The wait is over. Finally.

Ridley officially announced that Dennis Decker, a former standout with the Green Raiders, will take over as coach of the school's football team. The decision was made official when the Ridley school board confirmed Decker's hire Monday.

This is big news for the Green Raiders. Not only do they get a class-act hometown boy to follow in the footsteps of freshly-retired coach John Waller, they also get someone who is quite familiar with the legacy of Pennsylvania's all-time winningest football program.

In leading the Raiders to the 1990 PIAA championship game, Decker accrued 2,737 passing yards - a single-season record in Delaware County. The 35-year-old told Daily Times staff writer Jon Campbell he is aware of the pressure involved with the Ridley job.

"There is a little more at Ridley, with the tradition," Decker said. "Passion runs depe with Ridley football. Guys follow the program 30 or 40 years. There was going to be pressure whether I got this job this year or four or five years down the line."

Decker's hire comes three months after Waller stepped down. There was much debate how long Ridley could hold out without a coach.

As of Monday, the Green Raiders have found their man.

For Campbell's story in its entirety, click here.

The high school football season came to an end Thursday (at least in Delaware County, it did) with the final four games decided on Thanksgiving Day.

Here's a recap of all the action:
***Ridley 14, Interboro 7: Thanks to a Jake Cahill interception return for a touchdown, Ridley coach John Waller can retire a winner.

***Upper Darby 17, Haverford 10: QB Dale Blees and WR Chris Green connected four times, twice for TDs, in the Royals' win.

***Sun Valley 39, Chichester 20: RB Nick Morrell ran and ran and ran some more. The senior rushed for 209 yards and three TDs in the Vanguards' win.

***Penn Wood 21, William Penn 6: The Patriots needed all of Kvonne Nottingham's 88 yards rushing and two TDs to win for the fourth time in five games.

***

ALSO:
I ran into a New York Times reporter, Jere Longman, at the Upper Darby-Haverford game.

Longman, who lives in Havertown and whose daughter graduated from Haverford, sought a local game to use as the backdrop in writing about the bounty of high school football on this, a football-themed holiday.

This is Longman's entry on the New York Times: Thankful for the Grassroots of Football. Enjoy.

Wow, can you believe it? Football season is 24 hours away from completion. Thanksgiving Day brings an end to the season, and there are six games on the slate.

The biggest of them is the backyard brawl between Interboro and Ridley. After a so-so season, senior wideout Shawn Krautzel (pictured) and the Bucs are looking to go out with a bang. Of course, Ridley is playing for a win in coach John Waller's final game at the helm.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT
***Archbishop Carroll vs. Monsignor Bonner, 7:30 p.m., Radnor's Prevost Field: Carroll DT Chris Kennedy has taken to his captaincy.
***Chester vs. Simon Gratz, 6 p.m., Gratz's Marcus Foster Stadium: Clippers WR Aaron Jackson may not be the defensive focus, but he's got speed to burn.

THURSDAY MORNING
***Ridley vs. Interboro, 10:30 a.m., South Avenue Complex: Lineman Ryan Grabias wants to avenge the Bucs' 2007 playoff loss to Ridley.
***Haverford vs. Upper Darby, 10:45 a.m., Upper Darby's Memorial Field: Senior Tim Brown wants to extend the Royals' lead (41-39-6) in Delco's oldest Turkey Day rivalry.
***Sun Valley vs. Chichester, 10:30 a.m., Apichella Memorial Field: Josh Lovelace and the Vanguards are looking for their 14th win in the last 17 Thanksgiving meetings with the Eagles.
***Penn Wood vs. William Penn, 10:30 a.m., Kerr Field: Eric Smith, the lone senior returnee from Penn Wood's '07 squad, wants a win in the first ever Thanksgiving game between these two.

Happy Thanksgiving.