Coopersville Football: Welcome

Welcome to Coopersville Bronco Football

1991, 2000, 2006 State Runner-Up
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1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2007 District Champions!!!
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This site was built on October 5, 1999

MARQUETTE -- Coopersville's run was ended by the run.

The Broncos' run of eight straight wins ended at the Superior Dome on Saturday night when Kingsford ran for 338 yards in a 21-14 victory in the Division 4 regional championship game. Flivvers tailback Ryan Kleisner led the rush with 115 yards on only 11 carries. He scored twice, on runs of 41 and 45 yards. Fullback Josh Droese ran for 106 yards and scored Kingsford's other touchdown.

"They moved the ball on the ground better than we did," Coopersville coach Jim Meerman said The Broncos rushed for only 65 yards. "We have been able to shut down the run, but (Kingsford) has been scoring 35-40 points on every team they've played."

With its offense sputtering in the first half, Coopersville trailed 14-0 at halftime.

"We had some people open but we didn't complete the passes," Meerman said. "Their defensive line dominated the line of scrimmage. Actually their line won both sides of the ball. In the second half, we played much better though."

The Broncos got on the scoreboard in the final minute of the third quarter when junior quarterback Brett Pfahler hit senior Sam VanderMolen with an 8-yard touchdown pass. They drew to within seven in the first three minutes of the fourth quarter when senior Blake Waldecker scored from seven yards out and Pfahler found Tim Jewell with a pass for the two-point conversion.

Coopersville looked to be driving for what could have been a tying score late in the game, but on third down from midfield, the Broncos were called for offensive pass interference. Instead of having a first down deep in Kingsford territory, they were penalized 15 yards and lost the down. Pfahler was sacked on the ensuing play and the game was virtually over.

"That play was big because we were moving the ball," Meerman said. "The loss of down hurt us a lot."

Pfahler completed 13-of-25 passes for 159 yards. "Coopersville took a lot of stuff away from us," Kingsford coach Chris Hofer said. "I don't think we expected them to throw the ball as much as they did, and as well as they did. They are a good team. Teams from the Grand Rapids area play some of the best football in the state."

Coopersville, having lost in the state championship game last year, was hoping for a return visit to Ford Field.

"We wanted to head back there again," Pfahler said. "We wanted to go back there, to win a state championship, especially for the seniors."

Said Meerman "We had a great run, losing our first three and then coming back the way we did. The kids didn't quit all year and they didn't quit tonight, either. We hate to see these seniors go. We were looking to go back, everyone would like to, but it didn't happen."

REMUS -- The Coopersville Broncos weren't going to let a little second-half adversity slow them down, not after everything they have overcome this year.

The Broncos held off Chippewa Hills 24-19 in Friday night's Division 4 district championship game, sending Coopersville into next weekend's regional round against Upper Peninsula foe Kingsford.

Coopersville, now 8-3 after starting 0-3, forced four first-half turnovers and cashed in touchdowns on two of them to build a 21-7 halftime lead.

The Broncos led 24-13 in the fourth quarter when the Warriors closed in after David Gossett ran 10 yards for a touchdown with 10:37 left in the game.

But the Broncos were able to run out the final 4:58 to seal the win. Blake Waldecker, who left the game after bruising his leg, returned and rolled up 26 yards on the drive to help finish off the Warriors.

"These kids don't quit," Broncos coach Jim Meerman said. "We played a good football team today, a very talented team. But I thought our kids played well. Maybe it was the schedule that we played at the beginning of the year when we played some really good teams.

"You would think they would have had their heads down a little bit at the end, but they kept fighting and put a nice drive together at the end of the game. We moved the ball when we hadn't been able to run the ball."

Coopersville junior quarterback Brett Pfahler threw three first-half touchdown passes to spark the offense. Pfahler completed nine passes for 136 yards.

Adam Raak helped set up the game's first score when the Coopersville senior recovered a fumble at the Warriors 24. Pfahler fired a 19-yard touchdown pass to Tim Jewell moments later.

