Apr 26, 2015 3 min read

When it comes to high school football, we often focus on what players graduate following a strong season. After reaching the WPIAL Class AAA semifinals, Ringgold lost starting quarterback Nico Law, a few wide receivers that experienced breakout campaigns and four quality linemen – Aaron Szakal, Robert Duda, Eric Higgs and Anthony Martin.

That lists makes you believe the Rams are in for a down year in 2015, but that’s not the case.

Head coach Nick Milchovich returns with his strong coaching staff and has his team working in the weight room to prepare for a stronger field in the WPIAL Big Ten Conference.

Tailbacks Chacar Berry and Brenden “Bam” Small are back. Losing Law’s leadership will be a hit, but George Martin is ready to take over the position and he could bring a new element to Ringgold’s high-scoring offense.

Martin, a 6-3 pocket passer, is incredibly accurate and looks the part of a future Division I quarterback. He has the ability to make every throw, which will make the Rams very difficult to defend.

Focusing on Berry and Small will allow Martin to hurt you the passing game, and vice versa. I spoke to Milchovich at tonight’s TRI-CADA Coach of the Year banquet and he’s incredibly optimistic about the coming season.

A better word to describe his outlook would be cautiously optimistic. It’s very difficult to reach the semifinals in WPIAL Class AAA. When sophomore guard Gage Ivory was lost to a torn ACL last fall, I thought there could be a potential playoff letdown on the way and I’m sure the coaches had a few concerns.

Ringgold’s football program has developed incredible depth at almost every position, which allows for quick adjustments when a player is lost to injury. We will have to see if the same can be said for the 2015 Rams, but it’s difficult to imagine there is a huge drop off.

They still have big, strong linemen who are technically sound, and the defense could be even better this fall. I love this team’s speed and Ringgold is generating a ton of buzz in the Mon Valley. People are excited about what could be this coming season, especially with AAA powers West Allegheny and Thomas Jefferson suffering major losses to graduation.

I have not mentioned the incredible athleticism of underclassmen Octavius Vassar, a wide receiver, C.J. Franks, another wide receiver, and Dalton Holt, who has all the tools to play college football.

You will see Ringgold pass the football more this season with set plays targeting these receivers downfield. I fully expect Berry to build on a stellar junior year and Small to continue to build on his reputation as one of the top running backs in the class of 2018.

There is a reason to air on the side of caution. Belle Vernon could be a very good team in Matt Humbert’s second season, Trinity’s incoming sophomore class is among the best in the area and Thomas Jefferson always reloads.

I picked Ringgold to win the conference last fall and though it fell short of that prediction, the Rams had an unbelievable season that caught many by surprise. My belief is there will not be a drop-off anytime soon.

Look for Martin and the Rams’ backfield to lead another deep playoff run. It will be an exciting time to make a trip to Joe Montana Stadium.