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Show . ; y SporfstaculQr- - Page 14 September 20. 1979 1 o GREG RDLER is Falcon's "containment man". Ridler beefs up Falcon's hopes for playoff berth by Keith Duncan MV. Greg Ridler is the Falcons containment man. Suddenly the momentum had shifted entirely and Clearfield had taken advantage of it to score two touch-- 1 downs. The two scores had warmed the Clearfield side as the Falcons stormed into the lead, a spell that continued to chill Davis even on a nippy night. ,r Could the "containment man and the rest of his defensive buddies hold the Darts just one more time? It took seven plays and a few lumps, but the cheer from the Clearfield section with 2:04 left told the answer. That victory did a lot for our team, said Clearfields defensive end, Greg Ridler, In fact thats one of the most memorable victories in my sports career. Behind many of the most spectacular offensive plays in football history have been gaffes on the part of the defensive ends. And in front of the most gummed- - up offenses youve ever seen are usually defensive ends doing themselves proud. With Ridler manning this gullotine position for Clearfield this season, their chances for a trip to the state playoffs look brighter than not. Behind every good athlete, whether highly talented or not, there is a shadow that triggered interest in early years. For Ridler, who grew up in Sunset, Utah, it was Bernie Yocum and his own father. Later it was Ray Meibos and even later Roger Reid. We wont boast of Ridlers widely displayed talent in any sport, because as he admits, I Just dont have it. What makes him shine then. According to one of his first coaches in high school, John Flint, what makes Ridler so great is nothing but hard work said three times and sheer determination. What do fans do for Ridler and his teammates? Ridler says, Cheering fans no doubt help you. Sometimes you cant help but hear them and other times you try your best to shut them out of your mind to minimize mistakes." It has been Roger Reid and Bruce Burningham, the present defensive end coach with the Falcons, that have nutured Ridler and gave him the blood that keeps ' his athletic spirit alive at Clearfield High. I dont know how to tell people out there how much these coaches at the school help a guy. It really cant even be put in words. Theyre just great. When I was at Sunset Junior High, 1 sorta hard-to-swallo- w (maiEE) visualized myself playing at Clearfield someday with 2,000 fans cheering you on. But I never even gave myself a chance to someday play in college. Because of the kind of coaches we have, and a few good breaks, maybe someday Ill get a shot at playing junior college ball. Ridler likes hi chances of someday attending the (SEQBSOBasEli'&i Sss Ridler Continued on Page 1 6 4456 8k WCft Q9 dilJWOTtlDifog |