Boettger set for third stint as Dryden head coach

Back in the mid-1990s, Ralph Boettger implemented an activity that quickly became a tradition.

The Dryden Purple Lions football program held a midnight practice prior to the start of the regular season known as Midnight Madness, the same well-known event that regularly takes place in high school and college basketball. It’s something Boettger wanted to bring to the program after the team dealt with a handful of personal tragedies in the area during the early to mid-1990s.

“I wanted something good, something special,” Boettger said of Midnight Madness, which became an annual entertaining event for the Lions. “I decided to do something totally different.”

Fast forward to today, when Boettger is set to begin his third stint as head coach of the Dryden football program, and he still plans to use Midnight Madness as a team-building tool.

Following his first stint with the Lions from 1995 to 1997, Boettger rejoined the program from 2014 to 2016. In between those stints, he was the athletic director at Dryden from 2002 to 2012.

“[After the 10th year], I knew it was time [to step down],” Boettger said of his former athletic director position.

After coming back to the Lions’ program in 2021 as an assistant coach that focused on quarterbacks and linebackers, Boettger is ready to be at the helm of Dryden’s squad once again this year.

“The passion I have for football is one thing,” said Boettger, who replaced Justin Wood, the Lions’ head coach for the past handful of seasons. “I’ve been blessed with a lot of energy. I’ve always loved Dryden, and it’s comfortable. The kids and this staff pulled me here.”

Coaching quarterbacks stemmed from Boettger’s playing days on the gridiron. He was under center at Division Avenue High School in Levittown on Long Island and a six-year starter for the SUNY Cortland Red Dragons football team.

“They stuck with me,” he added, noting his time with the SUNY Cortland football program. “I was lucky when I had bad games.”

The 2016 season was almost Boettger’s final year as coach. The last year of his second stint with Dryden, he felt a disconnect with some players, including the seniors.

When Boettger, a man in his mid-60s, noticed the players connecting with the younger coaches, he realized it was “time to step aside.”

“I truly thought about fading off into the sunset,” he said.

However, Boettger was called upon by Newfield to become a coach with the Trojans’ football program.

Boettger went on to coach with the Trojans, a member of the Section IV eight-man league, for three years prior to making his triumphant return to Dryden.

After learning to build connections with Trojan football players for three seasons, Boettger is “working really hard” to establish a connection with the Lions’ football players.

“When I previously left Dryden, I told myself if I have to do a better job of connecting,” he added. “I can’t change who I am, which is a drill sergeant, but I want to connect with the kids.”

Boettger noted he’s making an effort to have one-on-one, non-football discussions with his players.

“I didn’t have that skill set for a lot of years,” he said. “I was so focused and task-oriented that I forgot about the relationship piece of it. I’m making a conscious effort to read their body language and care for them.”

Despite coming off a season where they compiled a 1-8 record, Boettger believes his Lions are “a really good football team for our league.” Dryden is making the transition from Section IV Class C, to an independent league that includes Lansing, Watkins Glen/Odessa-Montour and Whitney Point.

Boettger gives credit to his coaches for putting the team in a direction to succeed.

“There’s a lot of work these guys do behind the scenes,” he said. “We’re trying to teach these kids how to play football. At the same time, we want to teach them how to be men.”

Boettger continued, saying his plethora of coaches do “so many things.”

“They collectively never let me forget anything,” he said. “These guys are so sharp. I feel really good that we’re not going to miss a beat.”

Boettger noted offensively, the community will see a “different but exciting team” on the field.

“We’re not going to surprise people with a fancy offense, but they have a mentality now,” he said. “The physical side of their personalities are going to be turned up a bit.”

From the coaches to the players, Boettger said noting he’s had “more fun with this group than I’ve had in a long time.”

“I think we’ll be exciting [on] Friday nights,” he said.

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