Ridgeland High School’s Ivy Boehm (10) hands the ball off to Ridgeland High School’s Chris Henderson (45) in this file photo.As a defensive player in the modern game of pass-heavy offenses, Zach Weathers was understandably giddy heading into Friday night’s game against Dade County and its wing-T attack.
The Ridgeland senior safety, having practiced against his own team’s wing-T for three-plus years, might as well have been in the Wolverines’ huddle, leading a dominant defensive showing as the Panthers won 17-0. The Dade offense, playing without injured lead lineman Reid Hulgan, was held to 84 total yards and five first downs.
“The coaches had a perfect game plan for everything they were going to do,” said Weathers, who with linebacker Ian Hayes and cornerback Josh Smith was repeatedly in the Dade backfield. “We knew exactly what they were going to do. It’s always good to know what they’re going to do.”
Ridgeland (2-1) found the going tough itself in the opening quarter as the Roy McMahan-led Dade defense limited the Panthers to nine plays, ending one possession with a forced fumble and the last one on downs. However, following a Dade punt early in the second quarter, Ridgeland embarked on a 12-play, 94-yard drive that showcased the hard running of senior Caderius Word and included two Dade personal fouls.
Word carried on nine of the plays and capped the drive with a 5-yard run around right end for a 7-0 lead.
“Dade came out in something different defensively than what we were expecting, and that kind of confused our younger guys,” Ridgeland coach Mark Mariakis said. “From the second quarter on we settled them down and told them what they were doing, and then at halftime we had a chance to really line the defense up and they responded well.”
Ridgeland took advantage of two Wolverines mistakes to add three points before halftime. A bad snap on a punt attempt, with Weathers adding injury to insult with a big hit, set the Panthers up at the Dade 18 with 1:01 left. Two runs and a pass netted just 2 yards, but Dade was offside as Ivan Ojeda’s kick sailed wide. Getting another shot, Ojeda, who was knocked down on the previous attempt, nailed the 38-yarder for a 10-0 lead.
“Our kids kind of took this game as a challenge, and they responded,” Mariakis said. “That long drive was just a matter of us adjusting and making the blocks. The field goal right before the half was big. Ivan did a great job after getting knocked down and limping around. Two scores in this game was going to be tough to beat.”
Ridgeland definitely sealed the win with a 79-yard drive to open the second half and in doing so displayed some backfield depth. Senior D.J. Chesney ripped off 40 yards on his first carry of the night to the 27 and four plays later converted a fourth-and-3 with a strong 5-yard run. Word, who had 131 yards on 29 carries, finished the killing drive with another 5-yard run.
“I’ve got to thank my offensive line,” Word said. “All our plays were working because those guys were getting it done. We just kept fighting until the end. We feel confident going into region play.”
Chesney added 58 yards on nine carries as the Panthers amassed 242 rushing yards. Zac Freeman led Dade with 45 tough yards on 14 carries.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6296.