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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.

On September 2nd, the Rams will travel down I-96 for a rare Thursday night game against Holt.

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Rockford rugby future looks bright

 

At the end of 2010 spring rugby season, most would see a lackluster season. The boys’ season ended with a 3-5 record and loss in the quarterfinals, and the ladies’ ended with a 1-7 record.

 

With a closer look at the teams, you would see a bright future for the Rams. The boys team had 50 players with nearly 70 percent being sophomores and freshmen, including sophomore Trevor Alferink (Overall and Forward MVP), sophomore Brady Gent (Backs MVP), and junior Zach Nelson “Mr. Rugby.” During the summer break, more than 20 players are continuing their rugby education with Rugby 7’s tournaments in State Games of Michigan and Hard Rock 7’s.

The ladies had 30 players with 60 percent being sophomores and freshmen. The speed and tackling ability of these young Lady Rams will be seen for years to come. Being a new sport and the only contact sport for high school ladies, it has taken two years for the program to develop. You can expect big things from this team in the next year.

 

Feeding both of the programs is the Rockford Youth Rugby (RYR). RYR has just completed its sixth season and helped Forest Hills start their program this year. RYR’s goal is to have everyone learn traditions of this nearly 200-year-old game: everyone plays, everyone is involved, play hard for your team, and the fellowship of both teams after the game. In this age of “me” or “the star” and lack of respect for the players, referees or the game itself, rugby has laws mandating respect for the opposing players and the referee (“sir”), and a player can actually be penalized and/or sent off for disrespect and/or showboating.

The Rams had eight second- and third-graders play coed/non-contact flag, and 14 fourth- and fifth-graders play advanced coed/non-contact flag rugby. The sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade boys play full contact and had combined with the Forest Hills team to defeat Grandville 5-0 in Rockford and 17-5 in a very wet Grandville pitch. More information can be found at www.ramrugby.net.

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Rockford girl part of 16U state championship team

The Michiana Mystique 16U softball team spent their Fourth of July weekend winning the MASA state championship in Mount Pleasant. The team went 6-0 in bracket play, winning the title by knocking off PC Pride Elite 4-1 in the final game. Rockford’s Peyton Wells (pictured) plays first base for the Mystique, which is comprised of girls from Michigan and Indiana.

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Rams JV boys golf dominates in OK Red

The Rockford junior varsity boys golf team concluded a very successful season by winning the OK Red postseason conference tournament at Grand Haven Golf Club (GHGC) on Wednesday, May 12 by posting a score of 181, one stroke better than runner-up East Kentwood. Jenison finished third with 187.

The Rams were led by sophomore Mark Pearson, who finished with the best score in the tournament with a 43 on the challenging narrow fairways at GHGC. Freshman Seth Wells shot a 44, Sam Barnard 46, Justin Ullrey 46, Parker Derks 46, and David Dominiak 49.

On the year, Coach Scott Kruisenga’s team finished with an impressive 49-11 record.

When asked to summarize the season, Coach Kruisenga said, “More important than the wins/losses this year were the attitudes and work ethic of the team. Being able to balance fun and hard work is challenging for many freshmen and sophomores, but these boys were able to handle it and succeeded in becoming the JV conference champs. They maintained a conference record of 29-1 and won the preseason, midseason and postseason championships. I’m proud of you, boys, and good luck in striving for varsity status.”

Sophomore Jake Stephan, who led the team with an average score of 39.6 per nine holes, earned some valuable varsity experience at times throughout the season by virtue of his outstanding play. While playing at the JV level, nine of his 13 rounds were in the 30s, including a one-over-par 36 on April 22.

Completing the JV roster this season were sophomores David Anderson and Justin Wustman, and freshman Matt Dickinson.

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OLC softball team takes first place second year straight

The Our Lady of Consolation/St. Patrick seventh- and eighth-grade softball team completed the 2010 season by winning the Grand Rapids Area Catholic Elementary Athletic Council (GRACEAC) end-of-season tournament with a 20-11 victory. They also finished in first place during the regular season. In 10 games (9-1) they outscored their opponents 114-21. OLC/St. Pat’s pitchers combined for a total of 133 strikeouts. This is the second year in a row that OLC/St. Pat has won the GRACEAC seventh- and eighth-grade softball season and end-of-season  tournament. Last year’s team finished 10-0.

Pictured are (front row, l–r) Ally Fought, Hannah Rice, Renee Ringler, Leasha Novak, Olivia Weatherhead; (middle) Mara Egeler, Karlee Tykosky, Kathryn Pilczuk, Bethany Dean, Tara Hogue, Shelby DeClercq, Head Coach Frank Tykosky; (back) Coach Deb Hogue, Coach Tom Dean and Coach Eric Egeler.

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