the Pebble Spring 2017

Photo courtesy of MPH
Mr. Ridall yells instructions at the traditional Red and White Day egg toss.
playing varsity as a freshman. He said he
liked hanging out near the goal to talk to the
seniors, even after Ridall would call him to
midfield. One day, Ridall kicked a ball that
took one bounce and hit McKenney in the gut.
“Trust me, I never hung around the seniors
after that one,” McKenney said.
When Ridall speaks, there’s no fact-checking
to be done, no questioning his methods.
His experience, past and successful record
are enough evidence for anyone. Ridall often
speaks of the brotherhood of his soccer
players, telling them they have brothers they
haven’t met yet.
Last fall, when the soccer team went to
Tully’s to celebrate their sectional-qualifier
win, they ran into Eric Spevak, a member of
Ridall’s first MPH team. Spevak offered wisdom
to the players and congratulated them on
bringing the program back to its standard of
making sectionals.
But long-time assistant coach Tony Venezia
and others said that for Ridall, it’s about
more than just winning.
“He puts the well-being of his students
and athletes above all else,” Venezia said, “including
winning.”
Coaching was a career Ridall had a lifetime
to prepare for.
At the young age of 13, he knew exactly
what he wanted to do in life. Raised in Lysander,
a small town just outside of Baldwinsville,
Ridall grew up during the ’60s and ’70s,
which was a time of freedom, creativity and
limited distractions. Ridall often played variations
of kickball with the neighborhood kids,
ran between houses playing hide-and-seek
tag, and organized tournaments at the young
age of 7.
Growing up, his uncle influenced him.
He was the first of his family to attend college
and then became a physical education teacher
in Watertown. When Ridall was in seventh
grade, he shadowed his uncle at work. Ridall
knew from that visit that he wanted to be a
physical education teacher and that he wanted
to go to college at Cortland, just like his uncle.
At Baldwinsville High School, he played
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