By Ryan Tipps
D3sports.com
Many fathers would be happy to have a son play collegiate football. John Ricca has felt that pride three times over.
My wife and I were just talking about “how lucky we’ve been, how blessed we’ve been to have three kids get to play in college football,” said Ricca, who also has three daughters who have excelled at athletics. “I enjoy getting to watch them play and going to games.”
His youngest son, Keith, is in his senior year calling the shots under center for Catholic -- and the team is coming off one of the biggest wins of Keith’s career, as he passed for 392 yards and four touchdowns in an upset win at then-No. 18 Hampden-Sydney.
We last wrote about the Ricca brothers when Keith was a freshman. But this day has been years -- maybe even generations -- in the making. The Ricca family line has nurtured Keith from a young age. His grandfather, Jim, played professionally as a defensive lineman, as did his dad. But it was John Ricca’s eldest son, Kevin, and middle son, John David, who heavily influenced Keith.
“Pretty much everything there is to know about being a quarterback I’ve learned from my two brothers,” said Keith, a 22-year-old sociology major. They are “are probably the best coaches I’ve ever had, them and my dad.”
Kevin coached both of his younger siblings in high school, helping to instill leadership, poise and “perfection” -- as Keith calls it -- onto his siblings.
Kevin was a record-setting passer for Catholic in the 1990s; J.D. was a conference standout just a couple of years ago as Hampden-Sydney’s quarterback. When it came time for Keith to choose a college, though, the choice was an easy one -- especially since he grew up knowing how waves of Ricca family members in the D.C. area can help pack a stadium.
“I wanted to stay close to home,” he said. “I know that when Kevin used to play here, family and friends came to almost every game. Seeing J.D. play at Hampden-Sydney, it was little harder for people to get out there.”
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The three have markedly different playing styles. As Keith describes it, Kevin was quick on his feet while also having a solid arm. Keith, in turn, considers himself a pocket passer who isn’t as light on the ground. J.D. falls somewhere between the two and was the calmest, most level-headed of the bunch.
While the two elder brothers enjoyed winning seasons, program turnarounds and runs at the playoffs, Keith’s team was a combined 11-19 in his first three years, including 3-15 in conference play. Still, it was an improvement over the 0-10 year that Catholic had before Keith’s arrival. Building a team and building confidence was to come slowly, but it also came steadily.
“We knew that it was going to take time for us to get there,” said Keith, who sports the No. 12 jersey on the field. “When you have an 0-10 season, there’s not a lot of players left when we get there, and we knew there was a long way to go. We thought it was going to happen a little quicker. We know our sophomore year we should have won more games than we did. And our junior year, we should have definitely won more games than we did. But that happens. We use that as a way to get better.”
The tide is turning in 2008, having knocked off the defending conference champions and sitting at 6-1 overall. Winning the final three games of the season would give Catholic an automatic bid into the playoffs.“This is the year that we’ve been waiting for,” Keith said enthusiastically.
The past seasons have “been real tough on Keith, I think, because his brothers won so much more than his teams have won,” said John Ricca, a longtime high school coach who is now running backs coach at Catholic. “It’s great to see him in his last year, at least so far, having a good year. He’s playing his best football even though his stats” are lower than in the past.
But Keith’s stats in the bigger picture are impressive. It’s only midway through his senior year and Keith has broken Catholic’s career and season records for passing completions, yards and attempts -- most of which are records once held by his oldest brother. He surpassed the career 10,000-yard this past weekend and should climb into the top 20 in Division III history by season’s end.
And Kevin has been proud to see his little brother succeed.“Kevin’s actually been happier than anybody about it,” Keith said. “When it was announced that week, everyone said he was jumping up and down with joy, high-fiving everybody. He loves it. The thing he told me is that as long as it says Ricca in there, he doesn’t care which one it is.”
Though he added, jokingly, “He’s kind of hoping that it says K. Ricca so that nobody will know which one has the record.”
That illustrates how supportive the Ricca siblings are of one another, even when an alma mater is at stake. When asked who H-SC alum J.D. was cheering for Saturday, Keith didn’t hesitate in replying.“He’ll root for Hampden-Sydney every other game of the year. He hopes they do well, and he still keeps in contact with the coaches and players,” Keith said. “But when I’m playing, family comes first. He’ll definitely be on the Catholic side rooting for me.”
