By Red Storm Reports
The 7th Grade Football Team traveled to Warsaw to battle the undefeated Wawasee Warriors in
the NELMSC Championship. A patient offense and a stingy defense, including a first-half
interception by Joseph Smith and key tackles by Caleb Wiers and Brandon Zehner, kept the
Rockies close and only down 0-6 at halftime. The Rockie offense failed to score in the third
quarter, and the Warriors took advantage, scoring again to increase their lead to 12-0. With the
Warriors threatening again inside the Rockie redzone, the defense stiffened and drove the
Warriors to a difficult fourth-and-goal situation. On fourth down, Joseph Smith stepped in front of
a Warrior pass to collect his second interception of the contest, giving the Rockies the ball and
momentum. With six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, quarterback Kyle Lacefield found
tight end Michael Kaser for a 56-yard touchdown pass. After a successful extra point by Kaser,
the Rockies climbed back into the game, 8-12. On the ensuing kickoff, kicker Kevin Escobar
found a vacancy in the Warrior kick return, and the ball was recovered by the Rockies on the
Warrior 27-yard line. Five plays later, Lacefield punched it in for a one-yard touchdown run,
giving the Rockies the lead 14-12. With one minute and 30 seconds remaining, the
Warriors drove the length of the field, setting themselves up for a one final play on the Rockie
four-yard line. The Warriors quarterback found his tight end in the end zone on a dump play as
time expired, and Wawasee avoided a late Rockie comeback, capturing the championship 20-14.
The Rockies finished a tremendous season at 6-5.