Rockford shocks Muskegon
By Jeff Chaney . The Grand Rapids Press
MUSKEGON -- Tim McGee
was incredible in relief.
The Rockford junior backup quarterback came in for the injured
Robert Banaszak and led the Rams to three second-half scores
that helped Rockford stun Muskegon 28-21 in front of a standing-room-only
crowd at Hackley Stadium on Friday night.
The win stopped the Big Reds' winning streak at 22 games and
forced a three-way tie atop the final O-K Red Conference standings.
Rockford, Muskegon and Hudsonville,
a 48-9 winner over Grand Haven on Friday, all share the O-K Red
championship.
"Robert (Banaszak) got hit in the ribs, and since we were
already in the playoffs, (Rockford coach Ralph Munger) didn't
want him to take any more shots," McGee said. "I was
ready to go, and coach does a great job of calling plays. He
called a lot of great plays, and the line did a great job in
the second half."
Play calling and an opportunistic Rockford team that capitalized
on several Muskegon mistakes allowed the Rams to get back into
a game they trailed 21-7 at halftime.
The Big Reds fumbled the ball on their first play of the second
half, and four plays later, McGee plunged in from 1 yard out
to make it a one-score game.
The Rams grew even more confident on the next play when Rockford
kicker Nate Schmuck executed a perfect onside kick that the Rams
recovered.
Four plays later, it was a tie game when senior running back
Alex Caurdy rushed in from 8 yards out.
The game stayed tied until late in the fourth quarter when McGee
found senior wide receiver Donny Schaner on a 63-yard scoring
strike down the left side of the field for the winning score.
"We stayed the course," Munger said. "We knew
we were struggling in that first half, it was obvious. But we
stayed the course and things started to happen for us."
It was a rough first half for the Rockford offense, as Muskegon
limited the Rams to minus-4 yards rushing and one big play, a
67-yard touchdown pass from Banaszak to Schaner.
Meanwhile, Muskegon was running all over Rockford's defense
for 243 first-half yards.
Most of the damage came from junior fullback Jason Hannett,
who had 159 of his game-high 199 yards in the first half, with
two scores.
The Big Reds, however, were unable to keep the momentum going
and began to self-destruct after halftime.
"We had a pretty good first half, but we did not respond
to the good things that happened to them," Muskegon coach
Tony Annese said.
"But you have to give Rockford credit, they came in here
and played a great game and got after us."
In addition to a big half by McGee, who finished with 6-of-12
completions for 161 yards and a touchdown, Munger also said he
was happy the defense kept potent Muskegon off the scoreboard
in the second half.
"Those kids played their hearts out all night."
Rockford rolls to upset of
No. 16 (nationally) Muskegon in Game of the Week
(USA Today http://blogs.usatoday.com/preprally/2007/10/rockford-rolls-.html#more)
Rockford earned some temporary Michigan bragging rights after
upsetting the rival No. 16 Muskegon Big Reds 28-21 Friday night.
The Rams' victory snapped Muskegon's 22-game winning streak.
The Big Reds squandered their first opportunity to take a lead
against the Rams. After driving to the goal line, Muskegon fumbled
inside the 1-yard line with 1:48 remaining in the first quarter.
The Rams recovered but their offense punted shortly after coming
onto the field.
On the ensuing possession, Muskegon’s Justin Hannett ran
for a 20-yard touchdown to put the Big Reds on the board. Rockford
dug itself a bigger hole by fumbling the kickoff. Muskegon recovered
and took over at the Rams’ 49-yard line.
Big Reds signal caller Chris Crawford engineered a quick drive
and capped it with a quarterback keeper. Kicker Jose Rodriguez’s
extra point attempt was blocked, making the score 13-0 in Muskegon’s
favor.
Rockford responded with a 63-yard TD pass from quarterback Robert
Banaszak to Donny Schaner. The Rams’ first touchdown – before
even earning their first first down – cut the deficit to
13-7.
Hannett pulled the momentum back in the Big Reds’ favor
after he rumbled 78 yards for a TD with just 27 seconds left
in the first half. Muskegon converted a two-point conversion,
stretching its lead to 21-7.
The Rams shook off their tough first half, responding with a
touchdown on their first drive of the third quarter. A surprise
onside kick followed and gave Rockford possession right back.
Running back Alex Caurdy made the risk pay off, rushing in from
8 yards out to even the score at 21 with 7:50 remaining in the
third quarter.
Another scoring chance did not come until the fourth quarter.
After a Muskegon drive stalled, coach Tony Annese sent out Rodriguez
for a go-ahead field goal attempt. Rodriguez’s kick hit
the crossbar and missed.
The Rams capitalized as quarterback Tim McGee – who replaced
Banaszak to start the second half – hit Schaner for a TD
to put Rockford up 28-21 with just 2:18 to play.
Muskegon (8-1) tried to respond,
but its attempt failed, sending the Division II power to its
first loss of the season. Rockford’s
win sends it to 8-1 as well and puts it in a three-way tie atop
the Ottawa-Kent Red Conference, with Hudsonville being the third
squad in the fray.