The Broncos regained the lead, 13-7, later in the opening quarter when Pfahler tossed a 4-yard touchdown pass to Sam VanderMolen. Pfahler's 37-yard screen pass to VanderMolen gave the Broncos possession at the Warriors 4.

Coopersville pulled further ahead in the second quarter. The Broncos were facing third-and-17 at the Warriors 34 when Pfahler hit Nick DeKraker with a pass over the middle. DeKraker broke two tackles and rambled into the end zone.

Warriors quarterback Alex Wilson completed his first nine passes of the game, including a 23-yard touchdown pass to Taylor Leonard in the opening quarter to tie the game, 7-7.

Wilson completed 21-of-26 passes for 200 yards.

Wilson also threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Cole Hansen in the third quarter, cutting the deficit to 21-13. But the Broncos answered with a 28-yard field goal from Waldecker.

COOPERSVILLE -- The state high football playoffs started this weekend, but Coopersville has been dealing with do-or-die pressure since Week 4.

The Broncos won their seventh consecutive game with a 28-0 victory over Orchard View in Division 4 action Friday night. Coopersville, which started the season 0-3 after finishing runner-up in the state last year, will battle Chippewa Hills next weekend.

"I'm extremely happy with these kids because they just didn't quit," Broncos coach Jim Meerman said. "They kept coming to practice and they kept getting better. They just never quit, and that's why it has been a fun group to coach."

Coopersville scored touchdowns on its first two possessions and led 15-0 at halftime. Tim Jewell scampered 12 yards for Coopersville's first touchdown, then Blake Waldecker plunged 1 yard for the other.

Coopersville poured it on in the third quarter. Junior quarterback Brett Pfahler fired a 22-yard touchdown pass to Nick DeKraker and Waldecker scored his second touchdown from 2 yards out.

Pfahler completed his first five passes and finished 9-of-13 for 148 yards.

"He keeps his cool and made some big plays tonight," Meerman said. "I have seen him get better all year in practice and in the games. He's a good kid."

Coopersville made big plays throughout the game, converting 7-of-10 third-down plays. But arguably the biggest play came on defense.

The Cardinals were facing 4th down and less than a yard at the Coopersville 7 on their first possession after falling behind 7-0. Coopersville's Jarod Host wrapped up running back Matt Latsch short of the first down. Coopersville then marched 93 yards for its second score.

That was as close as the Cardinals would get.

"That was big," Meerman said. "Defensively, we came into the game not wanting to give up the big plays, and we had to tackle well. I thought they did a great job with that. Our coaches made adjustments and slowed them down a little bit."

Orchard View completed the season at 6-4.

"We are a very young team, and our seniors battled hard, but we just don't have very many of them," Orchard View coach Hal Holman said. "We are proud of them, and our future looks good.

"Coopersville is an outstanding team. They executed very well, especially when they needed it. They made big plays, and we didn't. We wish Coopersville well."

COOPERSVILLE -- Running back Blake Waldecker led Coopersville to a big win Friday night at a rainy and blustery Robinson Field.

The 5-foot-8 senior rushed for 119 yards and two touchdowns in a 32-0 rout over conference rival Sparta. The victory, Coopersville's sixth of the season, boosted the Broncos to their ninth consecutive playoff berth. It also gave them the O-K Blue title outright, as they went undefeated in conference play.

"Tonight was a total team effort," Coopersville coach Jim Meerman said. "To shut out Sparta, that's a great effort defensively".

 The Broncos' defense came up with two fumble recoveries and forced the Spartans, missing senior running back Zach Priest, into several mistakes.

Coopersville was equally damaging on offense, chewing up 224 rushing yards.

Leading the way was Waldecker, who opened the scoring for the Broncos on the first possession of the game. An opening 40-yard kick return set up Coopersville at the Sparta 20-yard line. Waldecker danced into the end zone from 16 yards out three plays later. He finished the scoring drive by drilling the extra point to give his team a 7-0 lead.

