On 3rd and short deep in enemy territory, there’s usually some strategy in play. The most used tactic would be to run the ball since the team might already be guaranteed to go for it on 4th down. That philosophy was turned on its head in the first quarter of the Thursday night freshman football game vs. East Grand Rapids.
On third down, Ranger quarterback Will Costello found receiver Brody TenEyck in the back of the endzone for the first touchdown in a game the Rangers would never trail in, eventually winning 27-7.
Entering the game, the team had reason to be excited. After battling against a tough Byron Center team, the Rangers had a lot to build off of against East. Head coach Tony Sultini made it clear to his team entering the week.
“We came so close against Byron Center last week,” Sultini said. “We knew they were a good team, and that was our spark. This was a pretty big opponent, a great team, great history, and luckily, everything carried over from last week, this time with a better outcome.”
It goes without saying that no win is perfect. There are always a few small things to clean up, and Sultini recognizes those issues to prepare for next week.
“We always work on the small things,” Sultini said. “We’re going to see film tomorrow where our guys are missing blocks or they’re making contact and not running their feet and staying on. We just need to do small things that lead to scores.”
Costello was instrumental in the Rangers’ success Thursday night, throwing a touchdown and running for another. Most important was the fact that he got the team the win.
“It felt great [to get the win],” Costello said. “It’s been a long time, maybe a little too long, but we got it done. We got the win.”
The first win is always one of the most exciting, and the locker room was energetic following the game. The team had their celebration, and now Costello and the rest of the team are looking ahead to next week.
“It was hype [in the locker room],” Costello said. “Russell [Dryer] was leading it all, and Carson [Schick] got a little wet, but we’ll survive. We took over, and now we’ve got to keep going next week.”
The FHC rushing attack was powerful in the game, with running back Brody Nieuwkoop leading the charge. He ripped off several long runs and added a touchdown. Nieuwkoop’s fingerprints were all over the Ranger win.
“It felt good [to get the win],” Nieuwkoop said. “We’ve been practicing for this moment, and we’ve had a couple of losses before this, but that just propelled us. It was our full team and our coaching. We played well.”
The Ranger defense cannot be overlooked in the win. Safety Blake Teliczan intercepted a pass, linebacker Luka Nuo recovered a fumble and ran it into the end zone, and the defense forced multiple turnovers on downs. Nieuwkoop appreciates this effort.
“We just wanted it,” Nieuwkoop said. “Every play, we were just there. We had grit, and we had a fight. We really wanted it.”
The Rangers have a lot to be proud of. They put together a seamless game today, with both the offense and defense clicking and contributing. Sultini acknowledges what went on today and wants to use it going forward.
“We sustained long drives, and we punched it at the end,” Sultini said. “At Byron Center, we weren’t really doing that. That’s the big thing there, but right now, all these guys need to do is get the feeling of how to win, and this might turn into something special.”
