Ridgewood advances with 28-6 playoff win over Newcomerstown

The Ridgewood Generals powered their way into the next round of the OHSAA Division VI state football playoffs with a 28-6 victory over Newcomerstown on Friday night, Oct. 31 at Lee Stadium.

The Generals, the No. 9 seed in Region 23, leaned on a strong ground game to control the contest, rushing for 251 yards. Talon Carns led the charge with 14 carries for 109 yards while Bryce Tolliver added 61 yards on the ground.

Ridgewood struck first in the opening quarter when quarterback Jace McQueen connected with Preston Ator on a 23-yard touchdown pass. The Generals extended their lead in the second quarter with an 8-yard touchdown run from Tolliver, followed by a 1-yard quarterback sneak from McQueen to make it 21-0 at halftime.

Carns capped the scoring for Ridgewood in the fourth quarter, breaking loose for a 47-yard touchdown run to put the game out of reach. Kicker Jadon Smoulder was perfect on all four extra-point attempts.

Newcomerstown avoided the shutout late in the game when Dominic Singer found the end zone on a 1-yard touchdown run with 1:36 left to play. Singer finished the night with 16 carries for 77 yards.

With the win Ridgewood improved to 9-2 and will advance to face top-seeded Centerburg Friday, Nov. 7. Centerburg earned a first-round bye as one of the top four seeds in the region.

The 2025 OHSAA playoff format reduced postseason qualifiers from 16 to 12 per region, granting byes to the top seeds.

Newcomerstown finished its season with a 7-4 record. The loss marks the second straight year Ridgewood has eliminated the Trojans from postseason play.

For more on high school sports, visit www.claxonsports.com.