"The offensive line did a tremendous job of opening up a hole," Waldecker said. "I just ran straight through into the end zone."

Waldecker scored again in the third quarter on a 4-yard run. His extra point was the final score of the night.

The play capped what has been a huge year for the running back. He finished the regular season with 1,390 yards rushing and 19 touchdowns.

"I owe it all to the offensive line," Waldecker said. "It starts with them, and they do a great job."

The Broncos, who opened the season 0-3, now take their show on the road in the playoffs. They finished last season as state runners-up in Michigan's Division 4.

"Now we start over," Meerman said. "We want to get back to Ford Field."

After Waldecker's first touchdown, the Broncos found the end zone two more times in the first half. The combination of junior quarterback Brett Pfahler and senior Tim Jewell was responsible for both scores. The two hooked up for an 8-yard touchdown pass on a fourth-and-goal play early in the second quarter.

They found each other later in the quarter on a pitch-and-run from 23 yards away.

Coopersville also scored on a 1-yard run by junior Taylor Laug in the third quarter.

The Spartans dropped to 4-5 overall after the winning the O-K Blue last season.

COMSTOCK PARK -- Coopersville's 24-7 win against Comstock Park on Friday night proved to be a microcosm of the season for the Broncos.

Coopersville started slowly, then came storming back.

The Panthers jumped out to a 7-0 first-quarter lead, but Coopersville answered with a pair of second-quarter touchdowns to take a 16-7 halftime lead and grab control of the game.

The victory gave the Broncos a share of the O-K Blue championship and was their fifth consecutive win after starting the season 0-3. A win over Sparta next Friday will secure a playoff berth and win the Championship outright for the Broncos, who were state runner-up in Division 4 a year ago.

"It was a long start (to the season), but our kids did not quit," Broncos coach Jim Meerman said. "We told our kids that we just wanted them to get better, that was our goal, and we played each game with that intent, to get better.

"We weren't even thinking championship after our third game. We just wanted to win. From there, it has taken off. It's because our seniors are strong and they stayed together."

Meerman has guided the Broncos to seven conference championships in the past nine years. But Comstock Park struck first on its first drive of the game when the Panthers marched 58 yards for a touchdown. Quarterback Erik Caswell capped the drive with a 13-yard strike to Tommy Greer.

The Panthers threatened to stretch their lead later in the first after Travis Kusmierski intercepted the Broncos at the Comstock Park 40. The Panthers drove into Coopersville territory but were stopped on downs at the 35 yard line.

Comstock Park held Coopersville to three touchdowns, but the Broncos converted all three of their 2-point conversion attempts.

"We are real young, and we are coming along," Comstock Park coach Steve Gough said. "I couldn't be more proud of our kids. We have been getting better the last three weeks, and I think we made a little bit of a statement. We have been playing real tough and hanging in there."

Coopersville senior Blake Waldecker rushed for 189 yards on 28 carries, and his 2-yard touchdown run with 4:33 left in regulation iced it. The Broncos also scored a second-quarter touchdown on Kyle Kunnen's 6-yard run, and they scored later in the first half when quarterback Brett Pfahler threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Tim Jewell.

"Field position hurt us," Meerman said. "We threw an interception and dropped a kickoff, but we got into our game plan. Give Comstock Park credit. They played hard and they played well. They have improved since day one. They have a good program."

TEAM STATISTICS/LEADERS

RUSHING--Coopersville 53-264 (Waldecker 28-188). Comstock Park, 34-99 (Kusmierski 12-36).

PASSING--Coopersville, Pfahler 4-82-1-58. Comstock Park, Caswell 6-15-1-67.

RECEIVING--Coopersville, VanderMolen 2-40. Comstock Park, Greer 2-25.

TACKLES--Coopersville, Kunnen 10 1/2. Comstock Park, Kyle McCarthy 8 1/2.

Friday, October 05, 2007

By Jeff Chaney

CEDAR SPRINGS -- The Coopersville Broncos picked the perfect time to play flawless football.

