Fitting tribute

Cameron Ruff never played for Coach Don Andersen at Riverside, but the current coach at Fairport made sure he and his Skippers paid tribute to the legendary coach who died last week from pancreatic cancer.

The Skippers were decals on their helmets with the initials “D.A.” on them for a Week 4 win over Berkshire. The initiative was spearheaded by Jim Paugh, father of Fairport player Cody Paugh, who played at Riverside under Andersen.

“Coach Don Andersen’s influence ran wid, as he coached many, many kids at several programs,” said Ruff. “Seeing all of the recent community support

from Riverside and Mentor displays Coach Andersen’s positive impact that he had on many people’s lives in Lake County and elsewhere.”

Andersen spoke to the Skippers last year and impressed the importance of the PMA — “Positive Mental Attitude” — mantra on the team no matter the situation.

Andersen’s nephew, Miles Andersen, is Fairport’s offensive coordinator.

“I am also a Riverside graduate. Although Coach Don Andersen never coached me, we always heard of him during our time at Riverside and his legacy continued even after he left,” Ruff said. “He was a legend at Riverside. We instilled ‘Riverside Pride’ into many student-athletes. We always strived to be like one of his teams and that motivated us to excel.

“We hope to honor Coach Don Andersen with these helmet decals and offer our support to our offensive coordinator, Miles Andersen, during this time.”

The beat goes on

Gilmour senior running back C.J. Charleston continued his torrid pace on Sept. 15 in the Lancers’ 33-6 win over previously unbeaten Valley Christian.

Charleston carried 18 times for 234 yards and four touchdowns against the Eagles.

Through four games, Charleston has run for 827 yards and 17 touchdowns. Projected over a 10-game schedule, Charleston is on pace to run for 2,067 yards and 42 touchdowns.