ROCKFORD ATHLETICS I HOME OF THE RAMS

The Boys Varsity Water Polo team headed to the lakeshore over the weekend after a 2 week break from games. The Rams were ready for some stiff competition and wanted it to be a productive weekend. On Friday, September 5 the rams started off the weekend with a bang. The Rams faced the host school of Grand Haven. once the first whistle sounded the rams never looked back and saw victory from the beginning. It was a slow start with the rams feeling out the Bucs as they haven't played them yet this season. The score was 4-0 after 1. Once the rams worked out the kinks the rams exploded in the second quarter. The Rams tallied 8 more goals in the second to make the lead 12-0 going into halftime. The rams held poised and focused while shutting out the Bucs through 3 quarters and entering the final quarter with an outstanding lead of 15-0. The rams ended the game with a 17-3 victory. The rams had 9 different scorers ( D. Ward-3, Gabe Davis-4, Geskus-2, Sluiter-1, Reese Ward-1, Harkema-1, Hurst-1, Schantz-1 and Deugaw-1). The Goalies kept the Bucs in check and Pierce tallied 6 saves while Artz tallied 3. After an early morning and a chilly bus ride the rams had 3 games on Saturday, September 6 at Grand Haven High School. The Rams started off the day extremely slow against a combo team of Saline/Skyline from the East side of the state. After the 1st the rams led 3-0. the combo team came storming back and the rams held a small lead of 6-5 at the half. The team had to refocus and regroup going into the second half. Coach Peterman gave a task and directive that the team adjusted to right away going into the third. The Rams tallied more goals in the 3rd with 7 compared to the first half. With this onslaught of goals the rams pulled away from Saline/Skyline and never looked back. Going into the 4th quarter the rams held a 13-5 lead. The rams finished the game with a pair of goals in the 4th and finished the game with a 15-8 victory. Again the rams saw a huge performance from our goalies and field players. Pierce had 4 saves and Artz tallied 1 while the rams had 8 different scorers (D. Ward-2, Cheney-1, Connor-1, Davis-3, Geskus-2, R. Ward-1, Hurst-3, Myerholtz-2) in this victory. The 2nd game on Saturday was against the Pioneers of Ann Arbor. This is the first time playing them this season but the rams always know the Pioneers coached by Don Packard will give a fight. The rams felt out the Pioneers in the first few minutes of the game and held a small lead of 3-2 after the first. Once the rams figured out a good defensive plan they held steed fast and pushed forward. After 2 quarters and a defensive battle the rams led 4-3. Going into the 3rd quarter the rams opened up the game by going up 9-4. Once the final whistle sounded the rams had an exceptional victory of 16-8. While the Rams struggled to stay out of foul trouble and having many exclusions the defense played strong and capitalized where it was needed. Evan Pierce had an outstanding game in the cage tallying 10 Saves and 1 penalty shot block. The rams had 6 different scorers this game which is a huge accomplishment for the rams. To cap off the last game of the weekend at Grand Haven it was a battle of the #1 Rams vs the #4 Jenison team. This was the 2nd time these teams have played this season and everyone knew it was going to be a dog fight to the end. From the first whistle the Rams had solid defense but struggled to find the back of the net. With a small drought and trailing 2-1 after the first the rams had to regroup. Going into the 2nd quarter the rams capitalized and hit the back of the net 3 times but still trailed 4-5 at the half. The 3rd quarter started and the rams came out swinging and had an amazing performance. The rams tallied 4 goals and held the first lead of the game 8-7 going into the 4th quarter. The 4th quarter was a major defensive battle but the rams struggled on the defensive end stopping Cal Baptist commit Ty Vandervall. The rams finished the game with a 9-10 loss. The rams finished the game with class and held there heads high as we saw improvements from the first time they played. While this weekend felt like a success the rams are hungry for a perfect weekend and to continue growing and improving over the remainder of the season. The rams are back in action on Monday, September 8 with he first conference dual game of the season. The rams will welcome the Eagles of Hudsonville to Rockford for a 6:15 PM Varsity match and a 7:15 PM JV match. The rams look to bounce back and fix the defensive mistake they had over the weekend and push for a great week.