Khameen Powell, Ridley’s big plays crush Lower Merion

LOWER MERION — Ridley had no wins to show for its first two weeks of action, in two of the toughest games on its schedule.

Its offense took out its frustrations on Lower Merion Thursday.

Ridley tallied 405 yards of offense with its first-teamers taking just 24 snaps in three quarters in a 55-26 handling of the Aces.

“Just being the underdogs, having to come out on top after two tough losses,” Ridley receiver Khameen Powell said. “All that hard work, it definitely wasn’t for nothing, so we knew we had to come back strong and get a good win.”

All but one of the touchdowns was of 30 yards or more. Connor Kelly busted a 46-yard touchdown sprint on the first play from scrimmage. Powell, who had an 89-yard kick return, scored on a 53-yard shovel pass from Ryan Carroll and a 57-yard quick slant to go with rushing scores of 30 and 58 yards, the latter a lateral from Carroll. The junior QB also hit Chase Staley for a 53-yarder.

Only Carroll’s fourth TD of the day, an 11-yard strike to Nate Barnshaw in the third quarter, didn’t involve a long and ultimately fruitless chase from Lower Merion’s defense.

Carroll threw for 190 yards on 6-for-7 passing. Powell was the gamebreaker, his five touchdowns coming on six offensive touches plus two on special teams. Already up to 10 touchdowns on the season, the senior is instant offense.

“I’ve been playing with him for a while,” Carroll said. “Almost every time he touches the ball, something special is going to happen.”

Powell got Ridley (1-2 Central League and overall) right back after the Aces had briefly taken an 8-7 lead in a wild start. LM’s opening possession went three-and-out, leading to a punt and Kelly’s score. Zion Gray returned the ensuing kick 80 yards to the house for a brief Aces lead once the two-point conversion was converted.

It lasted as long as it took Powell to return the next kick 89 yards to the house.

Lower Merion would spend the rest of the day figuring out how not to kick to him, accruing five of their 12 penalties. Powell needed four carries to reach 103 yards, and his two catches accounted for 110.

“Just read my blocks,” Powell said. “I’ve got a one-on-one with the safety, make a move and then I’m gone with my speed.”

For all of Ridley’s offensive explosiveness, this was not a Ridley-Lower Merion game of the recent past. The Aces counterpunched, trailing 21-14 after one quarter and 27-14 at half. They did it all without quarterback Mekhai Smith, who is out for at least a month with a knee issue.

Sophomore Nick DeLuca stepped in and didn’t miss a beat. He went 19-for-28 for 262 yards and three touchdowns. He was sacked twice but didn’t turn the ball over.

“We’ve just got to trust our quarterback and go out there and do our jobs,” senior receiver Josh Barrow-Adams said. “For our team to work, everybody’s got to do our jobs. We trust our quarterback to do his job, and we’ve got to do our jobs.”

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Ridley's Khameen Powell runs for one of his three first-half touchdowns against Lower Merion at Arnold Field in Ardmore Thursday. (Pete Bannan - MediaNews Group)

Ridley’s Khameen Powell runs for one of his three first-half touchdowns against Lower Merion at Arnold Field in Ardmore Thursday. (Pete Bannan – MediaNews Group)