the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Franklin Lakes NJ, in a Friday night showdown in the Super Football Conference, Ridgewood found themselves down 10-0 at halftime against Ramapo. But instead of relying on tactical adjustments, the Maroons turned inward. Senior running back Colin Burns took that challenge to heart, leading his team to a thrilling 29-17 victory with three second-half touchdowns.
“We came out pretty slow, but that talk in the locker room really turned us around,” Burns reflected after the game. “It really hit my heart.”
Ridgewood coach Torre Watson echoed those sentiments, noting that the halftime conversation wasn’t about X’s and O’s. “There weren’t a ton of adjustments made, other than a check on our kids’ character. We had a great game plan, but we just weren’t executing in the first half. Ramapo was playing harder and faster.”
A Second-Half Surge
Burns, a senior, was unstoppable in the second half, breaking off touchdown runs of 10, 67, and 62 yards to turn a 10-0 deficit into a 22-10 lead. His explosive plays shifted momentum squarely in Ridgewood’s favor.
With just seconds left in the game, senior defensive lineman Max Caruso put the game away for good, scooping up a Ramapo fumble and returning it 27 yards for a touchdown. The defensive score capped a remarkable comeback for Ridgewood, now 3-0 in the SFC Liberty Red Division.
Early Struggles for Ridgewood
Ramapo jumped out to an early lead, scoring on their first two possessions. Senior Charlie Wingfield nailed a 21-yard field goal, and junior running back Liam Hayward finished a 10-play, 60-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown run, giving the Green Raiders a 10-0 advantage by halftime.
First-year Ramapo head coach Nick Guttuso, who took over after a long tenure as an assistant, saw his team’s strong start falter in the second half. “We tackled great in the first half. The second half, the tackling wasn’t there. We’ve got to focus on that and execute our offense better.”
By the Numbers
Ridgewood finished with 256 total yards, including 189 in the second half, and only one turnover. Burns, the game’s standout, carried the ball 14 times for 164 yards, with 151 of those yards coming in the second half. All three of his touchdowns came on runs to the right side.
“I love the quote, ‘Tough people get out of tough situations,’” Burns said. “We had our backs against the wall, but our offense showed what we’re capable of.”
Ramapo managed 278 total yards, including 160 in the first half, but struggled to generate big plays. Their longest gain of the night was a 16-yard pass from junior quarterback Casey Grusser to receiver Sal Livoti, setting up Hayward’s fourth-quarter touchdown.
Looking Ahead
With Ridgewood’s dominant second-half performance, they’ve proven they’re a force to be reckoned with this season. The Maroons will look to build on this momentum as they continue their push in the Super Football Conference.
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Wins against Ramapo are big.
Both teams are always really determined to win. There can be only one.
A good rivalry.