Spartans Lose to Ridgewood in Annual Thanksgiving Game

ended its football season on a somber note, losing 42-13 to Ridgewood in the annual Thanksgiving rivalry game.

"It's been an up-and-down team and we've played some great football this year," said Ridgewood Head Coach Chuck Johnson, whose team finished 5-5 after dropping 4 of the first 5 contests to some of the area's best programs. 

Due to the slow start, the Maroons were unable to garner a playoff birth and last week lost a non-league consolation game 21-7 to Morris Knolls.

"I told the kids all week we met the enemy – the enemy is us and today we did all the things we need to do offensively," Johnson said. 

Paramus too has had an up-and-down season.

The Spartans (7-4) opened with a pair of gritty wins over Northern Highlands and Old Tappan, which is led by North Jersey's most exciting offensive force, quarterback Devin Harris. Paramus then dropped the next two contest, getting blown out by St. Joseph's and Wayne Hills. After humbling defeats, the Spartans found their footing once more, rallying back with five straight victories including a playoff win against Lakeland.

Then Wayne Hills came calling again. The Spartans lost its playoff magic to the Patriots 48-21 and was looking to end their season on a high note against arch-rival Ridgewood on Thursday. 

. But it was a very different story this year at RHS Stadium, where thousands showed to cheer their hometown teams.

Ridgewood was able to minimize turnovers and largely kept the quick Paramus offense out of the end zone. Paramus couldn't keep up with a torrid Ridgewood offensive attack, which struck first with a 15-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Jamal Locke to tight end Michael Johnson in the first quarter.

A 3-yard touchdown run courtesy of running back Blake Feagles – who found the end zone four times, including a 99-yard dash late in the game – was followed by a 44-yard rushing burst from Peter Reuter in the second quarter. Before the halftime whistle, Paramus was facing a 21-0 deficit.

Spartan senior quarterback Mike Bussanich found wideout T.J. Chambers for a 15-yard touchdown in the third frame and followed up with a 50-yard strike to Tyler Gargiulo in the fourth.

Ultimately, it just wasn't enough.

"They do good things [and] have a great offense but our kids just played better today," Johnson said.