Klukowski leads Rockford in pounding TC West
By Jane Bos / The Grand Rapids Press
Hey, Spencer
Klukowski, you just led the Rockford football team to a crushing
35-7 win over Traverse City West
at Thirlby Field Saturday afternoon, where are you going now?
Somewhere exotic, like Hawaii? Or how about Disney World? Nope,
Klukowski is going home to Ted Carlson Memorial Field for a Division
1 regional final next Saturday.
After playing its first playoff
games on the road -- Grandville and then Traverse City -- Rockford
(9-2) heads home. The Rams
host because they have a higher playoff-point ranking than
their opponent, Grand Blanc (9-2). "
That is the best feeling in the world, that's awesome," said
Klukowski, the Rams quarterback, who accounted for 190 yards
in the air and three touchdown passes. "Going home.
We're going home to The Ted."
Rockford clearly earned
the home field advantage Saturday. While the defense grabbed
three fumbles in the first half
-- two of
which they turned into scores -- and added an interception
in the fourth, the offense posted a 28-0 first-half lead.
Then midway through the third quarter, after Klukowski tossed
a 5-yard touchdown pass to Zach Van Setters and Steve Kamphuis
added his fifth straight point-after boot of the game, the
score was 35-0, which sent the clock running.
With 5:51 left
in the game, Titans quarterback Tony Thompson scored on a 6-yard
run to stop the running clock, but it
was too little, too late. Traverse City West, ranked third
in the
state, ends its season 10-1. "
Without a doubt, this team can play when it decides to play," said
Rockford coach Ralph Munger. "I could not be more
proud. It was a decent effort in all three phases of the
game. It's
a great day in Traverse City for the Rams."
The great
day began on the opening drive when they marched the ball
65 yards on eight plays and into the end zone.
Sophomore Zach Breen finished the drive with a 17-yard
touchdown.
On their subsequent drive, the Titans traversed the field
in 14 plays. Then on their 15th down, they fumbled the
ball on
the Rockford 4-yard line, and the Rams' Josh Rauser recovered
it.
The Rams failed to convert on this turnover.
With 4:42
left in the second quarter, Rockford's Billy McDonald snapped
up a second Titans fumble and raced back
54 yards
for a score. The Titans fumbled on their next possession
and the
Rams' Kyle Rozema recovered it. Four plays later, Klukowski
threw a 14-yard TD pass to Breen with 2:52 left.
The Rams final score of the first half, an 11-yard pass
from Klukowski to Bryan Anderson with 13.3 seconds left
came on
a drive that took five plays and 46 seconds.
"
Rockford did a great job on us," said TC West coach
Matt Prisk said. "But you can't turn the ball over three
times in one half. That led to our demise. We rushed the
ball well
against them, but we just can't turn the ball over like
that and expect to win. That's what hurt us the most."
TC
West, in its eighth year of existence, won its first-ever
playoff game last week against East Kentwood, 27-23.
Saturday, the Titans managed 169 yards on the ground, led by
quarterback
Thompson with 90 yards. He also threw for
31 yards,
connecting on two of eight attempts.
"
Our kids played the kind of defense today that we like to see," Munger
said. "They just flew to the ball. I am proud of them."