Rockford has plenty in holding off
Hudsonville
By Jane Bos / The Grand Rapids Press
ROCKFORD
-- Maybe Rockford got mad enough. Maybe the defense just
got tough enough. Maybe the Rams finally wanted it enough.
Whatever it was, Rockford, which lost a heartbreaker last week,
had enough and rolled out its first win ever against Hudsonville,
18-14, before more than 8,500 frigid fans at Ted Carlson Memorial
Field. And the win -- which came despite being peppered with
11 penalties for 83 yards, two lost fumbles and an interception
against
the Rams -- was to Rockford coach Ralph Munger, "the most
beautiful game I ever saw."
Only to a coach, huh?
"
I thought we overcame a lot of things," said Munger, whose
team is tied atop the O-K Red with Grandville at 4-1 and qualified
for the playoffs with its sixth win. "We are still growing,
and Hudsonville is a dynamic program, absolutely fabulous.
I just love my kids tonight. We showed some heart right to
the
end, and I am thankful and grateful for that."
Leading
16-14 at halftime, Rockford did hang tough. But so did Hudsonville.
Neither team managed much offense in the second half. The only
points came midway through the third quarter on a safety. The
Eagles, who were punting deep in their own
territory, had
a bad snap, forcing the punter to boot the ball out of their
own end zone.
Hudsonville (5-2, 3-2) did have
chances to score in the fourth quarter after all three Rockford
turnovers.
But the Eagles never capitalized.
No regrets "
We played a great game against a great team, and we don't have
any regrets," said Hudsonville coach Dave Duram. "Our
kids played hard. I am not making excuses, but we have
some injuries on the offensive line, and (Rockford's) defense
started coming
off the ball faster than they did in the first half. Give
credit to their defense."
The Rams defense -- led
by Ryan Sheafor, Charlie Haglund, Andrew Bilski, Spencer
Remtema and Jimmy Moerdyk -- did
dig in harder
in the second half. "
It was an all-out effort, totally," said Haglund, a senior
linebacker who totaled eight tackles. "We were pretty mad
about the Grandville game (a 13-10 loss last week), and we never
beat Hudsonville in our history. We wanted this win for everybody
who ever lost to them. We worked hard."
The defense limited Hudsonville to 244 yards in total
offense, compared to 328 for Rockford. The Rams' quarterback,
Jon
VonEschen, suffered a concussion in the third quarter.
The Eagles did score first, though,
on its first possession. Andrew DeWeerd's 1-yard run capped
off an eight-play,
69-yard drive.
The Rams responded on their next two possessions.
Their first touchdown was a 29-yard run by Zach Breen.
The second was a 1-yard run by Frank Herringa, putting
Rockford
on top 13-7. Hudsonville added its final score, a 32-yard
pass from Josh Lucas to Ezekiel Fowle, with 2:21 left in the
second quarter.
But about two minutes later, Rockford's Mark Schauldt
booted a 41-yard field goal to post the 16-14 halftime
score.
"
It was an action-packed game, and, man, the pressure was unbelievable," Munger
said. "We are going to be OK, Jon (VonEschen) is going to
be OK. I am just pleased we didn't quit."
(all photos by Chris Rozema)
