The Rams are taking on East Kentwood this Friday night, and that can lead to only one thing: a very close game.

Obviously, you can't base what will happen this year on things that happened last year, or the years before. But there is a tradition between the two schools that cannot be ignored in the days before the game.

Last season saw Rockford and Kentwood face off twice in one season. During OK-Red competition, the Rams used All-State running back Chris Maksim's three touchdown second quarter to dismantle the Falcons 49-14. When the two teams met at Rockford three weeks later for the start of the MHSAA Division I playoffs, the outcome was decidedly closer.

East Kentwood vaulted to a 24-6 halftime lead before the Rams could mount a comeback in the third quarter. Touchdowns by Jarad Smith and Nate Teft helped narrow the gap to 24-19, before Smith erupted with a 60 yard run with 5 minutes to play in the game. The Falcons needed only one play to answer, as fullback Vance Nardin sprinted 70 yards to give EK a 30-25 advantage. The Rams next offensive possession stalled, and East Kentwood appeared to have the game in hand. Rockford's fair weather faithful were streaming out Ted Carlson Memorial Stadium, disappointed from an uncharacteristic early playoff exit.

Oh, ye of little faith.

Falcon quarterback Vince Mayfield's fumble with 1:25 left in the game gave the Rams one last chance. And this time, they would not be denied. Teft entered the endzone with :09 seconds left on the clock, following a 70-yard drive with only one timeout in hand.

The drive featured a mishap that many Falcon faithful still seek vengeance over; a clock malfunction that appeared, in some eyes, as a deliberate attempt by the Rockford press box to ensure the Rams would not run out of time on their final drive. The truth of the matter is that the stadium clock has been prone to similar malfunctions at freshman and JV football games, as well as track competitions. This is the first time that it has occurred at a varsity contest, yet the only remedy that the Falcons undoubtedly seek is a victory this coming Friday.

As unbelievable as it is, the 2000 playoff contest between the Rams and Falcons was not the closest between the two schools. In the 1998 contest, the 4-0 Rams took on a 1-3 Falcon squad that appeared to be a mismatch. Despite their poor record, East Kentwood featured one of the state's premiere running backs, Mario Adams. In a see-saw battle where RockfordÕs offense marched to a 22-21 lead mid-way through the fourth quarter, the Falcons replied with a scoring drive of their own. Powered by Adams, the Falcons left the Rams stunned with a 27-22 lead with only :54 seconds to play in the game.

Again, with only one time out, Rockford quarterback Dan Richards led an aerial assault that covered 60 yards in only 48 seconds. With eight ticks on the clock left, Richards managed to avoid a game ending sack and find junior wide receiver Andy Segard in the back of the endzone as time expired. Final score: Rockford 28, East Kentwood 27.

While that is certainly the closest finish ever between the two schools, there is no shortage of similar classics. Another unheralded Kentwood squad faced down a powerful, and nationally ranked, Rockford team in 1997. With a scoreless tie going into the games final stanza, the Rams prevailed in a 14-12 thriller.

1996 saw the Falcons up-end a dominant Rockford team 7-6. Kentwood's lone score came on a blocked field goal in the second quarter. A potential game-winning touchdown was called back for the Rams, as a penalty on the play rendered it moot. The Rams and Falcons shared the OK-Red title that year.

While not the thriller of other years, the 1995 battle was the OK-Red finale for both schools, and a trip to the state playoffs awaited the winner. On a rainy night at Òthe Ted,Ó the game was knotted up heading towards half-time 7-7. Andy Albrecht's 50 yard play-action pass as time expired proved to be the measure of victory, and the Rams made a second-ever playoff appearance.

Perhaps it's best to wrap-up our look back with the 1994 season match-up between the Rams and Falcons. East Kentwood were the defending league champions, taking on a Rockford squad coming off one of their worst in school history; a dismal 1-8 campaign. In a surprisingly close game, the eventual two-time defending league champion Falcons held a narrow 3-0 lead with 1:25 left to go in the game. The Rams rallied back, catching the East Kentwood secondary off-guard with a Òflea-flicker;Ó as wide receiver Brian Rysko caught AlbrechtÕs short pass, senior running back Dave Wilson released into the flats and took RyskoÕs lateral 45 yards into Falcon territory, giving the Rams first and goal at the Kentwood 8. With less than a half-minute remaining to play, Albrecht hooked up with senior wide receiver Kevin Winne on a slant route into the Falcon end-zone. Wilson's late game heroics gave the Rams the win, but it cost him the season. As Wilson was tackled on the play, his collar bone snapped. Rockford would go on to win only one more game that year, finishing 3-6.

The rivalry with East Kentwood is a healthy one for the Rams, and one that your author looks forward to every season. While I donÕt have a lot of fond victories to look back upon, I was a senior defensive back on the Õ94 squad, and I am proud to have helped contribute to the storied rivalry on behalf of the Rams.