Last stop keeps Rockford on track
By Jane Bos / The Grand Rapids Press

It wasn't his life, but the entire football season -- beginning with two-a-day workouts in August and including all the hard work -- ran through Rockford senior Billy McDonald's head during that final play Friday night.

Overtime. The game and the season down to one play.

By the time the play ended, McDonald had stopped Grandville's Andrew Hawken just short of the goal line. Rockford won, 31-24. "I knew he wasn't in, I was laying on the goal line" said McDonald, an outside linebacker. "I was just laying there looking up. It was an incredible feeling knowing we had won." The feeling continues this week for Rockford (8-2), which earned a berth in next weekend's Division 1 district final at Traverse City West, a 27-24 winner over East Kentwood Friday.

But with host Grandville rallying for three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to force the overtime, the feeling almost ended early for McDonald and the rest of the Rams. " It was like we couldn't stop the bleeding for awhile," said Rockford coach Ralph Munger, whose team led 16-3 after a scoreless third quarter. "We needed more than a Band-Aid. But, wow. What a great result." With the score knotted at 24-24 at the end of regulation, Grandville won the toss and deferred. Rockford lined up at the 10-yard line.

Sophomore Zach Breen took the first play 3 yards. On the second, senior quarterback Spencer Klukowski connected with Zach VanSetters on the 7-yard touchdown. Steve Kamphuis' extra-point kick made it 31-24. Then it was up to Grandville. After an incomplete pass on first down, Rockford was whistled for encroachment, making it second and goal from the 5. The second down also resulted in an incomplete pass. On third down, quarterback Brad Iciek raced to the 1-foot line.

After a timeout, Grandville lined up for its final play. They gave it to their horse, 6-foot-2, 220-pound Michigan State-bound Hawken, who had scored on a 1-yard run to begin the fourth quarter.
All that remained were McDonald's heroics. " How about that, huh?" Munger said. "Bottom line, they went after it. And so did we." Grandville (7-3) did everything imaginable to change the outcome.
After Hawken scored to start the fourth quarter, narrowing the score to 16-10, Rockford went back on top 24-10 after Breen's 17-yard touchdown scamper.

Bulldog Shane Mitchell returned the ensuing kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown. And after the Bulldogs defense stopped Rockford after one series, the offense marched the ball 77 yards for the tying score, a 37-yard pass from Iciek to Matt Laskovy with 3:19 remaining. Neither team managed much offense on their final possessions. " I told our kids that we are going to have to play every play of this ball game, and that is how it turned out," said Grandville coach Irv Sigler III, whose team edged Rockford 38-35 during the regular season. "Our kids have a lot of heart and a lot of courage. Not everything went the way we wanted it to, but I could not be more proud of my kids."

Munger was proud of his, too. Rams sophomore defensive back Callan Sherd grabbed two interceptions, returning one for a 46-yard score. And senior Sean O'Rourke, a fullback, broke loose for a 63-yard touchdown in the first quarter.

" This is an interesting group," Munger said. "The chemistry of this group if fantastic. Tonight, that really showed. It was a great win over a tremendous, tremendous program. We had just enough gas left in the tank to win."

RHS vs. Grandville Stats
Tackles / Take Aways / Offensive Team / Individual Scoring
Individual Offensive / Special Teams / Score by Quarters