, Marion Local, St. Henry and Versailles that they have enjoyed in last few years.

Gmister I agree that the support was wonderful for the Generals. We had former players that drove hours and some that are living out of state now to watch the Generals play. I think that speaks a lot of what Ridgewood Football means to past players and it was so enjoyable to the West Lafayette/Ridgewood School Reunion!! WAY TO GO GENERALS WE ARE PROUD OF YOU!

Region 19 is awful. Ursuline is good, but this was ugly.

How about taking a few powers from 20 and place in 19?

Well said "G"

Great post pretender. Just seeing all the yards signs ,posters, and folks wearing the orange and black around town is a credit to the Generals. They have given this little town a November we will never forget. The Champ is definately HERE in West Lafayette

How about all the people that went to Thursday night (Thanksgiving) practice this week to stand in line a buy a Ridgewood T-Shirt! And they sold out and had to get more! Your are right no one will be able to forget this November! Thank you Generals for the great ride!!!!

OPSAA nothing against any teams in region 19 but Kathyjane is right.

ECIC wrote:

ridgerunner88 wrote:

ECIC wrote: Food for thought on the public - private debate.

I believe winningest football program in the State since 2000 is not a private school. It is Public. And it is not a D-I or D-II school. it's a D-V (142-14 I think). Further they beat the University of Mooney twice in the finals as a D-IV school (2005, 2007). Now they have a shot at avenging a 2000 State final loss to Ursuline (49-37).
If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best.

Oh, the school - Coldwater. If I'm wrong, please let me know.

Coldwater is one school out of 720. There's gotta be something in the water out there.

It's gotta be the beer and McSober's chicken wings!

And it might have something to do with their excellent coaching staff and success playing Anna, Delphos SJ, Marion Local, St. Henry and Versailles that they have enjoyed in last few years.

They may have a tough time avenging that loss but nobody had better underestimate the hard work,heart and desire of a Coldwater team.Great coaching is only part of their incredible successes.

First off Congrats to the Irish, way to go fella's one more and its home. Second Congrats to Ridgewood on a fine season. Third OPSSA your pathetic. your team made it this far and lost by the better team and all you do is make excuses. SO SICK OF HEARING IT. just imagine what Coldwater would have done to you. Then what would you say?

Coldwater is probably better than Ridgewood, I will not argue that, but be careful what you suggest because I have a feeling Coldwater has it coming to them as well this weekend. I hope I am wrong I will be pulling for Coldwater.

FlimFlam- I must have hit a nerve, as my granpappy used to say " the truth isn't always popular, but it is still the truth". No excuses ....here are the facts and i'm not accusing anyone of recruiting. Private schools can control their enrollment, when deciding to allow a student in , his/her athletic contribution to the school is taken into consideration. By doing this Ursuline who has a boys enrollment of 173, assured themselves 78 football players. Ridgewood who has an boys enrollment of 163 and can't weed out non athletes , has 44 football players. Lets look at Division 4 Alter which has a boys enrollment of 236 , has 72 football players. Public school Coshocton has a boys enrollment of 226 , and has 53 players. Don't believe me, look at Div 3 Mooney who has 252 boys in the school and dresses 71, Steubenville who has 270 boys enrolled only dress 55. This whole Division thing is being made a mockery by the private schools. How else can you explain D5 Ursuline dressing 23 more players than Div 3 Steubenville, 15 more than Div 2 Maple Hts.
It is much harder to take advantage of the numbers game at the higher the divisions. This is why we see in D3,D4.D5 and D6 this year 6 out of 8 teams in the finals are private schools.

Now I'm not saying these are not the best teams , they are , but they should be given the advantage they have. Public schools want no favors just a level playing field.

This will continue to be a cancer in Ohio High School Football until public schools say no more.

If this issue concerns you email OHSAA President Dan Ross at [email protected] and demand this problem be addressed.
FYI - If you look up Dan Ross's bio on the OHSAA website you will see that he graduated from Columbus St.Charles and was once Principal at Portsmouth Notre Dame.

Ohio Public School Athletic Association - sounds good doesnt it?
" The truth isnt always popular, but it is still the truth"

OPSAA, this guy you speak of must have gotten a good education to be in his position. Wonder why? To be the best you must beat the best. "PERIOD"