Rockford
Rams 3. Hudsonville 6
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3 INTs help Hudsonville knock off No. 1 Rams
By Steve Kaminski / The Grand Rapids Press
HUDSONVILLE -- Hudsonville's
Jimmy Petkus grabbed his first varsity interception Friday
night, and the senior linebacker is going to
be hard pressed to make a bigger one. After all, this one nailed
down Hudsonville's 6-3 victory over Rockford, the undefeated,
two-time defending state champions
and top-ranked team in Division 1. The Rams had driven down to
the Eagles' 11-yard-line with 9.8 seconds left when Hudsonville
linebacker Scott Dykema drilled
Rockford
quarterback Tom Fusee just as he released the ball. The ball
floated up into the air and Petkus snared it at his 9. Hudsonville
then
ran out the clock.
"
Scotty Dykema got the hit on the quarterback, the ball just spurted up, and I
was right there," Petkus said. "Everyone on the team played great.
It was perfect. Rockford is a great team, and I wish the best of luck to them."
Friday's win, in front of 5,420 fans, was the fourth consecutive for the
5-1 Eagles, ranked seventh in Division 2. The Rams also are 5-1. It was the
third
time in the past four years that Hudsonville has defeated Rockford. Rockford
had marched from its own 27 to Hudsonville's 11 with no time outs and 1:18
left.
"
My mind is racing right now, I don't have any thoughts," Hudsonville
coach Dave Duram said. "Our kids went into this game saying we have
nothing to lose. We were loose as could be. " We said this is going
to come down to a lot of heart. At this point in the season, the fundamentals
are in, the plays are in. It comes down to who really
wants
it and who doesn't make the big mistakes."
Rockford's lone score
came in the third quarter on a 32-yard field goal by Mark Schlaudt.
The Eagles
intercepted three passes. "
We really need to take a look and see where we are at right now," Rockford
coach Ralph Munger said. "We have to eliminate penalties. " The
penalties are a major concern right now, and they need major attention."
Flag
football
The Rams' nine penalties amounted to 70 yards, and two big ones came
on Hudsonville's fourth-quarter touchdown drive. The first came on
a personal foul that
gave the Eagles a first down at the Rockford 30. Hudsonville then faced
a fourth-and-2 at the Rockford 10 when the Eagles called time out,
and Derek
Brenner trotted
out to attempt a field goal.
However, the Eagles
began to shift their field-goal formation as if they were going
to fake it, and that drew
the Rams offside. That gave
the
Eagles a first
down, and sophomore Jordan Jonker plowed in from the 5 on the next
play for the game's lone touchdown with 6:53 left. "
Rockford runs some trick plays and we're known for running some trick plays," Duram
said. "I guess we got lucky because it was our goal to make them jump."
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