The Friday night, September 16, 2016, Fresh-Soph game between Rockridge and Morrison started out like a shootout. It settled quickly as the Ponies’ defense put the clamps on the visitors and galloped away with a 27-14 win.
Keagan Anderson didn’t allow everyone to get seated, as he took the second snap of the game and galloped 60 yards for a touchdown. Riley Wilkens kicked the extra point to start the scoring in Morrison’s favor 7-0. Rockridge charged right back on the ensuing possession and marched 70 yards to paydirt, with the aid of a 21-yard run by Niko Zarlatanes and a 26-yard pass completion from Cody Bush to Zarlatanes. The Rockets edged within one point of the Ponies 7-6. That one scoring drive would be more yards than the stingy Ponies’ defense would allow the remainder of the game. Anderson finished the next possession with a 25-yard scoring scamper that ended the quarter with the Ponies on top 14-6.
The Ponies completely shut down the Rockridge offense, allowing them only four yards rushing and seven yards passing the entire second quarter. Morrison’s second quarter featured a 23-yard pass completion from Jacob Schlegel to Jarrett Wiebenga in their opening drive, which ended with a Schlegel punt. Anderson gave Morrison good field position when he returned a punt 45 yards to the Rockridge 18-yard line. Brandon Zigler scored two plays later from the 11-yard line. Tthe Ponies ended the first half leading 21-6.
The third quarter belonged to the Ponies. They used over six minutes to drive 51 yards and saw Anderson scamper the final 15 yards for a score that raised the advantage to 27-6. The Morrison defense held Rockridge to a -7 yards in the third quarter,
Wiebenga intercepted the Rockets on the second play of the final quarter. He started a drive that consumed over eight minutes of the clock, before they turned it over on downs with 2:02 left in the game. Rockridge’s Cody Bush immediately found Drake Bevans open in the right flat. He ran the right sideline for a 76-yard touchdown to tarnish a Pony dominated half and turn the final score into 27-14 in favor of the Morrison Ponies.
The Morrison defense deserves a lot of recognition, but Keagan Anderson‘s 147 yards rushing can not get lost in the stat books.
The Ponies will welcome the Riverdale Rams next week in the Friday, September 23, Homecoming game.
