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Rockford Rams 13. Holt Rams 27

Rockford's season of 'living on the edge' ends with stunning loss to Holt
Jane Bos | The Grand Rapids Press

ROCKFORD -- An hour after Rockford’s football season ended two games short of the dream, almost a dozen Rams players, still clad in their black uniforms, were motionless on the bright orange R at midfield.

Some knelt with their heads in their hands. Others laid on their backs, looking up into the darkening blue sky. One simply stood.

This was it. The stands at Ted Carlson Memorial Field had emptied.

Holt halted Rockford’s perfect season Saturday afternoon, posting a stunning 27-13 regional victory against top-ranked and defending Division 1 state champions.

Behind a stifling defense and two interceptions, the Holt Rams (11-1) limited the Rockford Rams to 26 yards of offense in the first half, including just one first down on a penalty, and led 13-3.
Rockford, which had rallied to win at least seven games this season, did not have one more magic win to pull out of its helmet.

“We have been living on the edge for how many weeks now?” Rockford coach Ralph Munger said. “Some how, some way, these guys found a way to battle back in. Then get it to stay that way and win is amazing.”

It was not to be Saturday.

Rockford did pull to within 13-6 in the third quarter after Paul Mudgett booted his second field-goal (45 and 36 yards). And with 3:29 left in the game, Rockford scored its only touchdown -- a 29-yard pass from Tyler Masiewicz to Zach Haugen -- to narrow it do 20-13.

Then the defense did its thing, and with less than two minutes to go, Holt had about one foot to go on fourth down from its own 29-yard line.

Could this be it? Was this the magic Rockford needed?

The Holt Rams, whose only loss was a 34-10 setback to Rockford in Week 2, said, "No." They went for it and got it. And on the next play, Jake Gallimore rumbled 70 yards for the score to seal the game.

“That is one of those ones where you go, ‘We ought to be able to get a foot, for gosh sakes,’” Holt coach Al Slammer said. “We had done it three times before, and it things go right, it’s great. It worked. It was a huge win for us.”

Holt senior quarterback Jordan Beachnau made sure of that from the start. On the first drive, he scored on a 9-yard run.

The 12-play drive included a fake punt on a fourth-and-10 situation from its own 36-yard line.

Two Rockford plays later, Holt’s Dom Todd intercepted a pass, then on first down. Beachnau connected with Chris Scott on a 50-yard touchdown pass with 4:43 left in the first quarter.

Beachnau, who amassed more than 1,000 yards rushing and 1,500 yards passing this season, also scored on a 2-yard run in the fourth quarter. He wound up 83 yards on the ground and 146 yards in the air.

Holt outgained Rockford 226-68 rushing.

“The first half was brutal,” Munger said. “We got physically dominated. The bottom line is, by the time we decided to get going, it was too late. Today was Holt’s day.”

The win sends Holt to next Saturday’s semifinal against Detroit Catholic Central, which beat Plymouth Canton 31-24 in overtime Saturday.

 


Images courtesy of Michigan Helmet Project


OK-Red Standings

RHS
7
0
GHav
6
1
Musk
4
3
EK
3
4
Huds
3
4
WOtt
2
5
G'ville
2
5
Jenison
1
6

2009 State Finals
DetCC 31, SHS 21
Lowell 27, Ink 6
EGR 24, OLSM 21
Marsh 49, ThRiv 28
JLC 42, Clare 7
Mont 24, MSMCC 21
TCSF 42, Huds 8
Beal 41, CFFP 23

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Congratulations to Taylor Huizenga, recipient of Scholar Athlete Award

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