New Coach Brings New Attitude to River Ridge

The River Ridge Royal Knights football program is in desperate need of a savior, and new varsity football head coach Gary Allen just may be the answer to everyone’s prayers.

Allen has been known around the community as a great Christian man and as a great coach, but there “has to be” a difference in coaching style now. He also mentions that there is going to be a new positive attitude around the program, unlike previous years, where the negative attitude was contagious from coaches to players all around River Ridge.

“We’re trying to create a positive environment with our team, with our school, and with the community,” Allen said.

Allen has made it clear that there is going to be change in everything from uniforms and lockers to the commitment and dedication. The Knights record has been 11-59 since the 2004-2005 season, when Mike Degennaro was Head Coach of River Ridge. His proceeder, Tim Stevens, saw some success, but ended with a 7-23 record with the Knights.

Allen had applied for the position in 2004, when Scott Shmitz left the head coaching position at River Ridge for the head coaching position at Mitchell High School, but the Knights went with Degennaro instead. Allen stayed on as assistant coach for the Knights through the worst, except last season when he took a year off.

Now it's his turn to take charge of the Knights varsity football team, and he's "very happy" to be apart of the River Ridge Knights family again, especially as Knights Head Coach.

He plans on also creating a structure that gives the kids an opportunity to be successful in the program, and he has a “really good feeling” about the athletes with  whom he’s working.

“They’re a group of kids that are going to catch on to what the expectations are and follow through with it,” Allen said.

The discipline comes through additional conditioning and other non-sports related tasks, depending on the nature of the wrongs that may be done by players.

“There is a very structured conditioning program, and (players) have expectations for what they have to do, and if they don’t do it there are consequences.”

The consequences will be paid through the new O.W.E program, which stands for Opportunity With Emphasis. Players who miss conditioning sessions will be given the opportunity to make them up in additional conditioning sessions, but if players fail to do so, then they wont be apart of the teams. This is an equal opportunity program designed for players to succeed no matter what their excuses are. The conditioning program works on speed, agility, and the weight room.

“Those who hit the field in good shape will be ahead of those that aren’t, and those that aren’t will get there, but it will be a lot harder for them to get there,” says Allen. The O.W.E program carries out for everything. If there are kids that get in trouble, they will have the opportunity to make that right, whether it’s writing an apology letter to a teacher, or cleaning gum off the bottom of desks. The point is to correct the student athlete’s behavior through football related punishments, and rewards. The method should be very effective in the change River Ridge needs to see in order to see success, but only time will tell.

The Knights have been blighted by the lack of commitment in the weightroom, and the lack of expectation due to the losing seasons in the past, but that's all in the past because Allen believes that,“(River Ridge) has a different level of athlete, different level of commitment, and a different level of what they expect from themselves.”

Junior Defensive End, Dylan Rutledge says "I think the change sets everyone's mindset to a new beginning, and we're going to do a lot better this year."

The players are excited to play for Allen, and former players and fans are thrilled to finally see him given a chance to make something happen for River Ridge football.

“There used to be some great tradition here years and years ago, and we want people to be proud to wear purple and be proud to say, I played for the River Ridge Knights, and we were good,” said Allen.