State Champions! Ridge LAX Takes Group III Crown

It seemed fitting that in a game that would be the Ridge Red Devils (17-4) most important of the season, as well as in front of the largest crowd, the top-seeded Red Devils won rather easily.

In the Public Group III Sectional Final Wednesday night, Ridge pulled away from the West Windsor-Plainsboro North Knights with ease, crowning themselves as state champions.

"This has been our goal for the last seven years," Ridge head coach Ken Marsh said, "Ever since I came here and we were put on the map, it's been our goal, and to finally achieve it – it's really nice."

Apparently, having the first name Alex is really nice as well. Senior Alex Otero and Alex Byrnes led the charge for Ridge, both players tallied three goals on their way to raising the trophy in front of their bench.

The key ingredient for Ridge appeared to be the beginning of the second half, when the Red Devils, already holding on to a 5-3 lead, exploded with goals from Eric Von der Linde, Otero and Sean Miller in the first three minutes, giving the team a comfortable 8-4 lead on their home field.

Miller also added two fourth quarter goals and Byrnes notched his third in the final stanza as the Red Devils coasted to a 11-5 win.

In a season that witnessed several one-goal nail-biters, a cakewalk through the state championship game was more than enjoyable for the Red Devils and their fans, who could taste the championship mid-way through the fourth quarter.

Defensivley, Mike Singer and Mike Soriano were outstanding, neutralizing their opponent's attack.

After the Knights jumped out to a 1-0 lead, Byrnes knotted the teams up at one with a goal from the slot at the 9:26 mark. Freshman Eric Scott then scored from the top of the box off a long feed from Connor Meth.

Otero scored his first two goals in the second quarter, one coming while advantaged, to help aid Ridge in achieving the halftime lead. Byrnes scored off a nice roll with four seconds remaining in the second quarter, adding an insurance goal heading into the break.

For Marsh, there was no better site than seeing his team trample goalie Jonathan Wilkins, sticks and gloves embedded in Ridge's traditional green and whites, which were thrown across the turf at Ridge High School.

A large part to Ridge's dominant offense was Alex Otero's face-off wins. Otero was 17-for-19 all night, a phenomonal percentage for anyone, but a now-typical one for the all-star senior.

"I'd say we're now a solid A," he said when asked to give his team a grade, "This is what we worked hard for all season, and to reach this is really, really great."

Ridge now advances to the tournament of champions, a tournament of the sectional champions in an effort to crown one true state champion. Ridge will take on Immaculata for a third time this season on Saturday. The Spartans have won both games by three goals this season.