Coaches

Varsity Offensive Coordinator, Quarterback, and Defensive Back Coach 

Coach Vena is in his first season as Ridge High School’s Offensive Coordinator and his third year on the Red Devils’ staff. Prior to joining Ridge, he spent five seasons at Hopewell Valley Central High School, serving as an assistant coach and offensive coordinator, where he helped lead the Bulldogs to a sectional finals appearance. Over his career, Coach Vena has helped guide more than 30 student-athletes from both Ridge and Hopewell to continue their football careers at the collegiate level.

A former tight end at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), Coach Vena brings both playing experience and a passion for developing athletes on and off the field. In addition to his varsity coaching duties, he founded the Ridge Flag Football Program for female athletes and runs Garden State Flag Football, further growing the sport in the community.

Coach Vena lives in Morris County with his wife, Christina, and their dog, Fred.

 Varsity Special Teams Coordinator, Offensive Line, and Linebackers Coach, Strength & Conditioning Specialist 

Anthony is a dedicated football coach and performance trainer with a deep passion for developing athletes on and off the field. A proud Alumnus of Ridge High School, where he played and captained the team. He then went on to play college football at Kean University, where he was part of a senior class in 2011 that was inducted into the school's hall of fame for being the most successful team in school history. 

Anthony began his coaching journey after college at Northern Valley Demarest before returning to give back to the program that helped shape him (Ridge). After his first coaching stint at Ridge, he went on to coach at respected programs such as Seton Hall Prep, gaining valuable experience and honing his craft at some of New Jersey's most competitive high school football programs. 

After several successful seasons, Anthony now returns to Ridge for a second stint, bringing a full-circle commitment to mentoring young athletes in the community where his own athletic journey began. Over the past five years, while stepping away from team coaching, Anthony remained immersed in the sport-working as a football positional coach and personal trainer for athletes ranging from 8th grade to the NFL. His focus on player development, performance optimization, and position-specific training has helped countless athletes reach their next level. 

Currently, Anthony serves as a PE/Health Teacher at William Annin Middle School and works part-time as a personal trainer at TEST Sports Club, continuing to impact lives through fitness and sport every day.

In his free time, Anthony enjoys spending quality time with his wife Pam and his two daughters, Alexis and Alana. 

Varsity Tight Ends and Defensive Ends Coach

JV Head Coach

Brian has been an instructional-aide in the district for 17 years where he enjoys helping children with disabilities. Brian is married (Colleen) and has three children (Spencer, Makayla and Brayden). Brian played high school football and basketball at Bridgewater and went on to play football at Rowan University. This is Brian’s 5th year on the varsity staff. Coach McCarthy was hired as the varsity softball coach in 2020 after being an assistant varsity girls basketball coach for five years at Ridge. 

 Varsity Offensive and Defensive Line Coach

 Matt graduated from Ridge High School in 2018, where he was a two-year starter on the varsity offensive and defensive lines. He also spent several years coaching youth football in town for RYSI. 

While earning his bachelor's degree in Finance from Seton Hall University, Matt joined the Ridge varsity football staff in 2022 and had the pleasure of coaching his two younger brothers along with several talented teams over the past

three years. 

Now entering his fourth season with the program, Matt looks forward to continuing his work with the offensive and defensive lines as he begins his career in wealth management. 

 Freshman Head Coach

Tyler joined the football coaching staff in 2021 as the assistant freshman coach. He graduated from Kean University in 2019 with a degree in Health and Physical Education and a minor in coaching. While in college he was a member of the Kean university lacrosse team and was inducted into Chi Alpha Sigma, the National College Athlete Honor Society. Tyler is also a Physical Education and Health teacher as well as the head JV lacrosse coach at Ridge High School.  

Assistant Freshman Coach
 

Chris joins the coaching staff this year. Prior to this, he coached at Livingston High School. Chris is also a 2015 graduate of Livingston High School where he played both football and lacrosse. He graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University with both Bachelor’s (2019) and Master’s (2021) degrees in Sports Administration. Chris is currently a Physical Education and Health teacher at the elementary level in Livingston.