Nearly everything goes right for rockford
in rout
By Jane Bos / The Grand Rapids Press
It might be easier to describe what didn't go right
in Rockford's as-good-as-it-sounds 42-13 Division 1 regional
final victory over Grand Blanc on Saturday. Let's see. There
were a few too many penalties, particularly in the first half,
when the Rams were whistled for seven for
a loss of 65 yards.
Oh, yeah. According to coach Ralph
Munger, they had "trouble
running a couple of their counter plays early."
That is
it. No kidding. Everything else went perfectly.
The offense
clicked, the defense swarmed, the 7,500 fans at the Ted Carlson
Memorial Field had plenty to cheer about, the
sun
was shining and the hot chocolate did not run out at the
concession stands.
Perfect. And now Rockford (10-2) heads to the semifinals
at 1 p.m. Saturday against South Lyon (10-2) at Lansing
Everett High
School.
"
It is awesome, isn't it?" said a smiling Munger, clutching
the school's first regional trophy since 1999. "We get
to play again next week. It doesn't get better than that."
Grand
Blanc (9-3), which had sent the clocks running in at least
three of its games this year (when a team is up by
35 points
or more in the second half), had the favor returned to them
Saturday. The Rams scored on five of its six first-half possessions
to go up 35-0 at halftime. So the clock ran the until the
Bobcats
narrowed the score to 42-13 with 39.9 seconds left in the
game. Grand Blanc coach Joe Delaney clearly was impressed
with the Rams.
"
Rockford is a tremendous team," he said. "They
man-handled us up front on both sides of the ball. I have
a feeling we are
going to see Rockford in the Dome." If the Rams keep
this up, why not?
The defense limited the Bobcats to 48 yards rushing. And
if not for freshman tailback Mark Ingram's 74-yard touchdown
scamper
with time running out, the Bobcats would have posted negative
rushing yardage.
In fact it was the defense, which recovered
Ingram's fumble (Josh Rauser) on the fist play of the game,
that set up the
first score,
an 11-yard run by senior quarterback Spence Klukowski. Klukowski,
who totaled 194 yards in the air, also threw two touchdown passes
-- a 16-yarder to Bryan Anderson and a 19-yarder
to Rauser.
Sean O'Rourke (9 yards), Kyle Osborn (9) and Tyler Rahn (2)
scored, too.
But none of this would have been possible without
the offense line -- tackles Jeremiah Readle and Kevin Keeney,
guards
Ben Helbich and Nate Host and center Bob Mills. The defensive
line, led inside by tackles Ian Bartholomew and Brian Amey and
nose guard Matt Kitler ruled, too.
"
Rockford is far and above every team we have played this
year," Delaney
said. " Everything they did, they did well. They can
run, they can pass, they did whatever they wanted on defense.
They are bigger, faster,
stronger and that is why they are moving on."