Rock Falls, Oregon primed for Week 8 BNC clash at Hinders Field

ROCK FALLS – It’s been tough sledding for both the Rock Falls Rockets and Oregon Hawks this season, as the two young Big Northern Conference teams have one combined win through seven games.

After a 54-13 loss to North Boone last week, the Rockets are 0-7 and in 10th place in the BNC. Oregon is 1-6 and tied for eighth place with Rockford Christian, coming off a 48-6 Week 7 loss to reigning Class 3A state champion Byron.

The last time Rock Falls and Oregon met in 2021, the Hawks prevailed 29-25. This year’s matchup could be another tightly-contested game, with two young teams searching for a win in a season where they’ve been hard to come by, and the Rockets fighting to prevent a winless season with two games left.

Rock Falls coach Kevin Parker knows a win won’t come easily this week, as speed and size on the perimeter are two primary challenges it faces this Friday.

“Oregon, they’re a young program kind of like us. They’ve got a new, real good coach coming in,” he said. “They’re gonna throw the ball against us. They’ve got a big target on the outside. They’ve got some speed there in the backfield as well. I think it’s a young program that’s very excited to get better.”

Rock Falls senior wide receiver/defensive back Colin Cook sees wide receiver Josh Crandall as a focal point for the defense.

“I know they’ve only won one game. They’re not that good, not that big,” Cook said. “They’re fast, but not anything we’re scared about. They like to pass a lot to No. 18 [Crandall], but if we run the right defense, we can lock him up.”

Defensively, Rock Falls needs to prepare for everything, with an emphasis on limiting the big plays, Parker says. In the backfield, Gabe Eckerd provides the power, and Noah Reber is the speedy back who tries to get to the perimeter.

“On defense, we have to stop the big plays. Again, they’re going to look for that target on the outside, try to get a deep ball on us. We’ve got to be able to fight that off, cut their stuff off on the underside,” Parker said. “And just be ready to defend anything in the passing game. If they gash us and we keep on bleeding, we’re going to be in big trouble. They will also run out of their sets as well with another quick running back. We can’t just focus on one thing, we’ve gotta be ready for all of it.”

Finishing tackles, limiting yards after contact, and respecting the run while locking in on the pass game will be keys for the Rockets defensively this week.

“We gotta make sure we clean up tackles,” junior receiver/defensive back Michael Flowers said.

Added Cook: “On defense, just making sure to guard the pass, but not to overly guard it. To help with the run, too.”

After seeing the Hawks on film this week, Flowers believes his team may be able to exploit some vulnerabilities in the secondary.

“I think we’ve had harder matchups, for sure,” he said. “I think their DB core’s kind of weak.”

Oregon coach Broc Kundert sees a few keys for the offense and defense, as his Hawks fight for their second win of the season this week.

“Keys for offense are to control the football and get the run game up and running again. We have shown flashes of being really good, but also stall out sometimes as well. We need to be far more consistent,” Kundert said. “Keys for defense are we need to get to the football and tackle. Rock Falls will want to play in space, so we have to be good at tackling in space. We will also be very focused on turnovers and getting them when we have the opportunity.”

Despite the 0-7 record, Parker and Cook have seen some signs of progress in certain areas this season.

“I would say even up front, and that’s our biggest thing that we focus on, is you don’t go anywhere without your offensive line doing better, and we have progressed,” Parker said “Especially Hunter Gale this last week with a chance to play with some JV, and get some excitement going. Seeing progress over the last couple of weeks, especially with Hunter and our guys up front.”

“I think our sophomores definitely are progressing, and especially our ends,” Cook said. “Our ends have been doing better as the season goes on.”