Andrew Clarke (2020)

In June of 2000, Andrew Clarke received Ridgewood High School’s most prestigious athletic award for a graduating student athlete “The Dave Vanderbush Award For Athletic Excellence.” It is presented each year to a graduating boy and girl who demonstrate outstanding playing ability, sportsmanship on and off the field, leadership, and loyalty. The recipients are selected by the entire RHS varsity coaching staff. In Andrew’s letter of recognition it was stated by the RHS Athletic Director Garland Allen that “it is a credit to your determination and high standards that you were selected.” Andrew Clarke was an outstanding three sport athlete for all four years at Ridgewood High School gaining league, county, and state recognition in the three sports he participated in football, basketball and lacrosse. A three year starter for the Maroons varsity football team, he graduated in 2000 holding numerous football records at RHS. Andrew was voted the team’s most valuable player for his senior season. Andrew rushed for 2055 career yards which was the most in RHS history at the time. He had 24 career touchdowns (second in RHS history) and was second all time in career tackles with 222. His senior season playing inside linebacker he set the school single season record for tackles with 120. He was voted to the New Jersey Super 100 All State Football Team along with First Team All County, First Team All League and First Team All Suburban honors. Head coach Chuck Johnson described Andrew in a 1999 interview as “the best and most complete football player I’ve ever had… There wasn’t much he couldn’t do on the football field and he was the ultimate leader, an unselfish player who had only the team and winning in mind.” Andrew also had an outstanding lacrosse career at RHS. After missing a good portion of his junior year with a back injury, Andrew was selected as a defenseman to the NNJIL First Team, the All Suburban First Team, the Gibb’s Division Second Team and was selected to play in the 2000 North South All Star Game. He was also selected to Honorable Mention All State. Coach Steve Jacobson stated “No one has any idea how good a lacrosse player he could be… He’s just a great athlete who jumps right on the lacrosse field with no summer playing time and just goes out and plays hard and aggressive.” As a basketball player for Coach Jim Stroker’s varsity squad, Andrew had a prolific career. His senior year he averaged six points and seven rebounds per game. He helped lead the Maroons to an outstanding 20-5 record while being recognized with selection to the All Bergen County First Team, first Team All NNJIL as well as First Team All Suburban. Andrew continued his athletic career at Georgetown University where he played football for the Hoyas. He was a two year starter for Georgetown his junior and senior years, being voted a team Co-captain his senior season. Georgetown coach Bob Benson called Andrew “an outstanding athlete with strong leadership skills…. active all over the field with the ability to find the ball.” One of the top linebackers in the Patriot League, he lead the league in tackles his senior year with 119 and set the single game Georgetown record for tackles with twenty three vs. Colgate. A member of the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll, Andrew was also the recipient of the John L. Hagerty Award from Georgetown for his outstanding play at linebacker. Once described as a “Classy Ridgewood Player” Andrew Clarke more than exemplifies the “Tradition of Excellence” embodied throughout the one hundred and twenty plus years of the athletic program at Ridgewood High School and deservedly is now a member of the Ridgewood High School Athletic Hall Of Fame.

CLASS YEAR

2000

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Julia Rappa (2022)

February 28, 2025
Julia Rappa was introduced to golf through her Dad. As a young child, Julia was introduced to many sports, but golf was the one that Julia says “she picked up on quickly.” As Julia got older she began taking lessons and competing in the Pioneer Junior Golf Tour which was a Bergen County based program for young people getting into golf. According to Julia it was a great place to meet other kids that played golf and a good place to sharpen her skills. Julia also competed in many junior tours such as the NJSGA, IJGT and AJGA tournaments that gave her a great deal of exposure to competitive golf. Having played golf since she was about ten years of age, Julia was very excited about the opportunity to join the Ridgewood High School golf team as a freshman. Initially joining the boys’ team, Julia said playing competitive golf against the boys was a great experience that sharpened her competitive drive and proved to her how strong her game had become and how strong it could be. The NJSIAA recognized girls’ golf as an individual sport from boys’ golf in 2004. In 2005 Dave Vanderbush organized the first girls’ golf team at Ridgewood. There was no league and the girls played an independent schedule. There was a state tournament that year for girls’ golf sponsored by the NJSIAA. Golfers had to shoot forty five or better over nine holes during the state qualifier to qualify to play in the state tournament.While Dave Vanderbush built the RHS girls golf program, Julia and her teammate Eunae Jo were excited to support the new girls joining the team. From that point on Julia would be an integral part of putting Ridgewood girls’ golf on to the top of the list for all of the girls’ golf programs in New Jersey. Julia and her teammate Eunae Jo both qualified. Not only did they qualify, but they won the tournament with freshman Julia Rappa shooting a 90 and freshman Eunae Jo shooting an 89 for a 15 stroke victory over JP Stevens. The pair of Rappa and Jo would qualify for the tournament again for the next three years 2006, 2007 and 2008.Ridgewood would win the state championship in 2006 by one stroke in a one hole playoff with Red Bank Catholic with Rappa making a par 4 on the playoff hole. The pair would win again in 2008 with a two stroke victory over Haddonfield. It was sweet revenge as Haddonfield had defeated Ridgewood by 3 strokes for the championship in 2007. Winning many individual honors through her interscholastic days, Julia went on to play golf for four years at Long Island University Brooklyn. Julia states that golf was a big part of her decision to go to LIU. She wanted an education in New York City and her ability in golf afforded her the opportunity to do so. Julia recounts the incredible teammates she had from different parts of the world. She was the only American on the team. Julia states “when you are competing and traveling for tournaments each weekend, your teammates become family. It was an incredible experience to study in NYC during the week and play on beautiful golf courses all along the East coast during the weekends.” Julia placed in many tournaments during her collegiate career at LIU, but her high school coach Dave Vanderbush summed it up by saying, “Julia was an excellent, steady golfer who always played team golf.” Julia Rappa , welcome to the Ridgewood High School Athletic Hall Of Fame.

