Bakey helps keep Ridley on a roll

MIDDLETOWN – The rejuvenation of Ridley’s season took another big step forward Friday night when the Green Raiders turned in a strong performance with a 42-20 victory over Penncrest.

For Ridley coach Dave Wood, it was the continuation of a string of solid efforts for the Green Raiders after a rocky 0-4 start to the season.

“We made a couple of adjustments a couple of weeks ago, we redefined some things, made some personnel changes so not as many kids were going both ways and it’s really shown,” Wood said. “When you look at what the offensive line has done and what the (Jack) Bakey kid, our quarterback, is playing really well. With the (Elijah) Yakpasuo kid, the (Dylan) Staley kick, we’re really mixing it up and doing a great job that way.

“The (Tahmir) Wilmore kid came to our defense and he’s all over the field. We’re still young in spots, but I think we’re better off for what we did and the kids are really playing hard.”

While the Green Raiders put forth a dominant effort, it was Penncrest who struck first with an explosive start. The Lions went deep on the game’s first play when quarterback Nick Benecke connected with Jayden Brown for a 76-yard touchdown and quick 7-0 lead for Penncrest.

From there, however, it was all Ridley. The Green Raiders, who improved to 4-4 overall and 4-3 in the Central League, used an overpowering running attack to wear down the Lions (1-7 overall, 1-6 Central) defense. Bakey and Yakpasuo did the majority of the damage for Ridley.

Yakpasuo, who tallied 103 yards on 10 carries, scored on runs of seven and four yards, respectively, but it was Bakey who completely took over.

Ridley’s quarterback was efficient through the air as he completed two of four passes for 54 yards early on. Using his speed and superior vision, Bakey dipped, shook, and danced his way to 118 yards on nine carries for four touchdowns.

It was a superior performance for the senior signal caller.

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