Eagles defeat Rockets to improve to 3-4
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RAPID RIVER -- On Friday, October 9, the Rapid River Rockets faced the visiting Stephenson Eagles in a tough matchup, quickly falling behind and ultimately ending the night with a 56‑0 loss.
Quarter One: Stephenson's offense quickly found a rhythm in the game. With 9:39 on the clock, #8 sophomore Evan Ruleau, ran in the first touchdown of the night, followed by a two‑point conversion from senior Nolan Ruleau to make it 8‑0. The Eagles struck again at 6:41 as Nolan Ruleau found the end zone, with sophomore Evan Ruleau converted to extend the lead to 16‑0. Continuing, senior Brock Motto had a touchdown with 4:29 on the clock, with another successful conversion by #6 Nolan Ruleau. With just 13 seconds left, Nolan Ruleau scored an additional touchdown and conversion, ending the quarter 32-0.
Quarter Two: Rapid began working hard to slow Stephenson's offense from here on out, but the Eagles still continued their lead, adding an additional touchdown and conversion from, leaving the score 40-0 going into halftime.
Quarter Three: Stephenson opened the second half with immediate pressure. Just eight seconds into the quarter, senior Gavin Anderson broke free for a touchdown, and Nolan Ruleau added the conversion to extend the lead to 48‑0. Later in the quarter, at 1:46, Brock Motto scored again, with Nolan Ruleau securing his third conversion of the night, closing the scoring at 56‑0.
Quarter Four: Neither team found the end zone in the final quarter, as both teams continued to battle defensively, further preventing any scoring from both sides.
Stephensons head coach Logan Carlson highlighted what got his team such an explosive start. "With Nolan Ruleau's speed, he was able to break out and take off. We had good blocking tonight, so he was able to take off for a couple long touchdowns. I believe that tonight Brock Motto re-tied the school record in touchdown receptions. And our defense stepped up; the most physical defense we've had, and I'm just very proud of them."
Coach Joe Smith from rapid: "We didn’t have a whole lot of yards, but most of them came when we put in our big package, where we took our extra guards and put out a bigger offensive line. We had Coen, our fullback, lead block for Joseph and that was really the only way we could move the ball. You gotta give credit to Stephenson -- they came with a good defense. "
#6 from Stephenson: "I thought it was a pretty great game. We had a four streak of losing, and it feels really good to come out here and pitch a goose egg and get a win. The offensive line played awesome -- great blocks, couldn't ask for anything more. Receivers were awesome, route running's awesome, and good sportsmanship throughout the game too. Guys helping each other out and that's good football. It's pretty nice."
Stephenson’s next game is in Stephenson on Friday against Pellston.
Rapid River’s next game is in Rapid River as they face Copper Island Academy.