Dryden Football Preview

Ithaca Journal

Ralph Boettger is back on the sidelines at Dryden, where guided the athletics department for 20 years and also coached in the mid-1990s. He's hoping to take the Purple Lions back to the postseason.

DRYDEN
CLASS C, DIVISION V
LAST SEASON: 4-5
The Purple Lions were 4-2 after week 6 last year before suffering consecutive divisional losses to Waverly and Edison, followed by a crossover loss to Harpursville, to finish below .500.
Coach Dan Fink has left and in his place is Ralph Boettger, who's certainly no stranger to Dryden and Section 4 football. The 59-year-old retired Dryden athletics director coached the Purple Lions in the mid-1990s, and also coached at Ithaca High in the '80s before accepting the administrative role at Dryden. As always, Boettger is excited about his team and the season.
"This team reminds me of the 1995 team I had, that was co-champs with Susquehanna Valley," Boettger said on the first day of the preseason. "They were tough, they had some playmakers and they said, 'Just tell me what to do and I'll do it.' Nothing seems to offend them, they don't get rattled by criticism."
Boettger returns 12 starters from last year's squad, including senior quarterback/cornerback Noah Welgoss, a versatile playmaker with "great vision running the option and passing," the coach said. Dryden will run a lot of no-huddle offense, which Welgoss is excited about.
"It's a lot of reading and reacting, which is great because there's no correct play," Welgoss said. "A lot of different options can be successful, which makes it easier on the offense and much harder on the defense."
Junior Stuart Stahlman and senior Duran Joyce figure to carry the load in the ground game, while junior split end Matthew McHerron "has great hands and is tough over the middle" catching the ball, Boettger said.
On defense, senior tackle Chris Simonet anchors the line and also plays offensive guard. Junior Connor O'Brien will line up at the other tackle position, while Joyce and Branden Decker are the top linebackers. McHerron and Welgoss lead the defensive backs.
Key newcomers, according to Boettger, include sophomores Trevor Gardner (QB/CB), Denver Space (line) and Gavin Marsh (RB/CB).
Boettger comes by his enthusiasm for the game and for kids honestly. "Somewhere down the line, either from my mother or my father, I was blessed with endless energy," he said.
He's hoping that translates into realization of both short- and long-term goals.
"With a dedicated, hard-working staff and playmakers on both sides of the ball," he said, "our long-term goal is to make the Class C playoffs while our short term is to beat Bainbridge-Guilford on Sept. 5."
— Tom Fleischman

Date	Opponent	Time
Sept. 5	Bainbridge-Guilford	7
Sept. 12	at Oxford	7
Sept. 19	Watkins Glen	7
Sept. 26	Lansing	7
Oct. 4	at Oneonta	1:30
Oct. 10	Bye	-
Oct. 17	Thomas A. Edison	7
Oct. 24	at Waverly	7