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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