Traveling to a hostile Red Hawks Stadium and playing an undefeated Cedar Springs team with the O-K Blue Conference championship and their own playoff lives on the line, the Broncos went up by two scores at halftime and held on for a 14-6 win Friday night.

"I think we rocked them in that first half," said Coopersville coach Jim Meerman, whose team has won four consecutive games after dropping its first three non-conference games.

"That first half was our best half of football of the year," Meerman said. "We wanted to hold the ball in that first half and get up on them, because we talked all week about how explosive they were."

Led by junior quarterback Brett Pfahler, senior running back Blake Waldecker and physical offensive and defensive lines, Coopersville controlled both lines of scrimmage and the tempo of the first half.

Pfahler completed 7-of-9 passes for 92 yards and rushed for one touchdown, and Waldecker carried the ball 18 times for 78 yards and a score in the first 24 minutes.

The Broncos tallied 173 first-half yards, more than 100 yards more than Cedar Springs to take a 14-0 lead.

"We knew they were good, they were state ranked and we knew we had to come out and play perfect football," said Pfahler, who completed 8-of-12 passes for 100 yards and one interception.

"My line did a great job for me tonight. I was barley touched, they opened holes and our receivers caught the ball," Pfahler said. "This is a huge win for us because the conference championship was on the line and the chase for the playoffs."

The Red Hawks made adjustments at halftime and shut out the Broncos' offense in the second half.

Then Cedar Springs trimmed the lead to eight points late in the fourth quarter on an Andy Stanley 3-yard plunge, but the Red Hawks rally fell short when senior quarterback Jon Cole was sacked and he fumbled the ball on a last-minute drive.

Pfahler took three knees after that to end the game.

"They did play a perfect first half," Cedar Springs coach Brian Busen said. "It was amazing that they just kept making plays in that first half when they needed to. They are a championship team, they are where we want to be."

The Coopersville win keeps the Broncos' hopes alive to make the playoffs for a ninth consecutive year.

"Our team is getting better," Meerman said. "We made too many mistakes early in the year, and you can't do that against good teams. Tonight we played well -- this was a big win for us."

COOPERSVILLE 14

CEDAR SPRINGS 6

Coopersville (4-3)    7 7 0 0 -- 14

Cedar Springs (6-1)   0 0 0 6 --  6

C--Blake Waldecker 3 run (Waldecker kick)

C--Brett Pfahler 1 run (Waldecker kick)

CS--Andy Stanley 3 run (kick failed)

TEAM STATISTICS/LEADERS

RUSHING--Coopersville 44-133 (Waldecker 28-100), Cedar Springs 33-94 (Stanley 9-62).

PASSING--Coopersville, Pfahler 8-12-1-112. Cedar Springs, Cole 12-18-0-103.

RECEIVING--Coopersville, Sam Vandermolen 4-47. Cedar Springs, Jason Hendges 6-68.

TACKLES--Coopersville, Mike Willacker 12. Cedar Springs, Jordan Kelley 10, Casey Pike 10.

Blake Waldecker scored six touchdowns, including the last one on a 55-yard run and netted 203 yards rushing to lead Coopersville. The Broncos scored 22 points in each of the first two quarters and led 44-14 at just halftime. Wyoming Park's Mark Thrash scored four touchdowns, including an 86-yard kickoff return, and rushed for 111 yards. Coopersville's Taylor Lang had a 23-yard touchdown run.

The Broncos travel to Cedar Springs for a showdown of league leaders on Friday.  Both teams are 3-0 in the OK-Blue.

The scoring recap from the Wyoming Park game...

