HOWARD LAKE – When the Rockford and Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted football teams come together, it always seems to be a battle. The two teams have played each other tough the past few matchups, and this week looks poised to be another exciting one.
“Rockford has some size on the offensive and defensive line, and some young nice athletes like us,” HLWW coach Ben Anderson said. “We feel that we have enough talent to overcome the size difference if we are disciplined and do our job the way it is meant to be done. Our guys are excited to play at home and fix the mistakes from Week 1.”
The Lakers have had the upper hand lately in the series with the Rockets. They’ve won the past two matchups, and three out of the last four.
Just because the Lakers have had their number the past few outings, doesn’t mean the Rockets won’t be ready. Rockford has been a team improving each year the past few seasons, and looks poised to improve even more this year.
The Rockets are coming off a 41-14 victory over the Watertown-Mayer Royals in Week 1. The offense was clicking from the get-go, and the Lakers will have their hands full with Rockford running back Connor Schreckenghaust. He ran for 151 yards and five touchdowns last week, and will be a player the HLWW defense will need to key in on if they want to pick up the win.
Offensively, the Lakers will be looking for senior quarterback Nate Heuer to continue his strong play to start the season. Heuer threw for 300 yards and three touchdowns in Week 1, and the Lakers will be looking to get another good performance from him Friday.
While the passing game was working last week, the Lakers are typically a team that is built by running the ball. They ran for 94 yards last week against Upsala/Swanville, and if they can get a little more out of the running game against Rockford, the Lakers could have a sneaky good offense.