Rockford Rams 24, Grandville Bulldogs 6

Rockford rolls past Grandville in Division 1 despite starting a new quarterback

By Lenny Padilla | grsports@mlive.com

ROCKFORD, MI - Tyler Bradfield hadn’t started at quarterback since he was in eighth grade. Yet he found himself under center in the biggest game of the season.

The Rockford senior didn’t attempt a pass, but he let his feet do the talking. 

Bradfield scored on a 65-yard run in the first quarter to help Rockford beatGrandville 24-6 on Friday night a Division 1 football playoff opener. 

“We practiced the pass game all week,” said Bradfield, who was filling in for injured starter Jason Whittaker. “Coach Munger said ‘if it’s not there, don’t hesitate to take off and run with it.’ So that’s what I did.”

Rockford (7-3) advances to play Hudsonville, which rallied to beat East Kentwood 42-38.
  
“Anytime Tyler Bradfield is on the field, I am pleased,” Rockford coach Ralph Munger said with a smile. “He’s a heck of an athlete.”

Nolan Meekhof, Grandville’s senior running back, scored on a 52-yard run with 0.6 seconds left in the first quarter. But their 2-point attempt failed after the run was stuffed.

“We were able to put together just enough together to pull this out,” Munger said. “The defense really showed up tonight, big time. (Defensive coordinator) Randy Vanderveen and the rest of the crew really had everyone prepared tonight.”

Hunter Novak, a senior running back, scored twice in the second half. The first on a 30-yard run in the third quarter and on a 2-yard run in the fourth. The final score was on a safety in the fourth when Grandville’s snap went out of bounds. 

“Hunter’s a very exciting and explosive player,” Munger said. “We’ve got a few of those guys on our team. He’s not a real big guy, but he’s tough. He plays offense, defense, special teams … he’s a heck of a competitor.”

Bradfield also liked what he saw of Novak, who had 64 yards on 10 carries. 

“Hunter played great,” Bradfield said. “He goes both ways, too. He had some huge tackles at the goal line and had two rushing touchdowns; he played awesome.”

This season, Grandville coach Eric Stiegel helped the Bulldogs (6-4) to the most wins they’ve had in 10 years.

“I told coach Munger I have a ton of admiration for him and his program and I want to get Grandville to that level,” Stiegel said. “They made some big plays stopping us in the red zone. We just couldn’t punch it in against a team like Rockford.”

One of the bright spots was the play of senior defensive back Alje Buiter, who had some bone-crushing tackles. 

“Alje is an all-conference corner,” Stiegel said of Buiter, who led the team with seven tackles. “He’s a tremendous leader, tremendous competitor. He’s one of the most fiery competitors on the team. He’s an unbelievable kid and I’m going to miss having him on the team.”

Bradfield, who is a sprinter on the Rockford track team, finished with 76 yards on five carries. His speed helped him score in the first quarter.

“I just saw a big lane open up,” said Bradfield, who is being recruited by at least four in-state schools. “I made the first guy miss and I had two receivers blocking down field. They just held the guys up and I got through.”

Meekhof, a senior running back headed to Davenport University, led all players with 125 yards rushing on 23 carries. Grandville’s Parker Reminga added 52 yards on 11 carries. 

GAME NOTES
*There were only four passes attempted in the game, all by Grandville. Bulldogs quarterback Brady Paganelli was 1-of-3 for 26 yards and Alje Buiter also attempted a pass that fell short. 

*Brock Weston, a Rockford senior linebacker, had an impressive sack in the fourth quarter that was about 8 yards for loss. 

*Ian Hall, a junior from Grandville, had an impressive blocked punt with 5:17 left in the game and his teammates recovered the ball. 

*Rockord scored first when QB Tyler Bradfield zig-zagged for a stunning 65-yard touchdown run. He dodged three tackles. The wildcat play on the 2-point conversion worked as holder Hunter Novak scored to make it Rockford 8, Grandville 0 with 1:48 left in the first quarter. 

*The Rockford roster lists 79 players and Grandville has 61. 

*Rockford won Division 1 state championships in 2004, 2005 and 2008. Grandville won the Class A championship in 1996. Clarkston High School has won the past two Division 1 state championships. 

*The game was the first match between Grandville and Rockford in the postseason since 2006 when Rockford won 10-7. 

*Rockord has made 21 straight appearances in the playoffs, which is the third most in MHSAA history and the longest active streak. Iron Mountain North Dickinson (1991-2013) holds the record with 23 straight. Traverse City St. Francis (1990-2011) is second with 22 in a row. 

*Since 1950, Grandville and Rockford have played each other 65 times with the Rams holding a 37-29 advantage.