DANVILLE — Some records will never be broken. Unless the powers that be lengthen the football field, that will always be the case with Danville’s Nolan Ridgeway following his interception and 99-yard gallop for a touchdown against Loudonville on Friday night.
Ridgeway’s historic play (which eclipsed the previous school record of 94 yards set by Casey Doup), was one of a bevy of highlights in a 55-0 victory over the Redbirds.
“He is a great kid,” Danville coach Matt Blum said. “That is awesome.”
Danville improved to 7-0 overall and 4-0 in the Knox Morrow Athletic Conference.
“We stepped up on both sides of the ball and did a good job, but there are some things that we definitely need to shore up,” Blum said. “We just need to strive to be even better.”
The undefeated Blue Devils remain atop the KMAC standings and remain on track in their quest for a perfect season.
“It’s like we told the kids after the game, at some point the scoreboard does not matter,” Blum said. “We have to play up to our standard for four quarters; there can never be lapses, we can never be satisfied.”
Blue Devils’ senior Owen Gronberg brought down Redbirds quarterback Chayse Wright in the Loudonville end zone for another defensive score. Meanwhile, junior running back Cy Wallace added to his consistent onslaught of rushing yardage.
“He is a great kid, and I would say he is the leader of our team,” Blum said. “He was a sophomore captain and now is a junior captain. He gives everything he has and no job is too small.”
Loudonville drops to 3-4 overall, 1-3 in the conference.
“We were our own worst enemy tonight,” lamented Redbirds coach Keith Lemke. “We shot ourselves in the foot, you cannot get behind against a team like Danville. They have a great crowd and they are a very good team. They are really physical.
“Nothing surprised us schematically; we have worked on taking care of the ball over the past couple of weeks. Tonight, they took advantage of our mistakes; that is what good teams do.”
Danville travels to Cardington next week.
“We haven’t accomplished anything yet,” Blum said. “We have to beat East Knox (the Devil/Dog game, this year at the home of the Bulldogs). We still need to win a conference title.
“We still need to make the playoffs and we still need to win a playoff game and be the best team possible. Those are our goals.”
Loudonville will host Fredericktown on Friday night in a KMAC encounter.