GREENVILLE, Mich.---The Rapid River Rockets knew that they had to shut down the running game of the Peck Pirates if they had any chance of winning Friday night's Division Nine (eight-player) state championship game in downstate Greenville.
And the Rockets accomplished that mission, holding the Pirates in check for most of the night.
But the problem is, the Rockets could do nothing to slow down the Peck passing game.
Pirates quarterback Tristen Haener threw seven touchdown passes to lead his team to the state championship, 67-32, at Greenville's Legacy Field.
"Honestly, Rapid River shut us down," Peck Head Coach Rob McDaniel said. "We love to run. We had over 4,000 yards rushing (on the season)."
"We couldn't move the darn ball to save our lives. So we had to go to the air. We've been able to throw, and we've been able to run the ball all year," McDaniel continued. "Usually, we throw because we want to, not because we had to. But they made us throw tonight, and we had some success."
'We had a couple of poor reads where they were running open," Rapid River Head Coach Steve Ostrenga said. "But for the most part, we had coverage. We just didn't react well enough.
"Our guys gave it everything they had. But you've got to play that pass perfect when they've got a tall receiver and they throw it up. They made some good catches."
That showed on the game's first play when Haener found Tyler Beurmann for a 36-yard pass to the Rocket nine.
But the Pirates tried four running plays that went nowhere, with Ben Rubick and Steve Johnson blowing up the last two plays defensively.
The Rockets took over at the eight yard-line, and Jake Pearson burst into the open.
It looked like it would be a 92-yard touchdown run, but a Peck defender reached from behind and knocked the ball free.
The Pirates recovered the fumble, and after they converted a 4th-and-4 play, Haener passed to Caleb Dudley for a ten-yard score.
Unfortunately for Rapid River, that touchdown was a sign of things to come.
The Rockets killed themselves with three penalties on their next possession, and then on 3rd-and-16, Pearson threw a dying duck that was intercepted by Dudley.
On the next play, Cody Abrego raced into the end zone for a 25-yard score, making it 14-0.
"At the beginning of the game, we talked about how you can't give up big plays, you can't turn the ball over, and you can't take penalties," Ostrenga said. "We did all three of those things."
After the Rockets went three-and-out, the Pirates drove swiftly into the red zone, and then scored on a 22-yard strike from Haener to Beurmann. It was 21-0.
Rapid River caught a bit of a spark as they broke off 69-yard, 11-play drive that ended on a Pearson five-yard run. Pearson also ran in the two-point conversion, and it was 21-8.
But the defense couldn't hold off the Pirate offense, as Haener scored on a three-yard run with two seconds left in the half. So, Peck led, 28-8 at halftime.
The Rockets had some hope, though, coming out of the locker room, as they would receive the second half kickoff. But a penalty and two sacks hurt the Rockets, and when the Pirates got the ball, Haener threw a 53-yard touchdown to Kyle Abrego.
That made it 35-8. Then the Rockets bobbled the bouncing kickoff off of the Legacy Field artificial turf, and the Pirates recovered. On the first play, Haener hooked up with Abrego again for a 34-yard touchdown. Two TD's in 13 seconds. It was 41-8.
For the next few minutes, it was typical back-and-forth "eight man" offensive football. First, Pearson burst his way up field for a 39-yard touchdown. And he ran in the two-pointer, so it was 41-16.
But two plays later, Haener found Kyle Abrego again for a 65-yard score. It was 47-16.
Then back came Pearson for another touchdown, and two-point conversion. That made it 47-24.
But four plays later, Haener and Kyle Abrego hooked up for a fourth touchdown pass, this one, 19 yards. It was 53-24.
Peck scored two more touchdowns before the Rockets pulled off one play that put a smile on everyone's face, even though the game was pretty much over.
They lined up in a "muddle huddle" with five receivers to one side of the field, and another receiver to the far side. The only men in the middle of the field were Pearson, and his center, and long-time friend and teammate, Hayden Hardwick.
Hardwick snapped it to Pearson, who threw it back to the wide-open Hardwick up the middle. It worked for a touchdown that cut the gap to 67-30. But it was symbolic, as Ostrenga looked at all five of his seniors playing for the final time together.
"Words cannot describe it," Ostrenga said. "It's like you become a second family. I give these kids a lot of credit. To have these five seniors....it's like a second family."
Statistically, Peck rolled up 544 yards of total offense (379 passing) on just 47 offensive plays. Haener completed 12 of 16 passes for 379 yards and seven touchdowns, with Kyle Abrego getting four of those TD grabs. His twin, Cody, ran for 82 yards.
