Article submitted by Jerry Lindsey.
For the second week in a row the Morrison Mustangs were scheduled to play a State-ranked team. This week they had to face the weatherman also. Heavy rains on Thursday, September 17, 2015, and anticipated rains on Friday, September 18, forced the postponement of the Fresh-Soph game. This allowed the Varsity contest to be moved to 6:00 p.m., in an attempt to stay ahead of a storm front forecasted to arrive in the late evening.
The 6:00 skies looked promising. Clouds opened, and blue sky prevailed at kickoff. The Rockridge Rockets of Taylor Ridge, IL, ranked 7th in the State AP polls, received the kickoff. The Rockets are known for their ground offense and immediately established dominance in the first possession.
Starting with the ball on their 39-yard line, they began with two dive plays over the guard by Dalton Woeber. They netted 12 yards. The last 39 yards to the end zone were covered by a 26-yard run by quarterback Michael Griffin and a 23-yard touchdown by Woeber. The Rockets jumped to an 8-0 lead within the first 1:39 of the quarter.
The quick score motivated the Mustangs, who started their first possession on their 37-yard line. On the third snap of the series, Andy Bird slipped through tackles and broke down the left sideline, for 38 yards to the 7-yard line. Ryan VanZuiden took the next snap the final seven yards into the end zone. A pass from Dylan Keller to a wide-open Joey Brackemyer earned the two-point conversion. The Mustangs led 8-7 with 8:04 on the clock. Following a three-and-out by the Rockets, the Mustangs’ next drive was marred by three penalties, before they failed on a fourth-and-three on the Rockridge 39. The Rockets ended the quarter with the ball on the Morrison 26-yard line, after runs by Woeber of 21 yards and Nathan Parchet of 17.
The second play of the second quarter saw Griffin connect on a 17-yard pass with Alex Harrison. The Rockets were first-and-goal on the Morrison 6-yard line. The Mustang defense, anchored at the middle linebacker position by two Sophomores, Aaron Deter and Nathan Bush, and first game returnee Brackemyer, stopped the Rockets for four downs and took over possession on the 1-yard line. Three plays later, Justin Jansen punted out of the end zone; the Rockets took possession on the Morrison 23-yard line. This series was quickly ended, when Keller intercepted a Griffin attempt and returned it to the 37-yard line for the Mustangs. Penalties again hampered the Morrison thrust. A 53-yard touchdown by Bird was called back, forcing a fourth-down punt. The Rockets took possession with 3:28 on the clock and the ball on the Rockridge 21-yard line. A 15-yard Morrison penalty combined with a 38-yard scamper by Parchet led to his 13-yard touchdown run around right end. The Rockets went into the halftime break leading 13-8. The Mustangs entered the locker room knowing they had committed penalties that hurt their cause. But they had played the Rockets nose-to-nose for 24 minutes. Hopefully, that could carry over to the second half.
The second half started as the few Mustang faithfuls in the bleachers had hoped. Taking the kickoff at their own 37-yard line, the Mustangs earned a first down on the 48, with a fourth-and-one carry by Bird. The offense then caught the Rockets napping. A reverse and pass from Brackemyer to a wide-open Bird netted 33 yards and a first down on the 14-yard line. The Rocket defense was definitely on their heels as VanZuiden gained ten yards to the 4, and Bird carried the next snap into the end zone. The Mustangs led 14-13 and definitely owned the momentum of the game. As the teams lined up for the important extra point, the officials noted a distant lightning strike. The game was halted, and the bleachers were cleared for a mandatory 30 minutes at 7:30.
NHSF rules dictate that once a game is halted for a lightning strike the game is halted for 30 minutes. Each occurrence that follows resets the 30 minute timer. The storm front which the early start was attempting to avoid was now visible in the west and loaded with lightning. Players went to the locker rooms and fans to their shelter away from the bleachers. The next 2 ½ hours included lightning, thunder, and downpours. The authorities saw an opening on the radar and decided to wait out the storm. Eventually, the teams were allowed back on the field at approximately 9:50. The score was Morrison 14 and Rockridge 13, and the third quarter clock read 8:19 minutes left.
The rains continued lightly. The lightning departed the area. Unfortunately, the Mustang momentum exited with it.
The extra point failed and the Rockets turned the ensuing kickoff into a touchdown. They needed only two minutes to cover 70 yards, aided by a 29-yard run by Dylan Peterson. The tide had turned as the Rockets regained the lead at 19-14. Morrison followed the touchdown with a three-and-out, but they forced the Rockets to punt after seven snaps. A key play in the defense’s success was a tackle for a loss of the quarterback by Eric Sipes on a third-and-seven play. The quarter ended as Keller fumbled the slippery pigskin, and Rockridge recovered on the 39-yard line.
Each team started the final rainy quarter by turning the ball over on fumbles. Morrison lost another possession on an interception. Neither team could accomplish much in the rain and mud, but Rockridge struck one more time on a 28-yard pass from Griffin to Peterson with 2:35 left in the game, to finalize the score at 27-14.