Horrible, rainy conditions are not exactly conducive to a productive passing game. Yeah, try telling that to Ridgefield coach Kevin Callahan or his quarterback, Owen Matthews.
“We came in (to Friday’s game at Fairfield Warde) wanting to run more,” Callahan said, referring to the rain. But Matthews threw for 245 yards and three touchdowns in Ridgefield’s 29-0 victory. “Matthews usually gets a good grip on the ball even in the rain so we were able to throw it.”
Under Callahan, the Tigers (5-4) love to operate of the spread and throw the ball, and they threw it twice as many times as Warde did Friday. And it worked, albeit imperfectly. While Matthews had a good grip on one end, the receivers on the other end did drop several passes. Overall, Matthews completed 13-of-27 passes.
“We practice throwing a wet ball,” Callahan said. “Owen can really get on top of the ball and we have confidence in him throwing in these conditions.”