C--Blake Waldecker 47 run (kick failed)

WP--Mark Thrash 5 run (Justin Wagner kick)

C--Waldecker 1 run (Waldecker kick)

C--Waldecker 7 run (Travis Jebb kick)

C--Waldecker 16 run (Waldecker kick)

WP--Thrash 25 pass from Rumiel Benson (Wagner kick)

C--Waldecker 33 run (Nick DeKraker pass from Brett Pfahler)

C--Taylor Laug 23 run (Waldecker kick)

WP--Thrash 14 run (kick failed)

C--Waldecker 55 run (kick failed)

WP--Thrash 86 kickoff return (Wagner kick)

TEAM STATISTICS/LEADERS

RUSHING--Wyoming Park 35-188 (Thrash 12-111), Coopersville 46-373 (Waldecker 15-203).

PASSING--WP, Benson 5-10-1-74. Coop., Pfahler 3-6-0-33, Eric Flagg 0-4-0-0.

RECEIVING--Wyoming Park, Wagner 2-36. Coopersville, DeKraker 1-22.

     Coopersville rebounded from an early 6-0 deficit to score 37 consecutive points in the first half and blast Rogers. Blake Waldecker rushed for 244 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Broncos. He also kicked two field goals. Rogers was led by Kyle Lieckfelt, who passed for 311 yards and two touchdowns.

     The win brings the Broncos record to 2-3 overall, and tied for first place (2-0) in the OK Blue.

     The Broncos will be home again on Friday against Wyoming Park for Homecoming.

R--Rakeyme Banks 25 pass from Kyle Lieckfelt (kick failed)

C--Tim Jewell 29 run (kick failed)

C--Blake Waldecker 35 run (Waldecker kick)

C--Waldecker 4 run (Jewell pass from Brett Pfahler)

C--Waldecker 11 run (kick failed)

C--FG Waldecker 33

C--Caleb VanTimmeren 15 run (kick failed)

R--Ben Ivy pass 27 from Lieckfelt (kick failed)

C--FG Waldecker 27

TEAM STATISTICS/LEADERS

RUSHING--Rogers 15-30 (Kurkijian 12-21), Coopersville 60-460 (Waldecker 20-244).

PASSING--Rogers (Lieckfelt 23-42-5-311), Coopersville (Flagg 5-7-0-80).

RECEIVING--Rogers (Ivy 12-163), Coopersville (Nick DeKraker 2-38).

GRAND RAPIDS -- One win down, five to go.

The last thing Coopersville wanted to do was knock itself out of playoff contention four games into the season. The Broncos instead came through Friday and avoided something they had not done in 24 years.

The Broncos missed going 0-4 for the first time since 1983 as Blake Waldecker rushed for 147 yards and two touchdowns in a 21-6 win against Forest Hills Eastern.

"Our line was doing a great job. It was persistence," Waldecker said. "We might get one or two yards and then we might break one. We just had to keep it on the ground and keep pounding away."

Coopersville got 223 of its 345 yards on the ground behind a strong rushing attack anchored by Waldecker and an offensive front that included Aaron Cook, Darrick Bolthouse, Andy Beers, Jake Daling, Nick DeKraker and Sam VanderMolen.

"The whole line just came through for us," Waldecker said. "They all did a great job. It feels great to get this win, and now we can look forward to next week."

The Broncos held on to the ball for around two-thirds of the game with a short-gain offense that led to two first-half scores. Waldecker's 5-yard touchdown run was followed by a 9-yard pass from Brett Pfahler to Sam VanderMolen.

A 2-yard keeper by FH Eastern quarterback Karl Crist cut the Hawks' deficit to 14-6 in the third quarter, but Coopersville closed the door on Waldecker's second score, a 7-yard run.

Waldecker even gave the Broncos hope for a kicking game that has been spotty at best by knocking in his own extra point.

"I thought up front we moved the ball really well, and defensively we did well up front, too," Coopersville coach Jim Meerman said. "We just have to cut down on our turnovers, and we can do that by coming back Monday and working on it."

The teams combined for seven turnovers, three of those coming in the final minute of the first half.

What saved Coopersville in the end was its third-down conversion success. The Broncos converted eight times on those plays, including three times in the opening touchdown drive.

