Rams move on with 35-14 triumph
By Randy Gregory | Rockford Independent
Rockford entered Friday's game against Traverse
City West as the overwhelming favorite to advance to the second
round of Division 1 state playoffs.
Form did hold true for at least the first half. Rockford jumped
to a 21-0 lead after one quarter and held a 28-0 margin at halftime.
The second half was a different story, however, but the Rams
still coasted to a convincing 35-14 win.
"I think the kids kind of let up a little bit after jumping
out to a big lead," said Ram head coach Ralph Munger. "We
have played several very good games in a row, and I think we
may have been due for a little letdown. But don't take anything
away from Traverse City West either. Those kids kept on playing
hard the whole game even though they fell so far behind."
Rockford came out of the gates with every cylinder firing. After
forcing a quick Titan punt, the Rams took control at their own
48.
Nine plays and 52 yards later, punctuated by a 1-yard Zach Schmuck
leap, it was a 6-0 Ram lead. Steven Mette's PAT made it 7-0 Rockford
at 5:52.
Sophomore safety KC Zenner then reeled in his first of two interceptions
for the night on the Titans next play from scrimmage. Zenner
returned the ball to the Titan 13-yard line. And one play later,
the lead expanded.
This time Schmuck ran right and barrelled into the end zone
untouched. Mette again nailed the point after and it was 14-0
at the 5:29 mark.
After another quick three and out for the Titans, Zenner returned
the subsequent punt to the Traverse City West 32. And with 27.5
seconds to play in the opening quarter, Schmuck netted his third
touchdown of the night on a 4-yard sweep to the right side. Mette
made it 21-0 at that juncture to punctuate a scintillating opening
12 minutes for the Rams.
"Zenner played a nice game tonight," Munger said. "He
has very good instincts at safety and has really picked up his
game lately along with the rest of the defense."
The lead grew to 28-0 late in the second quarter after the Rams
took advantage of an errant snap on a punt attempt for Traverse
City. This time it was an 11-yard pass from Kyle Short to Aaron
Weston with only 29.8 seconds to play before halftime.
The second half featured a mix of stagnant play from both the
offense and the defense. Traverse City West scored a touchdown
in both the third and fourth quarters. The Rams only score of
the second half came on a 1-yard pass from Short to a wide open
Matt Boonstra with 57.5 seconds to play in the third quarter.
Solomon Gant also nabbed an interception for the Ram defense
in the second half to complete a 3-0 Rockford edge in the turnover
department.
The win moved the Rams record to 9-1 on the season and sets
the stage for a rematch from the fifth week of the regular season.
Their opponents will be the Panthers of West Ottawa.
West Ottawa (8-2) got a late field goal to post a thrilling
23-21 win over Grand Haven Friday.
Rockford won the first time these two met 14-7. This time it
will be contested at Rockford instead of in Holland. Kickoff
is slated for 7 p.m.
"We will need to play a much better game next week to come
out on top," Munger said. "The first time we played,
they didn't have their quarterback and middle linebacker. He
has been offered by Michigan so that tells you what kind of a
talent that kid (Desmond Morgan) is. When the playoffs come around
it is very important to minimize your mistakes and maximize your
focus. We didn't do either tonight and it will be imperative
for us to be at our best on Friday."
