Apollo-Ridge aims to rebound in new-look Allegheny Conference

By: Michael Love
Friday, August 16, 2024 | 6:01 AM

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Senior Ryan Lydon said he and his Apollo-Ridge teammates have a chip on their shoulder to get back on track this season and challenge for a spot in the WPIAL Class 2A playoffs.

The Vikings were 3-7 overall last year and 2-5 in the rugged Allegheny Conference.

“We’re ready to go,” Lydon said. “We have something to prove. We have a lot of guys coming back, and we want to make a name for ourselves. We want to be a smash mouth football team. We had a great rebuild this offseason with a lot of people in the weight room and for workouts on the field. Being a part of a new conference makes it even more exciting.”

Apollo-Ridge remains in Class 2A under the new WPIAL realignment. The Vikings will play Allegheny Conference games against Ligonier Valley, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Shady Side Academy, South Allegheny, South Park and Steel Valley.

“We know it’s not going to be fun, especially when you drop three Triple-A teams down (Shady Side Academy, South Allegheny, South Park),” Apollo-Ridge coach John Skiba said.

“You look at them, and they were all successful in Triple-A. South Park beat a very good Knoch team in the first round last year. We’re going to be traveling everywhere.”

Skiba, when looking over his roster of players, realized a lot of returning kids played a lot of football last year.

“We have seven guys returning on offense who played significant roles,” he said.

“That is a big thing for us. And there are six or seven on defense who saw a lot of time. They’re still pretty young because a lot of them are sophomores and juniors. I have six seniors right now on the roster. There’s not a lot of older guys at the top, but there’s a lot of youth, and a lot of them put the time in during the offseason to get themselves ready for the challenge coming up.”

Apollo-Ridge will take the field this season without do-everything, two-way standout Karter Schrock who moved on because of graduation and is at Washington & Jefferson.

Schrock last season became just the 17th player in WPIAL history to both throw and pass for more than 1,000 yards in a season.

He accounted for a combined 24 offensive touchdowns.

Defensively, he led the team with 69 tackles.

Junior Alex Clawson and sophomore Christopher Dailey have been in competition to take over at quarterback.

Clawson was injured on defense in the second game last year against Valley and was lost for the season.

“He’s healthy now and is looking good,” Skiba said.

Skiba said both put in the work throughout the summer and will be ready to lead the offense.

“Alex might be a little more athletic with the ability to run the ball, and Christopher has a big arm as a drop-back guy good off play-action,” Skiba said.

“They are different, but both bring a lot to the table. There’s always the possibility to have both of them in a game plan.”

The offensive line will help anchor the offense, and it starts in the middle with Lydon, an all-conference first-team center last year.

“He’s a guy who gets things going for us,” Skiba said. “He’s a great motivator.”

Also back are sophomore Gino McCullough, senior Tyler Bartell and junior Connor Bogdanski.

Sophomore Kingston Staley saw time on defense as a freshman.

“We’re all on the same page,” Lydon said. “We have a first-year starter, and everyone else has some experience. It’s the most experienced the line has been in a couple of years. We’re excited and ready to work.”

Apollo-Ridge will kick off the season with the rivalry game at Leechburg.

The Vikings come in with bragging rights having defeated the Blue Devils, 18-16, in the opener last year.

“We had good attendance in the offseason. The kids showed up to work,” Skiba said. “They understand things, and they battle. They can’t wait to get things going.”

Apollo-Ridge

Coach: John Skiba

2023 record: 3-7, 2-5 in Class 2A Allegheny Conference

All-time record: 235-296-9

SCHEDULE

Date, Opponent, Time

8.23 at Leechburg, 7

8.30 at Jeannette, 7

9.6 Greensburg Central Catholic, 7

9.13 at Carlynton, 7

9.21 at Shady Side Academy*, 2

9.27 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart*, 7

10.4 at Steel Valley*, 7

10.11 South Allegheny*, 7

10.18 South Park*, 7

10.25 at Ligonier Valley*, 7

* Conference game

STATISTICAL LEADERS

Passing: Karter Schrock*

72-154, 1,066 yards, 6 TDs

Rushing: Schrock*

231-1,224 yards, 16 TDs

Receiving: Jaden McCray

23-410 yards, 2 TDs

* Graduated

FAST FACTS

• Apollo-Ridge missed the WPIAL playoffs last year, but the Vikings have qualified for the postseason eight times since 2012.

• The Vikings scored 22.4 points a game last year and surrendered 36 a contest.

• Karter Schrock (2,290 yards) accounted for 79% of the Apollo-Ridge total offense (2,901 yards) last season.

• John Skiba is one of the most longstanding coaches in the Alle-Kiski Valley. He enters his 14th season at the helm of the Vikings. Only John Gaillot at Freeport has a longer continuous tenure at the same school.

ROSTER

No., Name, Cl.

1, Alex Clawson, jr.

2, Gage Wingard, so.

3, Anthony Massari, so.

4, Richard Peach, jr.

5, David Cochran, sr.

6, Taye Bradshaw, so.

7, Gabe Suman, sr.

8, Tristan Zalenski, jr.

9, Corey Mackintosh, sr.

10, Avery Grant, jr.

12, Logen Schrock, so.

14, Chris Dailey, so.

17, Jordan Mull, fr.

20, Jayden McCray, jr.

24, Zach Myers, so.

29, Dylan Limmer, sr.

29, Beck Andree, so.

31, Preston Clemens, fr.

32, Seth Mahaffey, sr.

33, Jeremy Master, fr.

35, Mason Deyarmin, so.

40, Matt Faulkner, fr.

44, Ryan Feeney, fr.

50, Damon Harkleroad, jr.

51, Mason Crawford, sr.

52, Zak Dohmen, fr.

53, Kingston Staley, so.

54, Gino McCullough, so.

55, Noah Stewart, fr.

57, Parker Gourley, so.

58, Austin Gregory, so.

59, Kaleb Boop, fr.

62, Dillon Long, fr.

66, David Rybarczyk, fr.

70, Caleb Pierce, so.

71, Tyler Bartell, sr.

75, Grant Harless, fr.

76, Conner Bogdanski, jr.

77, Ryan Lydon, sr.

79, Andrew Patterson, so.

81, Breydan Orvosh, jr.

82, Will Shank, so.

86, Nathan Fryer, jr.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Apollo-Ridge