Ruhlman has MHS football winning
By Bob Nuse, Sports Editor
Last year DJ Ruhlman was one of three quarterbacks to share playing time at the position for the Montgomery High football team.
This year the job belongs to Ruhlman alone, and he is making the most of his opportunity to play.
”I am definitely more comfortable this year,” said Ruhlman, who has thrown for 10 touchdowns and run for another in helping the Cougars to a 5-1 start this season. “There is a much easier flow to the offense when you are in there all the time. I feel like it is an honor to be the quarterback of the varsity team and I am going to work hard to do the best job I can.”
Ruhlman has thrown for 661 yards and run for 273 more this season, giving the Cougars versatility at the quarterback position and helping an offense that has led to four straight wins.
”DJ has really settled in at the position,” Montgomery coach Zoran Milich said. “He can throw on the run, but he can also sit in the pocket and that has been the biggest difference with him. He could always roll out. But now he is bigger and stronger and he can sit in the pocket and throw.”
Last Friday, Ruhlman threw for a pair of touchdowns to help Montgomery top Hillsborough, 20-6, and move a step closer to a berth in the Central Jersey Group IV playoffs.
DJ Ruhlman is the Princeton Packet Athlete of the Week.
”We felt like we would be better and basically every week we’re motivated to get back into the state playoffs like we were two years ago,” said Ruhlman, a junior who also plays baseball for the Cougars. “We’re coming off a four-game win streak and we want to keep it going. We feel like our offense and defense are both coming along and we can do well.”
Ruhlman got a taste of the varsity quarterback position a year ago, splitting time wit Connor Oltmans and Connor Chick. This year Oltmans has seen most of time as a leader on defense, while Ruhlman has solidified the quarterback position.
”As a sophomore he played at the varsity level and that helped,” Milich said. “Things come faster and a lot of it is trial by error. Since last year he’s grown three inches and put on 25 pounds. He worked a lot in the weight room. So this year he is stronger, quicker and his arm strength is better.
”He makes good decisions. He’s not putting us in bad situations. He can scramble and move around and he’s really improved with his decision-making. That is the biggest difference from a year ago. He’s a hard guy for a defense to prepare for.”
Ruhlman is just happy to be playing the position he’s played all his life on the football field. And even happier that the end result has been winning football.
”I’ve always been a quarterback since I started playing in Pop Warner,” he said. “This year I’m just playing quarterback except when we go to the Wildcat, then I go out to wide receiver. As long as we’re winning, it doesn’t matter where I play. I’m just happy we’re winning.”
The Cougars will look to make it six in a row tonight at Westfield.
”We’re 5-1 and we’re hoping to be able to keep this going in the right direction,” Milich said.