Rockford
Rams 27. Davison Cardinals 10
Rockford downs Davison 27-10
by TIM COOPER / Rockford Squire
After three weeks of practice under the hot August
sun, the Rockford Rams walked onto the field in front of a
large crowd for their opening game August 27, at the Ted Carlson
Memorial Stadium. Rockford has opened each of the last three
seasons against the Davison Cardinals, and this year was the
same.
Davison, having won the coin toss, elected to receive the opening
kickoff. Steve Mette’s kick would go through the end zone,
forcing Davison to start their first drive on their own 20 yard
line. Four plays later, Davison would be forced to punt the ball
to the Rams, who would start their first drive just inside Davison’s
territory, at the 46 yard line. The Cardinals’ defense
would limit Rockford to 16 yards on their first possession, forcing
a 46 yard field goal attempt by Steve Mette. Mette split the
uprights, giving the Rams an early 3-0 lead.
The Rams second possession
started from their own 20, after a Davison punt went into the
end zone. On the first of play of the possession, Rockford quarterback
Mark LaPrairie, hit wide receiver Neil VanderLaan with a perfect
pass down the left sideline. 75 yards later, VanderLaan was standing
alone in the end zone.
Davison, trailing by ten, retaliated
with a 30 yard field goal to complete their following drive.
Rockford countered with a 40 yard field goal by Mette after Davison
turned the ball over on their own 17, giving the Rams a 13-3
lead midway through the second quarter. Again, the Rockford defense
shut Davison down, forcing them to punt. The Rams’ final
possession of the first half ended with a 12 yard LaPrairie pass
to Zach Schmuck, putting Rockford ahead by 17 with just over
three minutes remaining in the half.
Davison’s final drive
saw quarterback Jake Thompson connect with Jacob Jacobs, for
an 80 yard gain, placing the ball inside the Rockford five. Four
plays later, Brandon Cooper plunged into the end zone with seconds
left in the half, making the score 20-10.
Rockford’s final
score of the evening came when Nate Sanders broke off tackle
for seven yards into over the goal line, making the final score
27-10.
Following the game, coach Ralph
Munger said, “This was
a tough ball game. We played like it was our first game. We need
to be more consistent. Once we get that, we will be a better
team.”
“We got manhandled [on the line] tonight. The offensive
line needs to be more physical.”
Munger went on to say, “Defensively, we made things happen.”
The
Rams were dealt a blow in the second quarter, when running back
Nick Smythe suffered a potentially season ending injury. Munger
commented, “I feel just awful about Nick. This could
be a big loss for us as a team.”
Rockford had 103 yards
on the ground, with Nate Sanders leading all rushers with 60
yards on nine carries. Mark LaPrairie went 12 for 22, with 158
yards in the air. LaPrairie also had two touchdown passes.