September 13, 2022 at 2:05 p.m.
Mistakes dash Dutchmen football’s dreams
The Dutchmen had the numbers for a win Sept. 8 when it hosted Rockford in football at Melrose Area High School in Melrose. What it did not have in their 7-0 loss were points. The team had its chances but did not capitalize on them.
“Every time we had something going, we turned the ball over or we had a snap that goes over the head or a penalty,” said Chuck Noll, co-head coach. “We can’t let that happen. If we correct two of those things, we score.”
Following Rockford’s 23-yard touchdown pass and point after kick on its first possession, the Dutchmen spent the game trying to reach the end zone. They had good drives and were able to run the ball.
Blocks by linemen Avery Kraemer, Will Sjogren, Hunter Goihl and Fernando Estrella Becerra provided holes for quarterback Devin Orbeck to gain 100 yards, led by running back Anthony Berscheit around defenders for 60 yards and helped Lucas Feldewerd run through tackles for 16 yards.
“I thought we ran the ball better this week,” Noll said. “But our passing…, we’ve got to get something out of that, and it’s not happening right now. We gotta get better.”
When they had to pass the Dutchmen were slowed. Orbeck was intercepted three times, all coming when it appeared the Dutchmen were in control of the game. Despite those mistakes, Melrose kept the game close, a credit to the defense.
Each time Melrose let an offensive opportunity slip by, the defense responded well. The team kept Rockford from long possessions. It sacked the quarterback four times and dropped ball carries behind the line of scrimmage six times. Berscheit and Jose De Los Santos Morales participated in seven tackles.
Except for Rockford’s first drive, the Dutchmen defense forced punts or turnovers on downs. Once it recovered a Rockford fumble.
The Dutchmen gave themselves another scoring opportunity late in the game. A 58-yard run by Orbeck put Melrose inside the Rockford 20-yard line. A run by Feldewerd put the ball on the 13-yard line with a second-and-seven situation. The drive stalled there as Melrose was called for holding, threw an incomplete pass and then an interception.
With close to three minutes left, and only one time out left for Melrose, Rockford opted to run and burn time off of the clock and preserve its win.
“We gotta dig deep and find ways to win,” said co-head coach Vaughn Glasener. “Hopefully, we can learn from it (the loss) and regroup.”
Rockford 7 0 0 0-7
Melrose 0 0 0 0-0
Passing: Orbeck 3/9-11 yards (3 interceptions). Rushing: Orbeck 19 carries-100 yards, Feldewerd 4-16, Berscheit 10-60. Receiving: Feldewerd 1 reception-minus 4, Berscheit 2-15.
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