Ripon football powered by experience, boost in talent

Chris Johnson pressed the megaphone to his mouth, and with one word set the pace for the new football season.

Ripon High School, once slowed by inexperience, discipline issues and a drop in talent, has returned to the fast lane.

“NASCAR!” barked the longtime Ripon coach. “NASCAR!”

With that, quarterback Nick Price stepped on the gas, moving the offense with a series of handoffs and passes in rapid succession.

Ripon, roster of 44, moved as one. The defense and reserves sprinted in the spaces alongside the offense, because Johnson understands conditioning and uniformity are key components of the high school game.

“The kids are out here working hard,” he said, “and they’re hungry.”

Ripon looks to last season for motivation. Though the Indians acquitted themselves well in the ever-competitive Trans-Valley League, they finished 3-7 and matched the worst season in Johnson’s 10 years at the helm.

The season was marked by a rocky start and a flat finish. The Indians lost four of their first five games, dismissed several key players for disciplinary reasons and then lost their final three games, including a 44-30 shootout against Modesto Christian.

“It’s hard to put expectations in terms of wins and losses,” Johnson said. “You have that ambiguous, ‘Do the best you can with what you have,’ but I’d be lying if I said we weren’t embarrassed about what happened last year. We feel like we’re a better program.”

Ripon’s mettle will be tested early with a nonconference schedule that features three league champions. The Indians will travel to Sierra, the reigning Valley Oak League co-champion, and Patterson, a tradition-rich program celebrating its centennial.

Ripon returns to Stouffer Field for its home opener against Lathrop, then hosts Sonora, the Mother Lode League champion and Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV finalist. The Indians also will host Sutter, the Butte View League and Northern Section D-III champion.

Johnson said the up-tempo drills are intended to simulate the speed of Patterson and Sierra, which returns 2,000-yard running back Mark Paule Jr.

“That is a measuring stick for us, as a program, when you look at games like that,” Johnson said. “The Sonoras and the Sutters, they’re similar enrollments and similar kids. Where do we stand against those guys?

“Against the Pattersons and Sierras, we’ll have to do something unique, something different, something special because, athlete for athlete, we can’t match up with those guys.”

The Trans-Valley League will once again bare its teeth. Modesto Christian is the resident king and pulled along by junior running back Chris Brown, but the Crusaders will be pushed and challenged by Escalon, Hilmar, Hughson, and of course, Ripon.

Three years ago, the Indians dashed to a TVL title. One year later, playing with a field full of speedy, physical seniors, Ripon won 11 games for the second consecutive season and reached the semifinal round of the D-IV tournament.

Johnson realized there would be a hangover in 2014, but the talent has returned. So, too, has the optimism.

“Our goal is about October. Our kids understand that everything we do from now to Oct. 9 is to prepare us for that,” Johnson said of the Indians’ TVL opener at Hilmar. “That’s our season – it’s that TVL run. It doesn’t matter what happens before that. ... No matter what your record is coming out of the preseason, if you win your league, you’re going into the playoffs strong.”

Ripon’s confidence stems from under center, where Price returns for his third varsity season and fourth in the program. He’s part of a small fraternity of third-year quarterbacks in the Stanislaus District, joining Central Catholic’s Hunter Petlansky, Oakdale’s Adam Olsen and Beyer’s Nick Trujillo.

Price threw for 1,612 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2013 but saw his numbers drop dramatically last fall. In 10 games, Price managed just 869 passing yards and six touchdowns as Ripon became one-dimensional.

“Having Nick back, that’s something that doesn’t happen very often,” Johnson said. “Not only is he a three-year starter at quarterback, which is the most difficult position on the team, but he provides that leadership.

“When push comes to shove, he’s one of the biggest competitors we have. It brings the rest of the team along with him.”

Right, the rest of the team. Ripon returns 24 seniors with much of that experience filling skill positions.

Running back Jacob Duxbury weighs only 140 pounds, but Johnson said the tiny senior is, pound for pound, the toughest player on his team. Duxbury rushed for 581 yards and seven touchdowns last season.

Senior fullback Caleb McCusker is back after sitting out his junior season, and the receiving group is anchored by 6-foot-3 senior Cody Haines and juniors Matt Dedonatis and Aaron Paschini.

“There’s a big difference between being a senior and being a junior,” Johnson said. “That senior leadership, the fact they’ve been there and done that and know what to expect, especially with the schedule that we play, that’s our biggest strength.”

This story was originally published August 19, 2015 at 6:36 PM with the headline "Ripon football powered by experience, boost in talent."