Rochelle graduate Matt Albers felt good to be back at his old stomping grounds when the Hubs varsity basketball team took on LaSalle-Peru at home Friday evening.

Throughout his four years at Rochelle Township High School, Albers set high standards for himself both inside and outside of the classroom. His hard work didn’t go unnoticed, and when Albers was called to center court during halftime of Friday’s game, he was presented with this year’s Rochelle News-Leader Scholar-Athlete Award by RTHS athletic director Kevin Crandall.

“It feels amazing,” Albers said. “Knowing all of the past recipients who’ve earned this award, it’s truly a great honor receiving it.”

The award is given annually to student-athletes who excelled in both academics and athletics during their time as Hubs or Lady Hubs. Albers played football, basketball and baseball at Rochelle, and the former Hub was a key contributor to the Hubs varsity football team in 2016, when he totaled 1,223 yards and 17 offensive touchdowns at wingback and earned First-Team All-Conference recognition.

Albers also played forward for the Hubs varsity basketball team that won 20 games and reached the regional finals during the 2016-17 season. Albers spent time in both the infield and the outfield throughout his baseball career at Rochelle, and he’s currently enrolled at Augustana College in Rock Island, where he’s playing both football and baseball while studying sabermetrics.  

“I just felt Augustana College was the best choice for me,” he said. “The college has a lot to offer compared to some other schools. It started pretty rough but I’ve totally adjusted and I actually did well enough in school to get Academic All-Conference football honors as a freshman.”

A four-year member of the Rochelle football program, Albers earned his first taste of varsity experience when he was called up during his freshman season. He played on both sides of the ball as a Hub, but he made most of his noise on offense, and perhaps his biggest performance at Rochelle came in 2016, when he rushed for 224 yards and two touchdowns while catching a 30-yard touchdown to help the Hubs beat Ottawa 41-0.

“I stuck with the process and everything turned out better in the long run,” Albers said. “I listened to what the coaches said and things turned out well for me.”

Albers spent four years with the Rochelle boys basketball team including three seasons at the varsity level. He gained a reputation for rebounding, defense and bringing energy to the court whenever he entered the game. While he isn’t playing basketball at college, Albers said that some of the skills acquired on the hardwood have helped him improve in both football and baseball.

“I think the footwork and all the running in basketball really helped me in football and baseball,” he said.

Competing in the regional semifinals against Rock Falls during the 2015-16 school year was Albers’ favorite moment throughout his four years with the Rochelle baseball program. The former Hub has two younger brothers (senior Blake Albers and sophomore Nick Albers) who are multi-sport student-athletes at RTHS, and he said he’s aspired to be a role model for both of them.

“I just keep telling them to hit the books because academics are where it’s going to be in the long run,” Albers said. “Sports aren’t going to be there forever, so I tell them to really focus on the education.”