As deeply entwined as football is in the life of Keith and his family, John Ricca is already lamenting the end of his sons’ time on the field.
“We’re not sure what we’re going to do now that it’s all coming to an end in a month or so,” John Ricca said. “We are proud. We would’ve been proud of them if they weren’t impact players and setting records. “The fact that they’ve rooted for each other and pulled for each other, it’s pretty neat.”
The question remains as to whether there is a new generation of Riccas to carry on the football legacy. Well, not yet, but eldest brother Kevin is recently married.
All shook up
Catholic’s win over Hampden-Sydney further rattles a conference that was thick on parity to begin with.But that also means that three teams sit at the top of the ODAC each with just one in-conference loss: Catholic, Hamden-Sydney and Emory & Henry. The fact that many people wouldn’t have expected two of those teams in the mix at this point in the season illustrates just how balanced the Old Dominion is.
But, if you’re wondering what all of this means for these teams and who really has a shot at the playoffs, here’s the (not-so-)quick-and-dirty analysis:
Hampden-Sydney: I’m starting with them because they’re the easiest to explain. The Tigers have only one more conference game (against rival Randolph-Macon). An H-SC win there, and they’ve clinched a share of the ODAC title -- but not a guaranteed trip to the playoffs. For that to happen, CUA would have to lose again. If H-SC loses to R-MC, then their chances of going to the playoffs are reduced dramatically, but not gone. They have a head-to-head win against one-loss E&H, as well as against Guilford and Bridgewater, two of the current two-loss teams. CUA losing two of its final three, and E&H losing another, would work in the Tigers’ favor. Oh, and don’t rule out a Pool C bid for a possible 9-1 H-SC squad.
Catholic: It would be best for the Cardinals if they won the rest of their games, which will be against three conference opponents. That would give them at least a share of the conference title, and they will have the edge against any possible head-to-head one-loss finisher. The bottom line: It’s a guaranteed trip to the playoffs. However, if H-SC loses, then CUA might be able to squeak by with an extra loss in these last few weeks -- as long as it’s not to E&H. Beating E&H will make sure that CUA doesn’t get caught on the losing end of a head-to-head tiebreaker, a circumstance that could favor H-SC, which holds a tiebreaker against E&H. Catholic’s tough spot is the early-season loss to R-MC, which negates the possibility of a one-loss triangle at the top of the ODAC.
Emory & Henry: If the Wasps win out, they will need to root for R-MC to beat H-SC, because the Tigers own the tiebreaker win over E&H. A second loss means that they are out of postseason contention because H-SC can do no worse than two losses, thus still keeping them ahead of E&H for playoff consideration. The Wasps still can share in the ODAC title as a two-loss team, and if they win out, they are guaranteed at least a share of it.Alas, even with all of this, complicated as it may be, there are still chances for a tie among two-loss teams at the top.
Randolph-Macon: The Yellow Jackets already have two conference losses, but against the aforementioned one-loss teams, they’re 1-1. Key for R-MC will be beating H-SC, but no matter, R-MC has to win out to have any shot at sharing the ODAC crown. If CUA and E&H stumble hard in these final weeks, that could open the door for the Yellow Jackets and their playoff hopes. Best-case scenario: R-MC wins out, CUA beats E&H but loses to someone else, and E&H loses to someone in addition to CUA.
Bridgewater and Guilford: These two teams are getting lumped together because while they are only two-loss teams like R-MC, they’re also very much not like R-MC. Neither BC nor GC have a tiebreaker-aiding win against one of the top teams in the conference, which means that their chances of scoring a playoff shot is highly unlikely -- if impossible. However, with a few other factors falling into place, either one of these teams could share a piece of the ODAC title pie, even if that doesn’t mean a game for them in Week 12.
Washington & Lee: Sorry, but there will be no reprising the 2006 season in ’08.
I hope that this has made the ODAC mud a little clearer.
