ROCKFORD ATHLETICS I HOME OF THE RAMS

The Rockford varsity boy’s polo team had their second home tournament of the season over the weekend of October 2-3. The tournament included some of the best teams from Michigan and three of the best teams from Ohio. This weekend was packed with immense talent and many close games. The weekend for the Rams began with a contest against East Side powerhouse Ann Arbor Pioneer. This was the first time the Rams had faced the Pioneers this season. Both teams knew this contest was going to be a great game and one they could both learn from. From the first whistle, both teams began to feel each other out and figure out what was going to work on offense and defense. The Rams struck first in the contest, but the Pioneers came right back and knotted the game at 1 apiece. The defense on both teams was strong and made it difficult for each team to score. Once the final buzzer sounded for the end of the first quarter, the game was tied at 2 apiece. Once the second quarter started, it was all the Pioneers. The Rams could not find the back of the net and struggled on the defensive end. The Pioneers hit the net a total of six times, while the Rams did not score at all. This deficit put the Rams in a hole, down six going into halftime. Once the third quarter started, the Rams regrouped and scored a few goals. Even though the Rams scored, the Pioneers kept on pushing and never missed a beat in the game. Rockford was down by four going into the final quarter. While the Rams started to improve during the game, they were too far behind to make a push to try and get the win. The final buzzer sounded, and Rockford fell to the Pioneers 8-12. This was a great learning game for the Rams. They will take this loss and regroup for the next time they may play the Pioneers. The second contest of the game, the Rams played the Bombers of St. Xavier out of Ohio. St. Xavier, over the past years, has been known for their speed, quickness, and physicality, as they are one of the top schools in the state of Ohio. This game was a back-and-forth battle. Rockford drew multiple man-up possessions and scored when they could. St. Xavier kept the game close but never had the lead. Rockford continued to get different rotations and wore down the Bombers with the depth the Rams have. The Rams stayed composed and stayed strong the entire game. Once the final whistle sounded, the Rams had a 10-8 victory. The invitational continued into Saturday, and Rockford had two more challenges ahead of them. Rockford was slated to play the defending state champions of Ohio, St. Charles, and the runner-up team, Upper Arlington. The first contest of the day was against St. Charles. St. Charles is in a rebuild year and is currently ranked number 2 in the state of Ohio. The Cardinals of St. Charles kept the Rams on their toes from the start. It was a great, clean contest, and both teams learned from it. Rockford never missed a beat and had multiple team members contribute to the offensive and defensive end of the pool. Rockford finished the game beating the reigning State champions 9-4. The final game for the weekend put the Rams up against the Golden Bears of Upper Arlington. The Golden Bears are currently ranked #1 in Ohio. While the Rams had watched the Golden Bears for three other games, they knew they were going to have a major challenge ahead of them. Upper Arlington is a senior-led squad and has multiple athletes who will be playing next fall at the collegiate level, or they will be swimming in college. The Rams struck first and kept on rolling from start to finish. The Golden Bears struggled to get their offense going as Rockford switched up their defense and ran a drop on them, which they had not seen from anyone else. Rockford perfected this drop defense and only allowed three goals to the Golden Bears for the entire game. While the Rams' defense was outstanding, they continued to excel on the offensive side of the ball. Rockford held a 4-1 lead going into the second half. Upper Arlington made a great third-quarter push and brought them right back into the game by netting two goals. Rockford was held scoreless in the third but still managed to have a 1-goal lead going into the final quarter. The final quarter was going to be a doozy for both teams and the fans. Rockford’s defense continued to fluster the Bears, and they could not get a good flow going. Rockford struck the cage three more times in the final quarter to seal the win 7-3. Sawyer Artz was a brick wall in the goal and tallied twelve amazing saves. This win for the Rams gave the Golden Bears their first loss of the season. Overall, the weekend was a remarkable success for the Rams. We learned a lot and showed some great glimpses of polo as we are in the final weeks of the regular season. Rockford travels to East Kentwood on Monday night for a dual game. At the end of the week, the Rams head to Zeeland, where they will play three more games. Rockford will face Birmingham Groves, East Kentwood, and Saline. Tournament results and teams in attendance https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1yKLvW6ddn5vWuAns40ZlaxBZMHR8t_hICRnsagQhTEg/edit?gid=0#gid=0