Pearson ended up with 180 net yards on31 carries and three touchdowns. He actually had 214 rushing yards, but was docked 34 yards on several sacks. In the air, Pearson completed 5 of 9 passes for 61 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions.
CLICK HERE to see all of the game's statistics, courtesy of the MHSAA.
Peck (13-0) wins its first-ever MHSAA state football championship.
"We were so happy that it was 12-0 against 12-0," said McDaniel, Peck's coach. "The best team was gonna walk off the field (as champions)."
"Rapid River is just loaded with athletes, and I knew that we were loaded with athletes. At the beginning of the game, I didn't know who it was gonna be (winning)."
"The best two teams played tonight."
Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box to see photos taken by Michelle Rubick, videos taken by Riley Pajnich, Geno Constantino and Dom Pavlat, and listen to radio highlights and interviews.
But the problem is, the Rockets could do nothing to slow down the Peck passing game.
Pirates quarterback Tristen Haener threw seven touchdown passes to lead his team to the state championship, 67-32, at Greenville's Legacy Field.
"Honestly, Rapid River shut us down," Peck Head Coach Rob McDaniel said. "We love to run. We had over 4,000 yards rushing (on the season)."
"We couldn't move the darn ball to save our lives. So we had to go to the air. We've been able to throw, and we've been able to run the ball all year," McDaniel continued. "Usually, we throw because we want to, not because we had to. But they made us throw tonight, and we had some success."
Peck's Kyle Abrego TD pass from Tristen Haener
"Our guys gave it everything they had. But you've got to play that pass perfect when they've got a tall receiver and they throw it up. They made some good catches."
But the Pirates tried four running plays that went nowhere, with Ben Rubick and Steve Johnson blowing up the last two plays defensively.
The Rockets took over at the eight yard-line, and Jake Pearson burst into the open.
It looked like it would be a 92-yard touchdown run, but a Peck defender reached from behind and knocked the ball free.
The Pirates recovered the fumble, and after they converted a 4th-and-4 play, Haener passed to Caleb Dudley for a ten-yard score.
Unfortunately for Rapid River, that touchdown was a sign of things to come.
Peck Coach Rob McDaniel post-game comments.
On the next play, Cody Abrego raced into the end zone for a 25-yard score, making it 14-0.
"At the beginning of the game, we talked about how you can't give up big plays, you can't turn the ball over, and you can't take penalties," Ostrenga said. "We did all three of those things."
Rapid River caught a bit of a spark as they broke off 69-yard, 11-play drive that ended on a Pearson five-yard run. Pearson also ran in the two-point conversion, and it was 21-8.
But the defense couldn't hold off the Pirate offense, as Haener scored on a three-yard run with two seconds left in the half. So, Peck led, 28-8 at halftime.
The Rockets had some hope, though, coming out of the locker room, as they would receive the second half kickoff. But a penalty and two sacks hurt the Rockets, and when the Pirates got the ball, Haener threw a 53-yard touchdown to Kyle Abrego.
Peck's Caleb Dudley gets the interception.
For the next few minutes, it was typical back-and-forth "eight man" offensive football. First, Pearson burst his way up field for a 39-yard touchdown. And he ran in the two-pointer, so it was 41-16.
Then back came Pearson for another touchdown, and two-point conversion. That made it 47-24.
But four plays later, Haener and Kyle Abrego hooked up for a fourth touchdown pass, this one, 19 yards. It was 53-24.
Peck scored two more touchdowns before the Rockets pulled off one play that put a smile on everyone's face, even though the game was pretty much over.
They lined up in a "muddle huddle" with five receivers to one side of the field, and another receiver to the far side. The only men in the middle of the field were Pearson, and his center, and long-time friend and teammate, Hayden Hardwick.
Jake Pearson to Hayden Hardwick from muddle huddle
"Words cannot describe it," Ostrenga said. "It's like you become a second family. I give these kids a lot of credit. To have these five seniors....it's like a second family."
RR Coach Steve Ostrenga post-game comments.
Pearson ended up with 180 net yards on31 carries and three touchdowns. He actually had 214 rushing yards, but was docked 34 yards on several sacks. In the air, Pearson completed 5 of 9 passes for 61 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions.
CLICK HERE to see all of the game's statistics, courtesy of the MHSAA.
"We were so happy that it was 12-0 against 12-0," said McDaniel, Peck's coach. "The best team was gonna walk off the field (as champions)."
"Rapid River is just loaded with athletes, and I knew that we were loaded with athletes. At the beginning of the game, I didn't know who it was gonna be (winning)."
"The best two teams played tonight."
Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box to see photos taken by Michelle Rubick, videos taken by Riley Pajnich, Geno Constantino and Dom Pavlat, and listen to radio highlights and interviews.
