Mills, Heller help Ridley to thrilling win over Springfield

RIDLEY TWP. — Five years had passed since Ridley High started a football season with three consecutive wins.

By Ridley’s standards, that’s far too long.

The winningest program in Delaware County history has won at least seven games in every non-pandemic shortened season under coach Dave Wood (last year the team was 3-3 overall). The high-water mark of 11 victories happened in 2016, when Ridley captured its 23rd Central League championship after beginning the year with a 3-0 record.

After Friday’s slugfest with rival Springfield, it’s obvious Ridley means business and expects to win a lot of games this fall. So far, the Green Raiders are picture perfect.

Tahir Mills scored via a 88-yard punt return as well as a 77-yard rush and quarterback John Heller threw for 135 yards and two touchdown passes as Ridley survived Springfield, 33-28, in a back-and-forth battle between heated rivals Friday at Phil Marion Field.

“This feels like a Super Bowl win,” senior guard Khalil Blagmon said. “We’re the first team at Ridley in five years to go 3-0 and the last time we did this, we won the Central League. It feels great.”

While the Green Raiders will focus on conquering Haverford next week, there’s no mistake they are a team primed to make a run at a Central League crown. In a season where Garnet Valley is the presumed favorite, Ridley is happy it can throw its hat back into the ring.

For the first time in several years, the Green Raiders possess a complete offense. They have a quarterback in Heller who can air the ball out to a slew of weapons. Senior wide receiver Sean Harrington hauled in four balls for 41 yards. Heller’s 24-yard TD pass to Harrington with 10:50 left in the fourth quarter put the Green Raiders back in front by two scores. It proved to be the difference.

In the first quarter, Heller hooked up with sophomore Kaheem Powell for the first touchdown of the game.

“We have a lot of different guys who can make plays,” Heller said.

For far too long Ridley has failed to produce a consistent passing attack. But now the Green Raiders, the Quarterback High of Delco, seem to have the right personnel to open the playbook.

“We just bought in from the offseason and we put our mind toward the same goal,” Heller said. “Now that it’s our senior season, we didn’t want to come out here and be average again. We all have that one goal and we’re all working for it.”

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