"Credit the Coopersville kids for that," FH Eastern coach Tim Gibson said. "They made those third-down plays and we didn't do it. We didn't do well in that department, and that came into play.

"We knew we'd be tested physically tonight by a big-time program with big kids. I thought we stood in there toe-to-toe and hit."

Coopersville has all the incentive in the world to keep winning. Not only would five more wins clinch a playoff berth, it likely would result in O-K Blue Conference success.

Meerman and his team are not thinking that far ahead.

"We came up short the first three weeks, and this win really helps us out," Meerman said. "Now we get to go home finally and play again".

EAST GRAND RAPIDS -- After losing two fumbles Friday night, Joe Glendening was looking for redemption.

The East Grand Rapids junior found it in two touchdown runs and two interceptions as he led the Pioneers to a 14-6 victory against visiting Coopersville.

Glendening, a 5-foot-11, 175-pound running back and defensive back, fumbled the ball away in the second quarter and fumbled a punt early in the fourth quarter. He redeemed himself by scoring both East Grand Rapids touchdowns, on 1-yard runs in the second and third quarters.

He intercepted Coopersville quarterback Brett Pfahler twice in the game's final two minutes to preserve the EGR victory.

"I was trying to make up for the two fumbles I lost," Glendening said. "I was trying to pay the team back a little bit. Our offense had to drive the ball tonight, it wasn't like the first two games when we'd go 20 yards and score. Our defense started a little slow, but we picked it up."

Coopersville (0-3) took a 6-0 lead on the second play of the second quarter when senior Blake Waldecker rambled 37 yards for a touchdown. The extra-point try hit the left upright.

Glendening tied the game seven minutes later with a 1-yard blast, while Michael Wilson kicked his first of two extra points. The game's decisive score, Glendening's second 1-yard blast, came at 5:27 of the third quarter as EGR opened the second half with a 14-play drive covering 80 yards and chewing up 6 minutes, 33 seconds.

"That drive to start the second half was the turning point of the game," EGR coach Peter Stuursma said. "The things that disappointed us tonight were penalties and turnovers. When you have penalties and turnovers against a team like that, you're in for a long night."

East Grand Rapids (3-0) won without its starting quarterback, senior Cal Blair. Blair, who left last week's game against Catholic Central with an ankle injury, was replaced by junior Andrew Thompson.

Coopersville's best chance to tie the game came with just over six minutes left to play when it had the ball at the EGR 3. A fumbled snap on second down ended the Broncos' threat as the ball was recovered by EGR junior Robert Bell. Bell picked up the ball at the 5 and took it out near midfield.

The Broncos got the ball back two more times, but both possessions ended with Glendening interceptions.

"When you play good teams, you can't make mistakes," Coopersville coach Jim Meerman said.

Friday, August 31, 2007

By Steve Kaminski

The Grand Rapids Press

ZEELAND -- Zeeland West senior fullback Andrew Plaska is not the type of kid who basks in praise, even when he really, really deserves it.

Plaska ran through Coopersville in Zeeland West's 33-20 victory over the Broncos on Thursday night in a rematch of last year's all-Ottawa County Division 4 title game. The Dux won that won, too.

Plaska rambled for 230 yards on 21 carries and scored on touchdown runs of 68, 65 and 30 yards. While walking off the field, Plaska shook his head and shrugged his shoulders when asked if he knew he had just rushed for over 200 yards 

"Our line really did a great job," Plaska said. "They opened things up for me. We are a versatile team and we have a lot of guys who can contribute. It keeps the other team guessing. We have a lot of guys up front who can push people around."

The 2-0 Dux led 20-0 at halftime after scoring three second quarter touchdowns, including Plaska's 68-yarder with seven seconds left in the half. The Broncos scored three touchdowns in the fourth and Coopersville never got closer than 13 points in the second half.

Plaska rushed for 28 yards on 13 carries in Zeeland West's season-opening win over Hamilton last week. Dux coach John Shillito said those numbers were not a motivating factor for Plaska.

