“FROM THE HUDDLE”

BY COACH BRIAN WALKER       

            The RRC Falcon football team took the field on a rare Wednesday night to face the Wolverines of MLBO.  A win for RRC would assure the Falcons no less than a #5 seed in the upcoming section playoffs, a loss would drop them down to a #6 or #7 spot, so it was a big game coming in.  It was also our final home regular season game, and we have played well at home this year, and this one was no different, despite the terrible weather conditions.  A steady rain fell on the field and made the conditions difficult, but the Falcons would dominate the Wolverines in a 19-0 victory.  When turnovers can change a game like this, it was crucial to take care of the ball. Overall, I was pleased with the fact we didn’t turn the ball over deep in our end.  We did turn it over twice by fumble, and twice by interception, but all of them would still cause MLBO to have a long field to work with.  Our defense dominated play, as the Wolverines would only gain 29 total yards in the game; 32 yds rushing, and -3 yds passing.

            The Falcons jumped ahead early as Dylan Bunting would find a wide open George Rogotzke for a 15 yd touchdown pass.   Josh Mason remained perfect with the PAT kick for a 7-0 first quarter lead.  MLBO would not penetrate our end of the field, and for the game, we held the Wolverines to just 1 first down in the game, that coming on our own face mask penalty, so we controlled the line very well.  The Falcons would add to their 7-0 lead when Jake Fredrickson ran in from 10 yds out to give the Falcons a 13-0 lead. That was a critical TD, as in a game like this with the rain falling, a two score lead was key for us.  We would tack on a final touchdown when Dylan Bunting ran it in from 3 yds out for the 19-0 win.  We weren’t perfect on our PAT’s tonight, but making that first one was important, as if they score, they needed a PAT to tie us.  For the game, RRC dominated the stats.  RRC ran the ball 49 times for 213 yds.  Jake Fredrickson ran 26 times for 116 yds and 1 TD.  Zach Siemer was close behind with 92 yds in 19 carries.  When we get both backs getting close to 20 carries a game, our offense is doing their job.  We gained some tough yards in their in this game, as they stacked 9 guys near the line, as the rain made it tough to pass the ball.  In the passing department, Dylan Bunting hit on just 2 of 11 passes for 9 yds.  George Rogotzke had 1 for 15 yds and a TD, and Jake Fredrickson caught one behind the line for -6 yds.  Defensively, we were outstanding!  Nate Mattison led the team once again with 10 tackles.  Ray Hagberg added 7 tackles, Josh Rogotzke had 5 tackles, and Dillon Imker and Aaron Furth each added 4 tackles.  Tyler Erickson had our only interception, but we had four players each recover a fumble; Josh Rogotzke, Ray Hagberg, Aaron Furth and Zach Siemer each landed on fumbles.  Each team turned the ball over 4 times apiece. 

            With the home win, the Falcons finished the regular home season with 3 wins out of 4 at home.  We really have played well this year at home, and that is important to protect our home field.  RRC finished up the regular season on Tuesday with a game at arch rival Springfield.  The Falcons will open playoffs next Tuesday, October 27^th against MCC.  These two teams will be the #4 and #5 seeds, the home field won’t be determined until after Tuesday’s regular season finale vs Springfield.  Let’s continue to support this great group of players as we enter the post-season.  GO FALCONS!!