Ritchey ready to help Palmyra move forward and turn 2023 into memorable step in right direction

PALMYRA, Mo. — Palmyra had a football season to forget in 2022.

Aaron Ritchey plans to do just that.

“The main thing is to forget that last season ever happened,” the Panthers senior quarterback said. “We have new players, new coaches, a whole new offense and a whole new defense. Everything about our team this year is new.

“Our team is really driven to be the best we can be this year. We need to take that mindset into the season and be ready to win some football games.”

Palmyra won only once on the field in 10 tries last fall and later was forced to forfeit that contest — along with five others — for violating rules mandating how many quarters players could participate in each week.

Not only that, but the Panthers were rarely competitive. They scored only 104 points and were shut out four times. Seven defeats came by 34 or more points.

As if that wasn’t demoralizing enough, the players then watched a months-long public drama play out involving former head coach Kevin Miles and several members of his coaching staff, ultimately resulting in their resignations and the hiring of 24-year-old Dalton Hill as head coach.

The change in attitude this summer has been noticeable.

“He’s kind of what we needed this year,” Ritchey said of Hill. “He’s a new face to rebrand our team.

“A lot of things went wrong last year. It’s hard to pinpoint just one thing. It felt like some kids didn’t want to play last year. Everyone was down and not having a good time. We weren’t having fun or playing the game the way it should be played.

“The new coaches have brought in a new feeling to football, and it shows. We like going to practice, we like going to the weight room. I already see a big difference.”

Ritchey is one of the players Hill is counting on to help reverse Palmyra’s fortunes.

Ritchey is returning to quarterback, the position he played as a freshman and sophomore, after spending last fall at running back. At 5-foot-8 and 155 pounds, he’s not a prototypical signal-caller, but has 4.5 speed and experience handling the ball. Hill plans to utilize him both under center and by spreading the offense.

“We knew we needed a quarterback who could be a dual threat,” Hill said of the position change. “We need to be balanced, not one-dimensional. He can move the ball on the ground with his legs and at times can deliver the ball with his arm. He’s grown each week.”

It wasn’t just Ritchey’s physical attributes that convinced the coach to make the switch, however.

“Aaron has been a leader for us all summer,” Hill said. “He has bought in since Day 1. He has done everything right. He has put his nose to the grindstone.

“He was receptive to moving to quarterback. He said, ‘Coach, whatever you need me to do for this team, this program to be successful, I’ll do it.’ I could ask him to be a wide receiver or defensive end, as silly as that sounds, and he would do it.”

Ritchey admits to feeling more comfortable at running back, a position he played exclusively before moving to Palmyra from Blair Oaks before his freshman year.

However, he realizes being able to throw the ball effectively will enable the Panthers to be less predictable and prevent opposing defenses from focusing solely on the running game, so he has spent the summer working to improve his arm strength, accuracy and timing.

“We took our old offense and scratched it out of the book,” he said. “Everybody knew our plays last year because we had run them for so long. We will be more of a run-pass offense this year, and nobody has any film on us. We’re a pretty fast team. We have a lot of weapons running the ball and catching the ball.

“Being the quarterback and leading the whole team is definitely a challenge, but it’s something I feel I’m capable of doing. Things are coming together quickly. I think the offense Coach Hill has put in will do great things for us.”

Palmyra showed encouraging flashes on both sides of the ball during a team camp this summer at Northwest Missouri State, Hill’s alma mater.

“The biggest thing that I learned at that camp is how much potential we have,” said Ritchey, who was a Class 2 third-team all-state defensive back last season. “We were the smallest team there and we held our own. What stood out was our intensity.

“Moving the ball on offense and getting stops on defense over and over opened a lot of eyes. We showed how good we can be this year. I think everyone is anxious to get the season started, even the coaches, to see what we can do.”

And put 2022 in the dustbin of history.