Assistant Editor Jerry Lindsey wrote the report and took the photos.
The skies over Edgington, IL, were full of celebration as the Homecoming for the Rockridge Rockets included a visit from the Morrison Mustangs. The Mustangs brought in a record of two wins against three losses, to compete with the 4-and-1 Rockets.
The Mustangs scored on their first possession with a 48-yard pass completion from Danny Mouw to Chase Newman. The extra point kick failed, but the surprised home crowd was quiet. The Morrison defense ended the next Rocket possession on four snaps and quickly lit up the scoreboard again, with another Mouw-to-Newman touchdown of 43-yards. A completed extra point pass completion gave the Mustangs a 14-0 lead, with 3:45 left in the opening quarter. The Rockets retaliated with a 20-yard passing touchdown. The first quarter ended with the Mustangs enjoying a 14-6 advantage.
The Rockets used a strong defense and an efficient (6-for-7) aerial attack to change the game momentum in the second quarter. The Mustangs were held to a total of 43 yards with five possessions. The Rockets exploded with 159 yards in the air and scored on pass completions of 40 and 73 yards. They added another tally with ten seconds remaining in the half, on a 10-yard dive play. They then passed for a two-point conversion, to take a 29-16 lead into the halftime.
The second half Mustang offense could not get untracked, as their ground game only gained 20 yards. Then, Brady Anderson made an 80-yard touchdown scamper, with 20 seconds left in the game.
The Rocket offense was equally unproductive, but the team scored a 33-yard touchdown to open the fourth quarter. They built the final score of 36-22 for a Homecoming win over the Mustangs.