CG-Belgium returns to field, winning

Cedar Grove-Belgium High School’s football team got its players back from quarantine, and it was enough to make Oostburg sick last Friday.

The Rockets demolished their rival, 33-7, to improve to 4-1 on the season. The Flying Dutchmen went to 1-4.

Junior quarterback Logan Arrowood, who sat out a 28-14 loss at Reedsville three weeks ago and didn’t play last week since Random Lake was shut down due to Covid-19, made his presence known early and often.

Arrowood went 12-for-20 passing for 203 yards and three touchdowns. His favorite target Sam Peiffer, who filled in as field general at Reedsville, was back at wide receiver and caught seven balls for 140 yards and two scores.

“It was great to be out there. Even last week in practice, it was just weird having everyone back,” coach Dan Screurs said of his team that was missing several players and some coaches due to contact tracing a couple of weeks ago.

The Rockets took a 12-0 lead before the Flying Dutchmen got the ball. They scored on the opening drive on a 29-yard pass from Arrowood to Peiffer, and then a stiff wind blew the kickoff back toward the Rockets. The ball bounced right into a Rockets’ hands, and they soon scored again, this time on a 23-yard pass from Arrowood to Gabe Egan.

The Flying Dutchmen couldn’t do much with the ball when they had it. Shifty running back Joey Bruggink was held to 35 yards on nine carries, and, thanks to tackles behind the line of scrimmage, the team was held to 23 yards rushing. Quarterback Aaron Huibregtse went 9-for-22 for 116 yards and an interception.

“The front seven swarmed all night long. They had Oostburg’s quarterback on the run. Coach (Jason) Klein definitely had them dialed in,” Screurs said.

Defensive end Markus Ramirez led the team in tackles with eight. Jordan Sells had seven and Justin Anzia had five.

Arrowood added a 39-yard scoring pass to Peiffer in the first quarter and Egan ran for a 2-yard touchdown in the second quarter. It was 26-0 at halftime.

Arrowood ran for a 1-yard score in the third quarter and the Flying Dutchmen finally scored on the Rockets’ second-string defense in the fourth quarter.

Schreur praised Egan, who filled in when Cayden Fisher injured his thumb and when Colton Sellin got dinged up. Egan ran six times for 12 yards and a score and caught two balls for 32 yards and a score. On defense, he made an interception.

Deven Soerens led the Rockets’ 121-yard rushing attack with five carries for 50 yards.

While each team is the other’s biggest rival and contests often include aggressive play, this year’s version lacked the chippiness of last year and didn’t have the same atmosphere since attendance was limited because of the virus.

“The fans are into it sometimes more than the players and teams are,” Schreurs said, but added, “It was a good hard-hitting physical game. For the most part it was your typical rival game.”

The Rockets host 1-4 Howards Grove on Friday and have interest in another game. Reedsville, 5-0 in the Big East Conference, hosts 4-1 Hilbert, whom the Rockets beat, 25-18, in the second week of the season. If Hilbert wins, the Big East could have three teams tied for the title.