Rockford stuns everyone but themselves in improbable win over Muskegon

Rockford's Ryan Darby blocks an extra point (Cory Morse/Muskegon Chronicle)

Entering Friday’s matchup against undefeated Rockford, D-1 champs taking on D-2 champs, the Big Reds had two goals: control the running game, and don’t turn the ball over.  No ambivalence about it, Muskegon played their game.  They shut down Rockford’s Houdini-esque running game with absolutely stifling defense, while their own running game continuously chewed up yardage.  And the Big Reds never turned the ball over.  Not once.

Muskegon led 13-3 with under 6-minutes to go.  They had chewed up some clock (not nearly enough, more on that later), and lined up to punt from their own 38-yard line.  The Rams brought the house, blocked the punt, and from that point on Muskegon was out of the picture.  With 5:33 left, the game had fundamentally shifted, having become a contest held entirely between the Rams and the clock.  The Rams won that contest by 14-seconds, and in doing so beat O-K Red rival Muskegon, 16-13, in what was one of the most exciting high school football games in recent memory.

While the blocked punt was the overt signal that the Rockford comeback was in progress, it actually started two plays prior, when Muskegon quarterback Kevonta Keyes had his eyes forcibly crossed by a Rockford linebacker.  The player who to that point had been steadily ripping the Rockford defense with his electric, intelligent running, was abruptly knocked silly, after which Muskegon failed to tally a single first down.

With Muskegon’s leader out on his feet, from that point it was Rockford against a ticking clock.  Ram quarterback Taylor Masiewicz, who was then 4-of-8 for 39 yards and an interception, hit two consecutive passes including a 19-yard touchdown to Neil VanderLaan.  A Muskegon three-and-out later, and the Rams had the ball with 3:43 left.  Icily, Masiewicz led Rockford on a 45-yard scoring drive, culminating when he found Zach Haugen in the endzone to put the Rams up for good, leaving only 14-seconds on the clock.

Crunch time Zen masters

Failing the kind of marquee talent that many competitive teams can claim, Munger’s Rams have always been among the top teams in the state due to their uncanny ability to finish in any situation.  While not always the best team in the state, when the game is on the line you’d be hard pressed to find a team more calm, more Zen, and ultimately more efficient than Rockford.  It’s a testament to Munger’s coaching ability he is consistently able to get the most from his players in the most pressurized situations.

In victory, Rockford coach Ralph Munger sometimes boasted that he had not even needed to dig past the first page of his playbook.  After various around-the-back ball-fakes and wraparound draws, he may have dug to page-3 or 4 on Friday.  So much the better for the Rams, who remain undefeated at 7-0 while Muskegon falls to 4-3.

Time management

Up 13-3 in the fourth quarter, a second, but equally important, goal emerges.  At that point not only is it important to continue to rack up yards, but goal number 1-A is to milk the clock.

Conventional wisdom would state that in that situation the ball ought never be snapped with more than 5-seconds left on the play-clock.  College and professional quarterbacks have the luxury of watching a large, digital readout count down the seconds. In lieu of that kind of funding, high school quarterbacks follow a more primitive procedure, watching the back-judge count down the final five seconds of the play clock with his arm.

The back judge never got the opportunity in the fourth quarter on Friday, as Muskegon consistently snapped the ball with time on the clock.  Add all those non-milked seconds up, and the outcome may indeed have been different.

Mainstream coverage

• Mlive has the box score from the game, in which the outcome would have surprised
• Mike Mattson covered the game for the Muskegon Chronicle

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