Rockford
Rams 42. Grandville 14
Rockford nabs first O-K Red victory
By Jeff Chaney / The Grand Rapids
Press
ROCKFORD -- After some close nonconference wins, the Rockford
football team exploded to begin the O-K Red Conference season.
The Rams rebounded from an early mistake and deficit against
visiting Grandville to beat the Bulldogs 42-14 at Ted Carlson
Memorial Stadium on Friday night.
"There were many nice things done out there
tonight," said
Rockford coach Ralph Munger, whose team beat Lake Orion and Davison
by a combined 11 points in its first two games. "I thought
our backs ran hard, our offensive line stayed on blocks, and
our defensive line played fast tonight. We do have some things
to clean up, but I was happy."
The Rams fell behind early
in their first possession when Grandville defensive back Spencer
Riva stepped in front of a Tim McGee pass, snatched it and raced
17 yards for a 7-0 lead three minutes into the game.
The Bulldog's enjoyment was short lived, as McGee made up for
his mistake two plays later when he connected with Rams receiver
Nick Stokes on a 67-yard scoring strike to tie the game and reclaim
momentum.
The Rams rolled from there, scoring four more times in the first
half to take a 35-7 lead at the break.
The halftime stats showed the early dominance as Rockford out-gained
Grandville 265-95 in total yards in the first half.
"After that first big play, we couldn't do anything right," said
Grandville coach Scot Shaw, whose team is 1-2. "They were
playing a whole different speed than us. They played well."
Rockford's ground game caused damage to the Grandville defense,
as tailback Ryan Cochran ran for two touchdowns, and tailback
Aaron Kwekel added another to give the Rams a four-score lead
at halftime.
"I'm happy we executed during a few series," Munger
said. "We still have a lot of work to do, though."
The Rams now will focus their attention to next week's game
when they travel to Hudsonville on Friday.
"We play one game at a time," Munger said. "This
is a conference game, and it was good to get a win in front of
a home crowd in what turned out to be a nice night for football."
Shaw and the Bulldogs must rebound in time for their game at
neighborhood-rival Jenison on Friday.
"We need to get back on the horse and get to work for next
week," Shaw said.
