Rockford Rams 24, Brighton Bulldogs 21

Rockford drew first blood Thursday night and ended up scoring 24 unanswered points to lead 24 - 0 late in the 2nd quarter which included a 37 yard field goal by Eric Ledbetter and a blocked punt inside the Bulldog 5 yard line. The Bulldogs from Brighton scored their lone touchdown of the 1st half just before half-time and going into their lockerroom down 7 - 24.

The Rams offense sputtered in the 2nd half; they were able to move the ball but could not put a scoring drive together. Brighton scored 2 touchdowns in a row in the 4th quarter to bring the score to 21 - 24 including a 50+ yard fumble recovery for a touchdown. With just under 4 minutes left in the game, Brighton had one last attempt at a game-winning drive ... BUT the Rockford "D" continued their solid play and kept their constant pressure on the Bulldog quarterback. Brighton was able to drive into Rockford territory but then were faced with a 3rd and 12 and a 4th and 12. The last Brighton pass made it to the endzone, but 2 Rockford defensive backs were able to knock the pass down.

It was a great high school football game and just like last year's game vs. Brighton, it went down to the last play. WAY TO GO RAMS. IT WAS A GREAT OPENING DAY!