Rockford defense blanks Grandville
By Dean Holzwarth / The Grand Rapids Press
GRANDVILLE -- It was an inspired
effort from the Rockford defense.
On an emotional night when hearts were heavy after the loss
of Rockford defensive coordinator Randy VanderVeen's father,
Bill VanderVeen, the defensive unit shined.
Rockford, ranked No. 2 in Division 1, shut out host Grandville
23-0 and improved to at 4-0. Grandville (2-2) lost for the second
consecutive week.
"There was so much emotion tonight," Rockford senior
linebacker Ryan Egnatuk said. "We did that one for Veen."
The Rams allowed only 39 yards of offense and had three sacks,
a fumble, an interception and safety.
"The kids played their absolute hearts out tonight for
our defensive staff, and they responded big time," Rockford
coach Ralph Munger said. "It's been a tough last couple
of days with the passing of our defensive coordinator's father."
While Grandville's offense sputtered mightily, its defense held
its own most of the night and managed to keep the game close
at the half with a 7-0 Rockford lead.
"I thought defensively they played well," Bulldogs
coach Scot Shaw said. "We had terrible field position the
whole first half, but I thought they hung in there through some
poor circumstances. They got no help offensively."
After a scoreless first quarter, the Rams opened the second
quarter with a touchdown. Senior Brian Twiest took the draw and
raced 14 yards for a 7-0 lead.
The Rams took control on their first drive of the third quarter.
They chewed up nearly six minutes of the clock and finished it
off with a 14-yard touchdown strike from quarterback Robert Banaszak
to Kyle Lienesch.
The Rams added to their lead in
the fourth quarter when running back Cory Wohlford tossed the
ball back to Banaszak, who ran it in from 4-yards-out.
