October 7, 2010
So here I am, flipping through every web site bookmarked on my little Macbook. I spend an obscene amount of time just catching up every morning like a day trader keeps up on his stocks. You sleep in or you miss one article, and suddenly you’re out of the loop. But what happens when every-single-website-you-have-bookmarked-brings-you-back-to-the-same-story? Pause.
Like a $100 question on Jeopardy, it’s a no-brainer. Undefeated East Grand Rapids at undefeated Lowell is the biggest football rivalry being played this weekend Friday. If the undefeated Michigan State at undefeated Michigan game weren’t being played just 17 hours later I’d label it the biggest in-state football game of the week easily. Heck, there might be more people at the Pioneers vs. Red Arrows game than at the St. Louis Rams (2-2) vs. Detroit Lions (0-4). Maybe Mr. Ford could avoid Ford Field having a TV blackout if he simply hosted the OK Conference “championship game.”
All I’m saying is, this rivalry is huge. I click Rivals High in my bookmark list, and it’s the Game of the Week. No. 64 Lowell vs. No. 65 East Grand Rapids.
“Stopping the quarterback in the veer is not a newsflash to us,” East Grand Rapids head coach Peter Stuursma told Rivals High. “Just like stopping Denard Robinson is the key to stopping Michigan. Everyone knows it. Figuring out how to do it is the key.”
Coach Stuursma couldn’t say it any better. Nard Dog is the clear front runner for the Heisman Trophy, and if we had a West Michigan Heisman Trophy, The Dean would lead the class. He’s virtually unstoppable. Through six games, Dean has compiled 877 yards on 102 carries for 19 touchdowns. That’s 8.6 yards per carry. Wondering what Michigan’s Denard Robinson’s rushed for? 905 yards on 98 carries for 8 touchdowns. Or 9.2 yards per carry.
Ridiculousness! Dean is scoring a touchdown every 5.3 plays. Robinson rushes for a score every 12.3 plays. If Dean and Robinson were cartoon characters they’d be road runners. The Coyote never catches them. It’s going to take all the know how in the world for the Coyote/Spartans/Pioneers to stop ‘em.
But the father-and-son combo of long-time defensive coordinator Jim Voss and linebacker Trent Voss, a Toledo Rocket commit, have the best chance of anyone to finally put a stop to the Dean-powered veer. No one can better prepare a defense than Jim Voss. And last year, the Voss family put a stop to Lowell’s offense and forced seven turnovers en route to a 27-6 victory.
But tack on an extra year of development for Lowell’s young quarterback and pummeling defense and change the venue to Lowell’s home field, and it’s an uphill battle for East.
My Bookmarked Sites (There’s now a file just for the East @ Lowell game.)
Game of the Week. No. 64 Lowell vs. No. 65 East Grand Rapids by Dallas Jackson, Rivals High
Rivalry Lives on Among Former Players by Jane Bos, Grand Rapids Press
Location, Location, Location by Jason Hutton, Fox 17
Dean Warms Up with 7 Touchdowns by Jason Hutton, Fox 17
West Michigan All Star OK White Preview
2009: Healthy Competition by WoodTV
2009: East Grand Rapids Chases History by Tom Markowski, Detroit News
2009: Segmented Breakdown by Ryan Vaughn, West Michigan All Star
Video: Ryan Elble, East Grand Rapids
Video: David Drummond, East Grand Rapids
Video: Deon Jobe, East Grand Rapids
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