"No, he didn't care in the least," Shillito said. "You know what he said (after Hamilton)? He said he liked blocking. He blocked more in that game than any game before. Our fullback doesn't block that much. Because he is such a good football player, we are using him more as a blocker. He was thrilled to be a good blocker.

"You can't imagine the quality person and the unselfishness he has for a guy who has been a three-year star for us. As a coach, you want your great players to act like that. This isn't coach talk. It's who he is."

Both teams had the ball just once in the first quarter, but neither scored. The Broncos took the opening kickoff and marched down to Zeeland's 10 but were stopped on downs. Zeeland then responded with a 15-play drive but fumbled away the ball at the Coopersville 4 early in the second quarter.

It was Zeeland's defense that broke the scoreless tie when Derek Kingshott intercepted a pass and returned it 17 yards for a touchdown.

"We moved the ball but we just couldn't score in the first half, and then we gave them one on the interception," said Coopersville coach Jim Meerman, whose team dropped to 0-2. "You can't allow that type of offense to keep the ball in their hands, and our goal in the first half was to run the ball, and we did. We just didn't put it in the end zone.

"They are a polished team, offensively and defensively. Their kicking game is sound. They are just so big and physical right down the line. It's tough to stop everything they do. We did a pretty good job early, but they wore down on us later on."

The Broncos got a big performance from senior running back Blake Waldecker, who rushed for 155 yards on 28 carries and scored on touchdown runs of 2 and 1 yards. Junior Taylor Laug capped the game's scoring with a 79-yard touchdown run in the game's final minute.

The Broncos will play another defending state champion in East Grand Rapids next week.

Press Sports Editor

COOPERSVILLE -- Step-by-step, Forest Hills Central football coach Rusty Erander has his Rangers moving toward the talent-rich upper regions of West Michigan football.

The Rangers, 4-5 a year ago, took a huge step forward here Friday night, knocking off Coopersville 16-6 on the Broncos' home turf.

Coopersville is coming off an 11-3 season that took them to the MHSAA Division 4 state finals.

"They are a good football team," Coopersville coach Jim Meerman said. "They have some very talented skill position people and they are difficult to contain.

"We've been watching that program grow and grow, and right now they are really solid."

Erander credits his scout team for the forward movement.

"Our scout team plays so hard at practice that we can only get better," Erander said. "Everybody wants to be a part of this."

The Rangers have an opportunistic offense. The Alex Chopp-to-Cameron White passing combination accounted for 130 of the Rangers' 185 passing yards and a touchdown.

Meanwhile, Nick Adado, a real load, kept pounding the inside of the Coopersville line.

"Alex started last year as a sophomore, even though as a freshman he had played in only three games," Erander said. "We were a little leery. We knew he had talent but we didn't know how he'd handle it.

"But he came in all summer and worked on his passing with Cam and a couple other guys. And Cam is a special young man, with really great hands."

Coopersville struck first, Blake Waldecker taking a pitch from Brent Pfahler and popping through the right side of the FH Central line.

Waldecker made a great play, because the pitch was behind him. But he pulled it in and simply blew through the line and outran everybody 76 yards for the score.

The Rangers got on the board with a 23-yard field goal from Jake Matelic, then grabbed a 9-6 lead before the half when Chopp found Kevin Delano from 20 yards out.

Neither team could score in the third quarter. There was one interesting exchange in the second half. On consecutive plays, Forest Hills Central first recovered a Coopersville fumble, then turned it back over to the Broncos, and then picked off a Coopersville pass, only to return the ball to Coopersville with an interception of their own.

White put the finishing touches on the Rangers win with a nifty over-the-shoulder grab of a Chopp pass from 5 yards out as the fourth quarter got under way.

"I thought we played hard," Meerman said. "We just made too many mistakes. We didn't capitalize much on offense. We had one big play early, but didn't come up with anything later.

We have to go back to work on Monday."

Things won't get any easier for the Broncos. Their next two games are against area powers East Grand Rapids and Zeeland East.