Ridgewood beats Paramus but loses fullback Jack Foresman
Friday, November 29, 2013
BY JIM MCCONVILLE
SPECIAL TO THE RECORD
The Record
RIDGEWOOD — With both teams heading to MetLife Stadium next weekend, the final Thanksgiving Day game between Ridgewood and Paramus became an anticlimactic effort.
Paramus elected to keep its starters on the bench. Ridgewood, still pursuing an undefeated season, played its starters into the third quarter before taking them out, but still suffered an injury that will affect it in the North 1, Group 5 final.
Ridgewood now is 11-0 after a 35-7 triumph but it lost fullback Jack Foresman, who suffered his second broken collarbone of the season. It definitely overshadowed the Maroons’ victory.
“It’s a shame,” Maroon coach Chuck Johnson said of the end of the Thanksgiving tradition.
“This is a great rivalry, but the specter of the playoffs has changed the atmosphere of the game. It becomes a distraction in the middle of the playoffs and you run the risk of losing a player like Jack. That really sours the day.”
The game plan for Ridgewood was to get up quick and get the starters out, but the Spartans’ backups didn’t just roll over. Albeit against a somewhat-uninspired Ridgewood side, the Paramus reserves gave a good effort.
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You’re ahead 35-0 against a team that is playing their back-ups, and one of your starters hurts his shoulder for the second time, and all you can say is, “It’s a shame, ” and, “That really sours the day ?” You’re a coach and you could not win the game without him ? Some coach.
They can downplay this move all they want, but this was dumb at any level…
35-7? Ridgewood plays starters while keeps their starters on the bench. The shame in this story is Ridgewood should have pulled our starters back and played second and third string. It’s a shame a great player will not play at Metlife and other players were not given an opportunity to play in the Thanksgiving Game.
Paramus played it smart.
Shameful Coach Johnson.
correction: Ridgewood plays starters while Paramus keeps their starters on bench.
Paramus was looking ahead to their game with Pascack Vlly.
I don’t know what Chuck was thinking….
Chuck was Chuck. A jerk who doesn’t care about his players. He always plays his men hurt. He’s a jerk. Feel bad for the kid who was hurt. Blame Johnson. Go Paramus. There was no need to keep in the starters so long.