Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Rockets quarterback Haydon Meier looks for an open teammate to pass to. Meier had a total of 56 passing yards and 67 rushing yards.
Kaden Jensen blows past a Titan defender to score on a 51-yard touchdown for the Rockets. Jensen had a total of 265 rushing yards for three touchdowns.
This has been a season of injuries. Keaton Cudworth, Alex Weisenburger and Bradyn Collier are three of the five Rockets players that sat out of the game against the Titans. Cudworth was out due to pain in his back/ribs, Weisenburger is out for the season with a dislocated kneecap, and Collier is also out for the season with a broken kneecap and a torn tendon.
On Oct. 1, the New Rockford-Sheyenne Rockets (5-2,3-0) trampled the TGU Titans (2-5,0-3) in a 53-14 victory, their fifth consecutive win.
NR-S wasted no time building a lead, as Kaden Jensen opened the scoring with a 52-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. The run was only Jensen's third longest of the night, as he would go on to rack up 265 rushing yards, and three touchdowns on just 14 attempts.
"We ran our basic stuff, but we ran not as much option," explained Rockets head coach Elliot Belquist. "Just powers and counters were working for us early on in the first half. In the second half they adjusted ... so we put in a new play we've been working on and we hit on a couple of those."
Meanwhile, Connor Knatterud scored a 21-yard touchdown run later in the first quarter, and Haydon Meier piled on with a 56-yard touchdown pass to Koby Duda in the second. By the end of the first half, the Rockets had built a 28-0 lead.
Compounding the Titans misery was the Rockets' defense, which stood firm all night. On 20 rushing attempts, the Rockets held the Titans to -9 yards on the ground. Senior Nick Berglund was constantly busting into the Titans' backfield, coming up with three tackles for loss and two sacks.
The Titans managed some success through the air, namely a pair of touchdown passes in the third quarter, but the Rockets' defense made their mark in the passing game as well. Jensen, Trevor Waldo and Koby Duda nabbed one interception each, making this the Rockets' fifth consecutive game with at least three takeaways.
"We're stopping the run better and forcing teams to pass the ball," said Belquist. "They gave us two short fields. Trevor almost took [his interception] to the house and then Kaden returned his decently and set us up with good field position there. It's huge, it gets us off of defense and back on to offense."
Courtesy of Haydon Meier, the Rockets closed the game with two more touchdown runs in the fourth quarter, giving the Rockets their second straight win by a margin of nearly 40 points.
Since discovering their new identity as a ground and pound team, the Rockets have left a trail of destruction wherever they've been. Their three-headed ground attack of Jensen, Knatterud and Meier has been unstoppable, and they left Towner primed for their toughest challenge yet.
"They're faster than what we've seen lately," said Belquist on their homecoming matchup with Nelson County. "They do a little of everything. They'll come in the power, they'll come in the wishbone, they'll come in the I-formation, they'll spread you out, and their quarterback will hurt you running and passing. Gotta defend a little of everything against them."
NR-S battled for the regional championship with the undefeated Nelson County (7-0,3-0) at home on Oct. 8.
9-Man Non Region
Football
Friday, Oct. 1
NR-S 53, TGU 14
NR-S 14 14 12 13
TGU 0 0 14 0
First Quarter:
NR-S: Kaden Jensen 51-yard touchdown run (Jensen run for successful conversion)
NR-S: Connor Knatterud 21-yard touchdown run (conversion failed)
Second Quarter:
NR-S: Haydon Meier 56-yard touchdown pass to Koby Duda (conversion failed)
NR-S: Kaden Jensen 64-yard touchdown run (H. Meier run for successful conversion)
Third Quarter:
NR-S: Kaden Jensen 62-yard touchdown run (conversion failed)
TGU: 50-yard touchdown pass (conversion failed)
TGU: 18-yard touchdown pass (conversion failed)
NR-S: Bennett Meier 49-yard touchdown pass to Haydon Meier (conversion failed)
Fourth Quarter:
NR-S: Haydon Meier 5-yard touchdown run (extra point no good)
NR-S: Haydon Meier 52-yard touchdown run (extra point good)
NR-S Stats:
Passing: B. Meier, 2-of-3 for 58 yards and one touchdown; H. Meier, 1-of-3 for 56 yards and one touchdown.
Rushing: K. Jensen, 265 yards and three touchdowns on 14 attempts; C. Knatterud, 86 yards and one touchdown on 10 attempts; H. Meier, 67 yards and two touchdowns on 14 attempts; B. Meier, -3 yards on three attempts.
Receiving: K. Duda, 56 yards and one touchdown on one reception; H. Meier, 49 yards and one touchdown on one reception; C. Knatterud, 9 yards on one reception.
Tackles: (unassisted-assisted) N. Berglund (7-3); E. Benz (4-0); K. Jensen (3-2); K. Walford (2-0); H. Meier (1-1); C. Knatterud (1-0); H. Jacobson (1-2); D. Mudgett (1-2); J. Boehm (1-1); T. Waldo (1-0); K. Jacobson (1-0); K. Duda (0-2); L. Laducer (0-1).
Sacks: N. Berglund (2), E. Benz, J. Boehm, K. Jacobson.
Interceptions: K. Jensen, T. Waldo, K. Duda.
