South River's Ryan breaks leg, out for season

Senior running back Doug Ryan, an incumbent Home News Tribune first-team All-Area performer and one of the state's best two-way players, suffered a season-ending injury Thursday in the South River High School football team's tri-scrimmage.

Ryan broke his leg on the final play of a 10-play sequence against Princeton at New Brunswick's Memorial Stadium, and is scheduled to undergo surgery at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick.

Ryan tweeted Thursday night that he broke his leg, not his ankle as coaches initially reported to the Home News Tribune, and that he is scheduled to be operated on Friday morning.

The defending Greater Middlesex Conference Blue Division champion Rams were favored to repeat with the bruising Ryan at running back and free safety.

Despite missing two games last season with an ankle injury, Ryan still managed to rush for a division-best 1,284 yards and 20 touchdowns.

After catching a screen pass and cutting against the grain, Ryan rambled nearly 70 yards before getting dragged down with a horse-collar tackle, on which the Princeton defender drew a flag. Ryan told the coaches he heard his leg snap on the play.

"The kid worked so hard to get ready for this year," said South River coach Rich Marchesi, noting Ryan underwent surgery in the spring to repair a shoulder injury he suffered during wrestling season.

"For one of the best players in the GMC to go down, it's terrible."

Marchesi said he pulled his team off the field after Ryan's injury and boarded the bus. Assistant coach Mike Lepore Jr. said one could hear a pin drop on the ride home.

"Everybody was down," Marchesi said. "We'll have a staff meeting tomorrow morning and figure out where we are going from here. We'll march forward and be a good football team."

The Rams still have plenty of veteran talent on offense with quarterback Nick Lepore, fullback Cyrus Bird, tight end Sean Darrar and tackle Richie LeoGrande.

In an interview with MyCentralJersey.com last week, Ryan said, "We're shooting for the title again, and I don't think anybody's going to stop us this year."

Of his shoulder injury, Ryan said, "I feel completely healed. I feel fine right now. I feel I'm ready."

Spotswood coach Andy Cammarano, whose Chargers lost what proved to be a division title game to South River in the regular-season league finale last year, said Ryan has outstanding character.

"I've never heard a bad thing said about him," Cammarano said. "It's a shame, especially for a small school football program, because so many guys are iron men and play both ways.

"He did everything his coach asked of him. He's such a difference maker. He really gave us fits the last couple of years."