Joe Pedone (2022)

February 27, 2025
When Joe Pedone finished his high school basketball career in 1992 his coach, Jim Stoker, was quoted at the year end team banquet as saying, “if there is ever a Ridgewood High School Hall of Fame, Joe Pedone will be in it.” It has taken some time for that statement to come true but with his inclusion in the Class of 2022, Joe Pedone is now a member for the Ridgewood High School Athletic Hall of Fame. Joe Pedone joins other Ridgewood High School Basketball greats: Pete Campbell, Doug Cook, Tom Hopper, Tim Mullen, and Jim Dee. Joe was a two year varsity starter and a four year player for the Maroons. A slick, ball handing guard, he could get to the rim and score, but he was most feared as a deadly accurate outside shooter. In 1990-91, his junior year, Pedone averaged 15.1 points per game while shooting 54% from the field, 35% from the 3-point arch, and 84% from the foul line. As a result of those marks Joe was awarded 1st Team All-NNJIL, 1st Team All-Suburban, and 3rd Team All-Bergen County. As noteworthy as that season was it only set the stage for his senior year where he really put himself on the North Jersey Basketball map. The 1991-92 basketball season saw Pedone put himself not just among the elite of All-Time Ridgewood High School basketball players but on the list of outstanding players in Bergen County and North Jersey history. He averaged 24.5 points a game, second in the county by .4 points a game. He shot 39% from three point range, 78% from the foul stripe, and 49% from the field against defenses designed and focused on stopping him. Joe finished his career with 973 points a number that would have exceeded 1,000 if not for three games lost late in the season to an ankle injury. Career highlights included nine 30+ point games, 17 games of 20 points or more, 78 total points (38 & 40 respectively) against New Jersey state power Eastside High School, and an 18 win season for the 91-92 Maroons in the always tough NNJIL where every game was a challenge. As much as the focus on Pedone was his offensive skills and scoring prowess, Coach Stroker lauded him for his hard work in becoming an outstanding defensive player. Everyone who knows Coach Stroker, understands he is a “team first” guy and he speaks very highly of Joe’s work ethic, his quiet leadership, and steady team play. There were many coaches who felt Joe was the best player in Bergen County his senior year. As a result of his great play his senior year Pedone was voted 1st Team All-NNJIL, 1st Team All-Suburban, 1st Team-All Bergen County, chosen for the Bergen/Passaic All Star Game, and recognized nationally when nominated for the 1992 McDonald’s All American High School Basketball Team. He accepted a full four year basketball scholarship to Stonehill College in Massachusetts where he had an outstanding career leading the Chieftains to the Northeast 10 Conference semi-finals his sophomore year. He earned numerous Northeast 10 weekly honor roll acknowledgments before missing his senior season due to a fractured femur. Ridgewood High School is steeped in tradition of outstanding athletic teams, coaches, and athletes. With records of accomplishments in a wide variety of sports going back decades. There are thousands of athletes who have worn the Maroon and White and excelled during their high school and some later in their collegiate careers. Only the best are recognized with induction in the Athletic Hall of Fame. Joe Pedone is truly one of the best and now joins the Ridgewood High School Athletic Hall of Fame in recognition of his outstanding accomplishments in the sport of basketball.

Ajay J. Kirtane, MD, SM - '90

February 27, 2025
Ajay J. Kirtane, MD, SM, is Professor of Medicine at the Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) and Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories at NewYork-Presbyterian (NYP) Hospital/CUMC. Dr. Kirtane is an internationally renowned leader in Interventional Cardiology, specializing in the care of patients with complex coronary and peripheral vascular disease. In addition to his clinical commitments, Dr. Kirtane has a strong interest in clinical education and research, serving as Chief Academic Officer of Columbia Interventional Cardiovascular Care, and as director of several international, national, and regional educational conferences in Interventional Cardiovascular Medicine. Dr. Kirtane's research interests are in clinical trials and outcomes of device-based and pharmacologic interventions in Interventional Cardiology. He is/has been Principal Investigator and serves on the steering committees of numerous clinical trials in interventional cardiovascular medicine. Born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Bergen County, New Jersey, Dr. Kirtane is a graduate of Ridgewood High School, Princeton University, and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and completed his residency/chief residency in Internal Medicine at the University of California — San Francisco. He then completed fellowships in Cardiovascular Disease and Coronary and Peripheral Vascular Intervention at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center / Harvard Medical School and additionally obtained a Masters of Science in Clinical Epidemiology from the Harvard School of Public Health prior to moving back to Columbia. In his free time, Dr. Kirtane has avid interests in sports and music, and lives in New Jersey with his family. Inducted 2022
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