Coon Rapids falls to Champlin Park 33-21

Coon Rapids sophomore Antonio Ford established himself as one of the top running backs in the Northwest Suburban Conference Thursday night with a 180-yard plus effort on the ground against Champlin Park. Unfortunately for Coon Rapids , the effort by Ford was not enough to avoid a 33-21 opening-night loss.

Ford, who had a 62-yard second-quarter touchdown run, collected 97 yards on his first nine carries of the game. Unofficially, he was credited with 189 yards of the 210 yards Coon Rapids amassed in rushing offense. His touchdown enabled Coon Rapids to pull even with Champlin Park with 4:34 remaining in the first half.  Champlin Park had taken a 7-0 early lead -- after a Coon Rapids turnover -- at the 35-yard line and took a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter. Senior Jeremy Oakley scored Coon Rapids ' first touchdown with 38 seconds left in the first quarter on a 6-yard bounce-off-blockers-and-tacklers run to the end zone.

Champlin Park took the lead for keeps shortly before half time, 21-14, with a quick 63-yard drive. It then took a 27-14 lead 182 seconds into the second half when junior running back Brandon Marquardt scored on a 29-yard screen pass play.  Marquardt had also scored Champlin Park's first touchdown of the game on a pass play, then scored the team's fifth from a yard out late in the third quarter.

Marquardt's final two touchdowns came after Coon Rapids tried and failed to convert fourth down and short yardage plays, first at its 29-yard line, then at Champlin Park's 39.

Coon Rapids did get a final say in this game, however, when back-up quarterback Brandon Flippen -- with help from Ford, who ripped up big yards -- directed a late fourth-quarter drive up the field and into the end zone.  Flippen completed the drive with less than 10 seconds remaining by pushing over the goal line from less than a yard out.