Richardson, Miller jolt Ridley from sleepy start against Lower Merion
LOWER MERION >> Batman and Robin. Bert and Ernie. Jake and Elwood. Ociele and Kamal.
Sort of fits, right?
If you follow Ridley football, then you know that final pairing — Ociele Miller and Kamal Richardson — is as dynamic a ball-carrying duo as there is in Delaware County.
That point was made Saturday morning.
Sticking to their offensive identity of ground-and-pound and control-the -lock, the Green Raiders relied heavily on their backfield pairing in a 45-12 victory over Lower Merion.
The duo combined for 390 yards and four touchdowns as Ridley (4-4, 3-4 Central) continued to build its end-of-season momentum in a push for a District 1 Class 6A playoff berth.
Richardson and Miller are so in tune with one another that they even answer questions at the same time.
“We’re a one-two punch,” they said in unison, before Richardson deferred to Miller.
“He’s my brother,” Miller said. “He’s got my back and I’ve got his, both on and off the field. When we’re out there we just keep doing our thing and pick each other up if we need to.”
Instead of picking each other up against the Aces (1-7, 0-6), they played a game of “Can you top this?”
First it was Miller scoring a touchdown to put Ridley up, 10-0, in the second quarter. Then Richardson answered with not one, but two scoring runs in the third quarter to blow open a game that was close at halftime.
“Our offense struggled a little bit in the first half,” Richardson said. “But then we all got together at halftime. We talked to each other, figured it out and had a really strong second half.”
Miller responded with his second touchdown of the game, also in the third quarter.
The two played early into the fourth before turning it over to the future of the Ridley running game, Dylan Staley. The sophomore matched the upperclassmen with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to put the game away.
Ridley ran 65 times for 378 yards. Richardson had 165 yards on 22 carries. Miller posted 125 on 16 carries, Staley had 38 yards on eight rushes.
It was epic ball-control offense for the Green Raiders. They ran twice as many plays as Lower Merion (72-35) and nearly tripled the Aces in time of possession (35:58-12:02).
“Between Richardson, Miller and Hassan Chandler, that’s three very dynamic football players we have running the ball,” Ridley coach Dave Wood said. “They all do things a little differently. Throw in Staley and we have some real weapons — when we’re playing well.”
Wood was determined to add that last caveat, because for a half, Ridley did not play well.
The Green Raiders only led, 10-6, at halftime. They moved the ball but were deliberate from play to play, allowing the Aces to regroup and prevent Ridley from finishing drives.
Whether it was because of a penalty, a turnover or poor execution, the Green Raiders appeared in a funk.
The first Ridley drive was 18 plays and 7:48 long. There were seven first downs. But the Raiders only mustered a 28-yard Connor Warwick field goal. The drive stalled because of a holding penalty, a missed assignment and an incomplete pass.
“That’s the way it’s been all season for us,” Wood said. “When we play the way we’re supposed to play and do the jobs we’re assigned to do, we’re a good football team. When we don’t and take penalties or have our plays blow up or turn the ball over, we’re an average football team — at best.”
One change Wood made at halftime was inserting junior John Bakey at quarterback. Bakey didn’t throw a pass, but the offense began to move a little faster.
“He upped the tempo for sure and got us moving quicker and maybe tired them out a little bit,” Wood said. “He definitely made a difference.”
