ROCKFORD – A late touchdown plus a late stop added up to Grand Blanc’s first regional football championship in program history Saturday afternoon.
The Bobcats, 12-0, defeated Division 1′s No. 1 ranked Rockford Rams 28-27 to advance to next weekend’s state semifinal round.
Grand Blanc pulled ahead 28-21 with 3:41 left in regulation on Elijah Jackson-Anderson’s 5-yard touchdown run, but the Rams marched right back downfield and cut the deficit to one on Rockford quarterback Zak Ahern’s 12-yard score.
It appeared that the game was headed to overtime when the Rams lined up to kick the extra point, but Rockford instead pulled a fake. Rams kicker Jackson Burkholder took the direct snap, rolled to his left and threw under pressure into the end zone where it fell incomplete.
Grand Blanc recovered the ensuing onside kick, ran out the clock and will play Rochester Adams next Saturday at Howell High School. Kickoff is 1 p.m.
“We called it from the sideline even before they went out there,” Grand Blanc coach Clint Alexander said. “We said, Look, we think they are going to go for 2. If they don’t, we are not going to be surprised. But play the two because we are going to play to win.
“I have a lot of respect for a team that does that. They showed a lot of guts trying to win that game.”
The Rams suffered their first loss since losing to Davison in last year’s state semifinal game. Rockford, 11-1, found itself playing catchup throughout the game. Rockford would have had its first lead in the game if the 2-point try worked.
“It’s a play that we have worked on, and our kids were excited to run,” Rams coach Brent Cummings said. “As coaches, we were excited to give it a shot. If we make it, everyone is jumping around and happy for it. But it didn’t. You feel for these kids. They believed it was going to work but sometimes it doesn’t work out that way.”
Grand Blanc quarterback Hunter Ames, who played on the Bobcats’ state championship winning baseball team last spring, was 21-of-31 for 265 yards and two touchdowns. He threw a 54-yard bomb to Tae Boyd that went for a touchdown at the 7:40 mark of the second quarter that gave Grand Blanc a 14-7 halftime lead. Ames threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Nasir Carson in the third that put the Bobcats up 21-14.
“This is super special,” Ames said. “We knew on the bus ride it was going to be really loud, Rockford is a big community and very loyal to everyone. But we did our job.”
Ahern was equally dangerous for the Rams. Ahern was 14-of-26 for 228 yards, and he ran for all four of Rockford’s touchdowns. Ahern finished with 56 yards rushing on 19 carries.
“He is a nightmare to defend,” Alexander said. “If you try to defend the pass, he just takes off. If you try to defend the run, he will throw it over you, and he did a couple of times. He is a big, physical kid.
“We brought two students in who don’t play football this week that are probably two of our most athletic kids (at Grand Blanc High School) and had them play scout quarterback. We tried to pass rush them. We asked the boys to find the two quickest guys you can get, and we are going to have them replicate the Q. Those guys did a great job making us work. The first day we were 1 out of 11 stopping them. By the end of the week, we could actually stop them. That really helped us.”
Jackson-Anderson led the Grand Blanc ground game with 85 yards on 20 carries, and his 5-yard first-quarter touchdown run put the Bobcats up 7-0. Jackson Goldie had six receptions for 47 yards. Landon Brooks had an interception for Grand Blanc.
Alex McLean had six catches for Rockford for 116 yards. Ryan Ahern sparked the defense with 7.5 tackles, while Colby Weston had seven, including a sack.
“In the end, we will reflect, and there will be a lot of things that we will be excited about,” Cummings said. “They worked hard every single day. There were some neat things that they accomplished. The main message for these guys is that we are very, very proud of them. I can’t think of a more fun group to work with. They will be happy for the things that they accomplished.”
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Grand Blanc wins first regional after stopping Rockford’s late 2-point conversion try - MLive.com
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