(Editor’s note: This story marks the first of 11 high school football team previews, which will run leading up to and alongside Friday’s “2022 Football Preview” tab.)
RIDGWAY — A roster reload is nothing new to the Ridgway football team.
The Elkers, despite enduring the same graduation turnover as every other high school, haven’t had a losing season since 2015. After another sizable group of seniors departed this past offseason, Ridgway will look to successfully transition again.
Now in his 15th season, head coach Mark Heindl feels the his program can do it.
A secret to their extended run of success, he said, has been dependence on their senior class. With eight seniors on this year’s roster, the Elkers will look to do the same in a loaded District 9 Region 2 league.
“We pride ourselves on our seniors taking control,” Heindl said. “Every senior class that comes through tries to leave a legacy, and we hope this class will be no different.”
Leadership helped Ridgway reach the District 9 Class 2A championship game last year, where it fell to Karns City. The Elkers extended their postseason appearance streak to six seasons, a trend they’ll look to continue this year as one of the smallest schools in Class 2A.
“The beauty of our program is, everyone is playing somewhere,” Heindl said. “By the time they get to 10th grade, they’re ready to roll, and it’s the next-man-up mentality.”
The Elkers return just three total starters from a year ago, but will benefit from the return of some players who were missing from 2021’s squad that finished 8-4.
Aiden Zimmerman, Luke Zimmerman and Kaden Dennis — each of whom star for the Johnsonburg baseball team in the spring — came out this year after not playing a season ago. The trio instantly boosts Ridgway’s athleticism and adds instant depth to Heindl’s backfield.
“We lost a lot of people, but we were averaging 35 kids at our summer workouts,” Heindl said. “That may not mean anything when the season rolls around, but to see these kids’ work ethic and see them push each other, it’s a very good sign for us.”
The quarterback position will be another question mark for the Elkers, as it was a year ago after Johnathan Hinton was injured in the team’s season opener. This year, it’s been an open competition between junior Cam Larkin and sophomore Derek Beimel.
“You don’t plan for (last year’s QB injury) to happen so early in the season, but some of our kids rose to the occasion and we had four different quarterbacks throughout the year,” Heindl said. “We have two great kids. Both of them worked their tails off all summer and into camp, and the beauty of the situation is that competition brings out the best. We’ll see what happens.”
Mikey Steis will be tasked with leading a young offensive line, as he is the lone returning starter on both sides of the ball. Nicky Myers returns on the offensive line, as well.
Between their three departed running backs, the Elkers lost 1,822 rushing yards and 24 rushing touchdowns from a year ago. They lost their top five receiving options, as well, who combined for 11 touchdowns.
“Everywhere you go, people think we lost a lot of guys and everything else,” Heindl said. “We get counted out. These guys don’t like to hear that kind of stuff, and to see them pushing each other in practice, that team cohesiveness means a lot to us. If that’s a sign of anything, we’re excited.”
Heindl’s program has proven before that it can withstand turnover without regression. An immediate test looms this season, as Port Allegany will visit Memorial Field in Johnsonburg for an intriguing conference game to open the schedule.
While those outside of the program may have their doubts, the Elkers are confident in their group. With leadership as their guide, they’ll look to extend what has become one of the area’s longest recent stretches of perennial success.
“Playing all those JV games pays dividends, and we had some guys really work in the offseason,” Heindl said. “Coaches can lead, but if the kids take control, it makes a big difference.”