Beyond the ODAC
In the other mid-Atlantic conferences, races could be seen as either wrapping up or unraveling. Here’s where things stand in the Centennial, USA South and Atlantic Central:
Centennial: Muhlenberg has a two-game lead over every other contender in the conference, and the Mules need to win just one of their final three games to guarantee themselves at least a share of the CC title. Dickinson and Moravian (both with two conference losses) are the only possible threats to Muhlenberg’s playoff hopes because Muhlenberg has yet to play either team. If Muhlenberg slips and does lose two of its next three games, then that could open the door for either the Red Devils or Moravian to go to the postseason if either of them win out. If both of these two teams do win out, Dickinson has he tiebreaker edge over Moravian -- but they would share the Centennial crown since Muhlenberg will have been reduced to three losses.
USA South: At first glance, it would appear that Ferrum and Christopher Newport are in control of things in the USAC -- and to an extent, they are. However, neither team has played N.C. Wesleyan, the conference’s defending champ, nor has either FC or CNU played each other yet. NCWC already has a conference loss, so one more for the Bishops probably puts them out of the running. However, a tie at the top is very possible, and the tiebreaker will come around to who beats whom among the Panthers, Captains and Bishops in these waning weeks.
Atlantic Central: As a Pool B conference, nothing is a sure thing. Last year, a Whitworth team from the Northwest Conference had just one in-region loss and was left out of the playoffs while a one-loss Wesley team became the South Region’s No. 2 seed. Pool B can appear finicky, to be sure. This year, both Salisbury and Wesley have a loss to an in-region team, and they are slated to play each other this coming weekend. It’s a safe bet that the winner of this game will get their playoff ticket punched, while the loser will be gripping the edge of the seat a little tighter until selection Sunday. As always, a surprise loss in these final weeks could ruin playoff possibilities for these teams because of their early-season blemishes.
The blitz package
This seems to have been the week of the standout running back:
Muhlenberg ground out a tough win in poor conditions, beating Franklin & Marshall 17-6. Running back John DeLuca had 42 carries, the most of any Mule since 2003 -- and 13 of those came on one drive.
Salisbury won in striking fashion, a 63-0 besting of Becker that saw the Gulls accrue nearly 600 yards in offense. Becker, conversely, gained only 65 yards on the day.
Christopher Newport remained unbeaten in the USA South with a 38-14 win over Methodist. On 27 carries, Tunde Ogun ran for 254 yards and three scores for the Captains.
Dickinson’s coach Darwin Breaux notched his 100th career win, beating Gettysburg 29-16 and keeping possession of the Little Brown Bucket. The Red Devils had three players average at least 4.7 yards per rush in the sloppy weather.
Zak Thornton helped Randolph-Macon avenge an ’07 loss to Frostburg State by piling on 256 rushing yards in a 21-12 win on Saturday. He had a career-best 45 carries.
Wesley wideout Larry Beavers posted three touchdowns, two of them on kick returns, against NAIA opponent Webber International to lead the Wolverines in a 42-13 pounding.
Ursinus racked up 23 points in the fourth quarter to surge past visiting Juniata 26-7. Bears rusher Mark Jaskowski had his second straight week of strong performances, gaining 148 yards and two touchdowns.
Emory & Henry linebacker Ed Smith pulled in two interceptions and earned ODAC player of the week honors in the Wasps’ 19-14 victory over Bridgewater.
High five
The Around the Mid-Atlantic top teams:
1. Muhlenberg
2. Wesley
3. Salisbury
4. Ferrum
5. Catholic
I was almost hoping I could fudge the ranking and put “4 (tie)” and list Ferrum and Catholic, with Hamden-Sydney and Christopher Newport lingering close behind but off the grid. But I felt that would’ve been “weak” and that I needed to make a decision. So, what you see above is it. While the Tigers did lose, it was a loss to a good team and in a relatively competitive game, thus it doesn’t make a big dent in the how the Tigers are perceived. The margin of difference between FC, CUA, H-SC and CNU is negligible.
Contact me
I would be happy to hear from anyone who has questions or feedback regarding the Around the Mid-Atlantic column or Division III football in general. Please write to me at ryan.tipps@d3sports.com. I take the good, the bad and the ugly. Or, if there is an idea you’d like to see me write about, I’m always open to hearing about that, too.
