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Football Preview: Ridgewood welcomes host of new faces

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Football Preview: Ridgewood welcomes host of new faces

September 5, 2014    Last updated: Friday, September 5, 2014, 12:31 AM
By JIM MCCONVILLE
CORRESPONDENT

RIDGEWOOD – What a difference a year makes.

Last season, the Ridgewood High School football team was built for the now, with 31 seniors and expectations of reaching the North 1, Group 5 championship game, which it did.

This season, the Maroons are building toward an uncertain future.

Not only did the bulk of their starters graduate, but four assistant coaches elected not to return, including the offensive and defensive coordinators and the line coach. In their place are a couple of old returning faces in Jim Stroker and Mark Aramburu, plus a group of younger coaches.

“We are green as the grass,” RHS head coach Chuck Johnson said. “There are a lot of unknowns, but it has really been fun so far, and I’m excited to see where this goes.”

The first Maroon victory this season will be the 200th of Johnson’s 31-year career at Ridgewood (he has 35 more wins from his six seasons at Bogota from 1978-83), but milestones are taking a back seat to player development.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/sports/high-school-sports/football/ridgewood-welcomes-host-of-new-faces-1.1081515#sthash.3eycR1G6.dpuf