ROCKFORD ATHLETICS I HOME OF THE RAMS

The Rockford varsity Rams polo team had a lighter week, but they stayed competitive. The Rams played four games in total and capitalized in all of them. This week featured some familiar teams and ones they have not played since early August. This was a week for the Rams to fine-tune their mistakes and continue to build a stronger bond with each other. Early in the week, the Rams traveled to East Kentwood for a showdown with the Falcons. This game had high implications for District seeding and Conference seeding. The Falcons, who are currently ranked #8 in the state, gave the Rams a great all-around game. East Kentwood showed determination and grit from start to finish but could not keep up with Rockford's depth. The Falcons are led by a pair of individuals who can score at will and make big plays when needed. The Rams knew they had their job cut out for them in defending these two individuals. From the first whistle to the final buzzer, the Rams' strong defense made it extremely hard for Kentwood to get any production going. The Rams were led in scoring by Junior Reese Ward, who struck the net four times. The Rams' defense forced Kentwood into multiple turnovers and allowed them to get out into transition quickly and capitalize on the opposite end. The Rams had a total of fifteen steals in the game and were led by Senior Captain Connor Geskus, who tallied five steals. Sawyer Artz held strong in the cage and had a total of six saves, one assist, and one steal for the Rams. Other contributors for the Rams were Mason Meyerholtz, who had three goals, and Liam Harkema, who had one goal, two assists, three steals, and two drawn Kickouts. The Rams finished the game with a 13-8 all-around team victory. This put the Rams at a 6-1 Conference Record (second place) and 2-0 in District play. As the week continued, the Rams traveled to Zeeland West for the final regular-season tournament of the season. On Friday night, the Rams faced a cross-state team in the Falcons of Birmingham Groves. Groves is in a bit of a rebuild year as they had a large senior class last season. The Rams continued to show their dominance on Defense and made it extremely difficult for the Falcons to get anything productive going on offense. Right from the start, the Rams were poised to push the tempo and get out into transition. The Rams' counterattack was on fire but struggled to hit the net when we needed to. The Rams had a total of twenty-four shots on goal and only scored eleven of them throughout the game. Birmingham's goalie Tyler Summers put on a great display, stopping the Rams from hitting the back of the net. Once the game commenced, the Rams finished with an 11-3 victory over the Falcons of Birmingham. Rockford had nine different scorers (Geskus-3, Deugaw-1, Connor-1, Sluiter-1, Ward-1, VanderVelde-1, Campos-1, Mason Meyerholtz-1, and Schuler-1). Sawyer Artz and Boone Redinger held strong in the cage and tallied a total of nine saves. The defense for the Rams continued to show its dominance and tallied fifteen steals. Once the Rams returned to Zeeland on Saturday afternoon, they were up against a familiar opponent in the Falcons of East Kentwood. This time, the Rams were mentally focused and ready to show why they are one of the top teams in the state. The Rams showed quickness, determination, and a strong pressuring defense across the entire contest. Rockford changed its mindset from the earlier game in the week vs Kentwood and capitalized in multiple ways. Rockford had a total of twelve goals, twelve assists, six steals, and two sprints won. Sawyer Artz and Boone Redinger had another great showing in the cage, tallying a total of twelve saves. Rockford's scorers were Geskus with three, Sluiter with three, Harkema with three, Deugaw with one, VanderVelde with one, and Mason Meyerholtz with one. Reese Ward led the Rams with five assists. The final score of this contest was Rockford 12 and East Kentwood 5. For the final regular-season tournament game of the season for the Rams, they faced East side contestants of the Hornets of Saline. This was only the second time the Rams had faced the Hornets of Saline. Saline is currently ranked #9 in the state and demonstrates quickness, determination, and a solid offense. Rockford was on a defensive prowl and forced multiple turnovers in this contest. They swam away with the ball, stealing it a total of fourteen times throughout the game. Rockford was able to get everyone on the team in during this game, and they all did a fantastic job while in the pool. Rockford was able to work on many different defensive schemes and see where we can get production from other individuals who normally do not score or contribute in diverse ways. The final score of the contest was Rockford 11 and Saline 7. Rockford had seven different scorers (Ward-4, Deugaw-2, Diemer-1, Geskus-1, Harkema-1, Golver-1, and Mason Meyerholtz-1). Artz and Redinger tallied eight saves. The Rams finished the week with a 4-0 record and demonstrated great teamwork. Coach Peterman was extremely impressed with how every player on the varsity team hit the water at some point in time. This demonstrated that the depth of the Rams will continue to show as they look forward to postseason play in 2 weeks. The Rams' top performer of the week was Liam Harkema, who showed his strong defensive presence, his strength, quickness, and his scoring ability. Liam was a defensive powerhouse and shuts down many of the opposing team's best players. He had a remarkable week and continues to improve, said coach Peterman. This coming week, the Rams have their final two regular season games of the season. On Monday, October 12, the Rams welcome Portage to Rockford for a district seeding matchup. This evening is also youth night for the younger generation, and they will get in free to the game if they wear a Rockford water polo shirt or Ram wear. The varsity game will begin at 6:15 PM and will be followed by JV at 7:15 PM. On Wednesday, October 14, the Rams will welcome the Wolves of Okemos for the final District seeding game of the season. This will also be a night where we will celebrate our twelve magnificent seniors. The senior introductions will begin at 6:05 PM, and the game will start at 6:30 PM. Come out and support your Rams in the last two regular-season games of the season. Postseason play begins on Saturday, October 24, at East Grand Rapids, where the Rams will begin their push for a shot at another state title. More details about the postseason will come once the brackets are finalized and seedings are all set by the end of this coming week.