The Rams are taking on East Kentwood
this Friday night, and that can lead to only one thing: a very close
game.
Obviously, you can't base what will happen
this year on things that happened last year, or the years before.
But there is a tradition between the two schools that cannot be ignored
in the days before the game.
Last season saw Rockford and Kentwood
face off twice in one season. During OK-Red competition, the Rams
used All-State running back Chris Maksim's three touchdown second
quarter to dismantle the Falcons 49-14. When the two teams met at
Rockford three weeks later for the start of the MHSAA Division I playoffs,
the outcome was decidedly closer.
East Kentwood vaulted to a 24-6 halftime
lead before the Rams could mount a comeback in the third quarter.
Touchdowns by Jarad Smith and Nate Teft helped narrow the gap to 24-19,
before Smith erupted with a 60 yard run with 5 minutes to play in
the game. The Falcons needed only one play to answer, as fullback
Vance Nardin sprinted 70 yards to give EK a 30-25 advantage. The Rams
next offensive possession stalled, and East Kentwood appeared to have
the game in hand. Rockford's fair weather faithful were streaming
out Ted Carlson Memorial Stadium, disappointed from an uncharacteristic
early playoff exit.
Oh, ye of little faith.
Falcon quarterback Vince Mayfield's fumble
with 1:25 left in the game gave the Rams one last chance. And this
time, they would not be denied. Teft entered the endzone with :09
seconds left on the clock, following a 70-yard drive with only one
timeout in hand.
The drive featured a mishap that many
Falcon faithful still seek vengeance over; a clock malfunction that
appeared, in some eyes, as a deliberate attempt by the Rockford press
box to ensure the Rams would not run out of time on their final drive.
The truth of the matter is that the stadium clock has been prone to
similar malfunctions at freshman and JV football games, as well as
track competitions. This is the first time that it has occurred at
a varsity contest, yet the only remedy that the Falcons undoubtedly
seek is a victory this coming Friday.
As unbelievable as it is, the 2000 playoff
contest between the Rams and Falcons was not the closest between the
two schools. In the 1998 contest, the 4-0 Rams took on a 1-3 Falcon
squad that appeared to be a mismatch. Despite their poor record, East
Kentwood featured one of the state's premiere running backs, Mario
Adams. In a see-saw battle where Rockfordıs offense marched to a 22-21
lead mid-way through the fourth quarter, the Falcons replied with
a scoring drive of their own. Powered by Adams, the Falcons left the
Rams stunned with a 27-22 lead with only :54 seconds to play in the
game.
Again, with only one time out, Rockford
quarterback Dan Richards led an aerial assault that covered 60 yards
in only 48 seconds. With eight ticks on the clock left, Richards managed
to avoid a game ending sack and find junior wide receiver Andy Segard
in the back of the endzone as time expired. Final score: Rockford
28, East Kentwood 27.
While that is certainly the closest finish
ever between the two schools, there is no shortage of similar classics.
Another unheralded Kentwood squad faced down a powerful, and nationally
ranked, Rockford team in 1997. With a scoreless tie going into the
games final stanza, the Rams prevailed in a 14-12 thriller.
1996 saw the Falcons up-end a dominant
Rockford team 7-6. Kentwood's lone score came on a blocked field goal
in the second quarter. A potential game-winning touchdown was called
back for the Rams, as a penalty on the play rendered it moot. The
Rams and Falcons shared the OK-Red title that year.
While not the thriller of other years,
the 1995 battle was the OK-Red finale for both schools, and a trip
to the state playoffs awaited the winner. On a rainy night at ³the
Ted,² the game was knotted up heading towards half-time 7-7. Andy
Albrecht's 50 yard play-action pass as time expired proved to be the
measure of victory, and the Rams made a second-ever playoff appearance.
Perhaps it's best to wrap-up our look
back with the 1994 season match-up between the Rams and Falcons. East
Kentwood were the defending league champions, taking on a Rockford
squad coming off one of their worst in school history; a dismal 1-8
campaign. In a surprisingly close game, the eventual two-time defending
league champion Falcons held a narrow 3-0 lead with 1:25 left to go
in the game. The Rams rallied back, catching the East Kentwood secondary
off-guard with a ³flea-flicker;² as wide receiver Brian Rysko caught
Albrechtıs short pass, senior running back Dave Wilson released into
the flats and took Ryskoıs lateral 45 yards into Falcon territory,
giving the Rams first and goal at the Kentwood 8. With less than a
half-minute remaining to play, Albrecht hooked up with senior wide
receiver Kevin Winne on a slant route into the Falcon end-zone. Wilson's
late game heroics gave the Rams the win, but it cost him the season.
As Wilson was tackled on the play, his collar bone snapped. Rockford
would go on to win only one more game that year, finishing 3-6.
The rivalry with East Kentwood is a healthy
one for the Rams, and one that your author looks forward to every
season. While I donıt have a lot of fond victories to look back upon,
I was a senior defensive back on the ı94 squad, and I am proud to
have helped contribute to the storied rivalry on behalf of the Rams.
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