Murph's Turf: Plenty of best-ofs for RHS fall sports

Written by Tim Murphy - The Ridgefield Press
Thursday, 03 December 2009 12:50

In a season in which eight of nine teams finished above .500 and the combined record was 101-26-4-1, compiling a best-of list for Ridgefield High fall sports was both easy and difficult. That’s what happens when there are too many choices.

Best game: Coming off a demoralizing 30-0 loss to Staples, the Ridgefield High football team appeared head for a second consecutive defeat when Wilbur Cross built a 27-7 lead in the fourth game of the season. But spurred by the play of (then) backup quarterback Griff McCarty, the Tigers regrouped and scored 21 unanswered points in the final 15 minutes to pull out a 28-27 victory. Charlie Gravitte blocked a punt inside the Cross 10-yard line and McCarty scooped up the loose ball and scored the touchdown that made it 27-26. McCarty, with a push from fullback Gravitte, then got the two-point conversion that gave Ridgefield the lead for good.

Best individual performance: Senior Richie Hume took the lead at around the two-mile mark in the FCIAC boys cross country championship race and went on to a nine-second victory over Darien’s Jake McCauley. Hume finished the 5,000-meter race in New Canaan’s Waveny Park with a time of 16 minutes, 20 seconds and became the fifth Ridgefield runner this decade to win an individual title.

Best post-season effort: After finishing a disappointing sixth at the Class LL state championships, the RHS girls cross country team looked in danger of missing the New England regionals for the first time in nine seasons. But the Tigers got time-improvements from every runner and were able to place fourth at the State Open, qualifying for regionals and keeping their state-best streak alive.

Best female athlete: A tough call. Kelly Baker and Carlie Sanderude both had big seasons for the girls soccer team, Megan Kirchoff was a standout for the surprising girls volleyball squad, and Katie Howley finished 25th at regionals to make the All-New England girls cross country team. But junior swimmer Taylor Byerly gets the nod for her two top-five finishes at the State Open. Seeded eighth, Byerly dropped a significant .43 seconds to finish third in the 50-yard freestyle. She then returned to the pool a few minutes later and shaved .39 seconds from her trials time to place fifth in the 100 butterfly.

Best male athlete: Even with opposing defenses focusing on the run, they still had trouble containing RHS senior halfback Drew Arcoleo. Arcoleo used his repertoire of quickness and elusiveness to rush for 1,008 yards (5.9 per carry) and score 14 touchdowns as the Tigers went 9-1. Throw in receptions, punt returns and kickoff returns and Arcoleo had more than 1,500 yards of total offense for Ridgefield this fall.

Best coaching job: Combined, Kevin Callahan (football), Sandy Hoddinott (girls cross country), Dave McCluskey (boys cross country) and Robb Banyai (girls soccer) had just four losses this season. Still, no team had a greater turnaround than Lidania Cibere’s girls volleyball squad. The third-year coach guided the Tigers to a program-best 16-5 record following a 9-10 season in 2008 and helped Ridgefield make the state quarterfinals for the first time — a significant step for a program that has traditionally lagged behind its fall sports compatriots at RHS.

Best female team: The team’s motto this season — emblazoned on its warm-ups — was Hang A Banner. And the RHS girls soccer team got there when it tied New Canaan in the FCIAC title game, earning co-championship honors and becoming the only Ridgefield squad to win a conference title this fall. The Tigers (18-2-2) fell one round short of another possible championship when they lost to eventual state champ Westhill, 2-1, in the Class LL semifinals.

Best male team: If it were next year, the Ridgefield High football team would likely have qualified for the state playoffs. But in the final season of six divisions and just 24 playoff spots, the Tigers’ 9-1 record wasn’t enough to crack the top four in Class LL, leaving Ridgefield with no post-season reward for one of the best regular seasons in school history. Regardless, the Tigers put together a memorable campaign, outscoring the opposition by a combined 281-112 and ending the season on a seven-game winning streak. Missing out on the post-season was one word: Unfair.   

Football: Tigers miss out on states despite 9-1 record

Written by Eric Silverstadt - The Ridgefield Press
Thursday, 03 December 2009 12:48

In the end, seven consecutive victories to finish the season and a 9-1 record weren’t enough to get into the post-season.

After continuing its unbeaten run with a 37-6 victory over Danbury in the regular-season finale last Thursday, the Ridgefield High football team was left on the playoff sidelines as it wound up sixth in the Class LL state point rankings. The top four teams in each division advance to the state playoffs.

The Tigers outscored their opponents 245-45 during their seven-game winning streak, but their third-week thrashing by unbeaten Staples (the state’s top-ranked team), coupled with a weak schedule, doomed the team in the antiquated playoff system, which will be revised for next season.

But head coach Kevin Callahan took little solace in the knowledge that the state playoffs will be expanded from 24 to 32 teams next season. His comments a few days after the stomping of Danbury in the teams’ Thanksgiving Day rivalry game revealed a coach who was emotionally bothered that his seniors didn’t “have proper closure to their season.”

In spite of their playoff chances hanging by a thread on Thanksgiving morning, the Tigers played true to their smash-mouth, grind-the-opponent-down style. After Sean Cobelli opened the first-quarter scoring with a 22-yard field goal, Danbury responded with a 50-yard touchdown run by quarterback Ian Ratchford on the opening play of the second quarter. The PAT failed, leaving the score 6-3.

Griff McCarty, the junior sparkplug quarterback, then led Ridgefield downfield, capping the drive with a 16-yard burst through the middle to give the Tigers a 10-6 lead.

After the defense held, the Tigers took advantage of good field position to score again, on a one-yard run by Drew Arcoleo with 4:45 left in the second quarter. Cobelli missed the PAT, making the score 16-6 at halftime.

The Tigers’ pattern of see-sawing through the opening half, followed by a second-half defensive shutdown, was true to the script again. With Tommy Jordan, Bo McCarty and Dan Sheldon (whose twin brother Mike missed the game due to a shoulder injury) wreaking havoc on Danbury’s offense, Ridgefield held the Hatters scoreless in the second half.

The defensive lockdown also allowed the Ridgefield offense to get the ball and get on track. Griff McCarty ran for another touchdown, this time on a 34-yard run, to push the lead to 23-6.

Arcoleo, who went over the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season, then helped the team move downfield again, culminating in a 27-yard touchdown pass from McCarty to Robbie Gunshore and a 30-6 lead after three quarters.

Gunshore snagged his second touchdown reception of the morning with a 37-yard grab, making the score 37-6 just as the fourth quarter began.

Cobelli provided some excitement when he barely missed a 65-yard field goal attempt midway through the fourth quarter. He had the length, but the kick was wide right.

Notes: Gunshore also had a touchdown catch called back because of a penalty in the first half.

Arcoleo carried 15 times for 65 yards. He ended the season with 1,008 rushing yards.

McCarty completed five-of-seven passes for 80 yards. He also ran for 49 yards on six carries.

Dan Sheldon had two sacks for the Tigers. Bo McCarty and Sheldon led the team with six tackles apiece. Alex Howard, Tommy Jordan and Jimmy Houser all had four tackles. Jordan also had a sack.

Danbury finished the season with a 2-8 record.