Rams open OK Red play at Grand Haven
After falling to Saline in their opener in a game they had a great chance to win (37-28), Rockford rebounded in a stunning turnaround from the opening half to defeat Muskegon (30-26). Now the Rams have come to the time of the year when the games really matter. Rockford will journey to the lakeshore again on Friday, September 12 to take on the Grand Haven Buccaneers at 7:00 P.M. in the opener for OK Red play.
Grand Haven finds themselves with an identical 1-1 record after their pair of nonconference games with Traverse City West (32-14 loss) and Stevensville Lakeshore (38-0 win). The Rams and Bucs have met 41 times over the years with Rockford holding an overwhelming 37-4 edge in the All-Time series. Rockford won convincingly last year by the score of 49-14. But Grand Haven had solid success in moving the ball on the Rams but failed to put the ball in the end zone on several chances.
The Buccaneers feature an outstanding returning running back in junior Andrew Willemsen. Willemsen ran for over 1300 yards last year while scoring 11 touchdowns. He is a ball of energy at 5’9″ and weighs in at 200 pounds. He has already earned an NCAA Division 1 offer from the University of Toledo and was also feted as both an All-State and All-Conference performer. He will be joined as a returning starter by no fewer than four of his offensive linemen. Camden Meaker, Carson Hardy, Lewis Vargo and Jonah Broemer are the returners and are also a strength of the team. Easton Hintz will be the quarterback for Grand Haven and is much more of a dual threat both running and passing than what the Bucs featured last season. Highlighting the receivers is KV Korenstra. Korenstra features a combination of speed and elusiveness from the slot position. He will be joined by Amari Frierson, Collin Munford and Samer Korda as the heart of the Grand Haven receiving corps.
Grand Haven is coached by Andrew Biedenbender, who is in his third year at the helm. Biedenbender was an All-Conference performer at Grand Valley State as an offensive lineman. The Bucs have made major strides in participation levels for the football program. A few years back they forfeited a game to Rockford rather than facing the Rams with a depleted roster due to injury. Now the Bucs feature a varsity roster nearing 50 players as well as a total participation number of over 125 kids from the freshman to varsity level. That speaks volumes to Biedenbender’s ability to rally support. The last winning season for Grand Haven came in the 2019 season.
