CG-Belguim’s offense outlasts Howards Grove

A rematch of the Big East Conference opener for the Cedar Grove-Belgium and Howards Grove high schools’ football teams last Friday looked somewhat like the original, which meant the Rockets are moving on.

Cedar Grove-Belgium built a 27-0 lead and topped the Tigers, 48-27, in a Division 6 level I game at home.

On Sept, 2, the Rockets built leads of 27-14 and 42-28 before winning, 42-35.

Last Friday, the Rockets got a boost from their defense and special teams. Joe Schoeder tipped a pass that Deven Soerens returned 17 yards untouched for a touchdown in the second quarter, and in the third quarter Soerens blocked a punt deep in Tigers’ territory that led to the game’s final score.

Soerens said he ranked the blocked punt higher than the interception.

“The first time I rushed I saw the end was letting me go. All I had was one person to beat, and I put a move on him and I blocked it. I thought I was going to go back and pick it up and score,” he said.

“The pick six was given to me.”

Senior quarterback Colton Sellin went 4-for-8 passing for 114 yards with two scores and two interceptions, and he ran 16 times for 97 yards and touchdown.

Star Gabe Egan ran 13 times for 170 yards and a score, and he caught three balls for 90 yards and the game-opening 66-yard touchdown. He was double covered on the play, but Sellin threw it where only his receiver could catch it. Egan stretched out his arms to snag the ball on a crossing route, then eluded a few defenders on his way to the end zone.

“He’s just a pure athlete. He’s unbelievable. Just get the ball in his hands and let him go to work,” coach Dan Schreurs said.

The Rockets held a 27-13 halftime lead. The Tigers closed to 27-20 and 34-27 before the Rockets put the game away with two more touchdowns. Schreurs said play calling got more conservative in the second half as he tried to take time off the clock.

“We knew that their offense is good. They’re dynamic. They can do a lot,” Sellin said. “I just kept trying to tell my guys, we’ve got to keep going, we’ve got to keep our foot on the gas and we’ve just got to keep scoring.”

“We just came out and got the job done,” Egan said.

“We just kept moving,” offensive lineman Matthew Navis said. “Nothing slowed us down. Everything was just clicking and we kept moving.”

Wide receiver Caleb Beightol only got one touch in the game but he made the most of it, racing 48 yards untouched for a score on a counter play.

“We’ve been practicing that play all year. We were waiting for the right time to call it,” Beightol said.

On defense, Rockets knocked down a few passes after allowing 435 yards and five touchdowns through the air in the first meeting, mostly on short drops and quick throws.

“We knew what we were going against. We knew how to stop it. We just had to execute,” linebacker Billy Navis, who led the team with 14 tackles, said.

Jordan Platner had 13 tackles, Nolan Aponte had nine, Brody Halleman had seven and Gaven Davies had five. Tyson Becker had a sack.

The Tigers came in with a better rushing attack this time. After totaling four yards on 11 carries in the first meeting, a dinged-up Tyler Rittenhouse ran 23 times for 113 yards on Friday.

Quarterback Trent Grunewald went 17-for-37 for 229 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions — one by Soerens and another by Ethan Aponte.

“Howards Grove is a dangerous football team, and we knew that,” Schreurs said.

The No. 5-seeded Tigers finished 7-3.

The No. 4-seeded Rockets, 8-2, play at No. 1-seeded Coleman on Friday. Coleman, 11-0 and champions of the Northwoods Conference, beat No. 8-seeded Manawa, 62-0, last Friday.

The Cougars are a run-heavy team with more than 3,500 yards on the ground. They have 207 yards passing on the season, while the Rockets bring in a more balanced offense of nearly 2,300 yards rushing and nearly 1,500 yards passing.