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Larger role, lasting impact for River Ridge's Dylan Spaeth

 
River Ridge High School wide receiver Dylan Spaeth (6) runs the ball approaching Nature Coast High School cornerback Brian Haygood (12) during the first quarter at River Ridge High School in New Port Richey, Fla. on Friday, November 18, 2016.
River Ridge High School wide receiver Dylan Spaeth (6) runs the ball approaching Nature Coast High School cornerback Brian Haygood (12) during the first quarter at River Ridge High School in New Port Richey, Fla. on Friday, November 18, 2016.
Published Nov. 22, 2016

Dylan Spaeth has surprised many with his meteoric rise to lead the River Ridge defense, and on Friday, he and the Royal Knights (9-2) will face their most difficult task of the season, a Class 5A region final date with Green Cove Springs Clay (9-3).

"Anytime you get this deep into the playoffs, the quality of the teams that are left are very good," River Ridge coach Ryan Benjamin said. "Clay definitely has a lot of talent, speed and size. Our guys have risen to the occasion in the past because most of them thrive on being the underdog, and that includes Dylan."

Spaeth was far from a leader prior to this season. In fact, he had combined for only 19 tackles on defense without a sack or a catch on the offensive side of the ball. All of that changed drastically in his senior campaign.

Following a loss to Nature Coast in the region semifinals last season, the Royal Knights lost the lynch pins of their front seven with Patrick Cook (81 tackles, 10.5 sacks), Brandon Lempfert (100 tackles, 4.5 sacks) and Anthony Spinelli (86 tackles, five sacks) all graduating, and Jake Berg (123 tackles, three sacks, one INT) not returning due to some lingering physical issues.

The roster was thin and had very little experience on both sides of the ball, but defense had been the strength of the River Ridge program since Benjamin took over as coach in 2011. Spaeth become a crucial component.

"(Spaeth) played some special teams last year, but he left last season feeling hungry to play a bigger role," Benjamin said. "The guys we had ahead of him were great players, but he was nipping at their heels. He worked all offseason to gain speed and strength."

The versatile player leads the unit with 96 tackles this season and has 14 sacks, the highest total by any North Suncoast player since Sunlake's Austin Yeloushan's 15.5 in 2014. His penetration has been the X factor for a group that improved week after week.

That effort paid off last week when River Ridge got a measure of revenge on Nature Coast, dominating the explosive Sharks offense on the way to a 24-3 victory in the region semifinals. The win advanced the Royal Knights into the region finals for the first time in school history. Spaeth finished with a team-high 13 tackles and a sack in the game.

It's been a long journey coming from someone who didn't play much in his high school career," Spaeth said. "I'm definitely humble about the opportunity I'm getting this year."