Carson Ridener fits right in as Oak Harbor continues to win
Carson Ridener was one of the top players in the area — if not the state — the first four weeks of the season.
The Oak Harbor junior broke off several long touchdown runs and returned an interception 50 yards for a score. He also doled out hits notable for their physicality.
He injured his knee, and the Rockets didn't miss a beat. Ridener is back for the postseason and unbeaten fourth-ranked Oak Harbor plugged him right into the machine Friday in a 49-20 victory over Otsego in a Division V postseason opener.
He scored from 29 yards in the first half and was still in to help put the game away with a 6-yard touchdown run in the second half. He had 67 yards on eight tries and caught one pass.
"It was working without him, it adds a top-tier guy on offense and defense," quarterback Mike LaLonde said. "It's only up from here."
Four-seed Oak Harbor next plays 12-seed Marengo Highland at a site to be determined.
"We'll take each game by itself and play our game," LaLonde said. "Being physical and running to the ball. Skill guys will make big plays and the line will be way more physical than the opposing defensive line."
Ridener's teammates anticipated early in the week that he'd play Friday.
"He's been getting better," LaLonde said. "It's a lot more relaxing [with him back]. He's our top tackler. He runs hard. He always plays hard. He knows what he's doing and he does it hard."
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Oak Harbor's Tyler Thompson caught a 28-yard scoring pass from LaLonde to open the scoring.
"He got in the end zone behind the safety and I popped it over there," LaLonde said.
Jaqui Hayward scored from 32 yards for a 21-0 margin after one quarter. He ran in from 16 and 82 yards for a 35-8 lead at the half.
He had 151 yards on only five tries and 47 yards on six receptions. LaLonde completed 10 of 18 passes for 107 yards with an interception.
Dalton Witter had 124 yards on 19 carries. Caiden Lippus scored from 11 yards out in the fourth quarter and added an interception on defense.
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Oak Harbor had 411 yards on 40 carries and 518 yards of offense, an average of 8.9 yards per play. It was 7 of 10 on third down and 2 for 2 on fourth down.
Otsego (4-7) scored 14 points against the starters. Oak Harbor won the matchup 49-21 during the regular season.
"We played better on defense," LaLonde said. "The offensive line had a great push from the start. The last game we started slow, from the start the line put it on them. We were more physical.
The Knights rushed for 38 yards on 25 tries, including sacks and had 180 yards of offense. They were 3 of 10 on third down and had 11 first downs.
"The defense played exceptional," LaLonde said. "The line dominated the whole game."
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This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Oak Harbor football remains unbeaten with OHSAA postseason victory
