Rockford Rams 41. East Kentwood Falcons 06

Rockford overcomes turnovers to defeat East Kentwood
Jonathan Kollnot | Advance Newspapers, October 01, 2011 12:29 a.m.

ROCKFORD – Usually when a football team puts the ball on the ground a half dozen times, it doesn't bode well for its victory prospects.

Then come the Rockford Rams. The Rams more than overcame a negative turnover ratio against East Kentwood, losing four fumbles but also turning on the running clock in a 41-6 dismantling of the Falcons.

The lopsided win improves the Rams' mark to 4-0 in the O-K Red, 5-1 overall. After the Falcons spoiled Rockford's first possession with a fumble return for a touchdown by sophomore Gabe Ramirez, the Rams posted 41 unanswered points on the Falcons with plenty of help from their special teams and defense.

It was a primo defensive effort that neutralized all the fumbling by coach Ralph Munger's team.

"First of all, we gave them six points with that fumble," said Munger. "But I thought our special teams, Steve Mette with his kicking and our coverage units, were outstanding. Obviously, that really paid off. Field position, defense did a nice job.

"We did an excellent job of defending plays. If you don't, they're going to put points on the board in a heartbeat."

Mette, the Rams' senior kicker, had a huge night in hitting two 20-yard field goals and going 5-for-5 on extra-point kicks. The Rams' defense set up Mette's first field goal when junior Sam Reinke and senior Brandon Lubenow tackled the Falcons for a loss on a fake-punt attempt.

Later in the second quarter, Lubenow and junior Connor Grady tackled the Falcons' punter in the backfield to set up a six-yard touchdown run by senior Brady Gent and a 24-6 Rams lead. On the ensuing kickoff, the Falcons' trick play attempt backfired and they were tackled on their 4-yard line by Rockford senior Trevor Alferink.

The Falcons fumbled the ball on their own 35-yard line, setting up a two-yard touchdown run by Rockford senior quarterback Mark LaPrairie to put the Rams ahead 31-6 at the half.

Rockford demonstrated resiliency from the get-go when it rebounded from its opening-drive fumble with a 47-yard touchdown scamper by Gent to go ahead 7-6. The Rams added a 15-yard Gent scoring run to make it 14-6 with 3:58 left in the first quarter, and Mette's first field goal lifted the Rams to a 17-6 advantage early in the second.

Leading 31-6 at halftime, the Rams shifted into cruise control in the second half and held the Falcons scoreless with no first downs. Rockford added a five-yard touchdown pass from LaPrairie to senior Matt Boonstra and a 20-yard Mette field goal in the third quarter to invoke the running clock.

Gent led the way on the ground with 18 carries for 138 yards and three touchdowns, while junior Connor Darby (44 yards on seven attempts) and senior Ryan Hartley followed (nine for 32 yards). LaPrairie went 6-of-9 passing for 100 yards and touchdown.

East Kentwood was led in rushing by senior Brandon Vandentoorn with 51 yards on 14 carries, while junior Jalen Stovall had 35 yards on six attempts. Falcons senior quarterback Jason Dickey threw 2-of-7 for 24 yards. Ramirez recovered two fumbles to highlights E-K's defensive effort.

The Falcons (2-2, 3-3) will face another tough test at home against Grand Haven on Friday night, while the Rams (4-0, 5-1) will try to clean up their mistakes when they travel to Grandville.

"I'm glad that I saw that we definitely had areas that humbled us, namely the fumbles and our lack of ability to play consistent on the offensive line," said Munger. "Our guys will be eager to go back, take a look and see where we can get better and how we can go about doing it.