RIDGEFIELD PARK – Ridgefield football had some moments Monday afternoon.
There was a running interception by freshman Alex Manisculco, a goal-line stand keyed by Damian Luciano and Nickolas Hernandez, and spirited play by sophomore quarterback Sean Kuiken.
But after 40 minutes of game action, the Ridgefield JV team walked off the field with a loss. Ridgefield Park triumphed, 20-8, but if you weren’t keeping score, you wouldn’t know it because the scoreboard is not always turned on for JV football.
At Ridgefield, though, they’re keeping score. The fight is on to revive the Royals’ football program again. Ridgefield is playing a JV schedule this season for the second time in five years. It was in playoff contention just a year ago, but over the summer the program sagged, with not enough kids interested in playing.
Maybe they had jobs. Maybe they didn’t want to run in the summer heat. Maybe they were afraid of getting hurt. Twenty-four kids dressed for Ridgefield on Monday.
“We had like nine to 10 players at practice, and you can’t play with 10 players,” Ridgefield junior offensive lineman Sebastian Lopez said. “I tried and tried [to convince kids to play], and they would come, but they weren’t dedicated.”
Royals coach/athletic director Tom Bannon is not giving up. Monday’s result was a disappointment, but he continues to see positive signs.
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