ROCHELLE — Trey Taft needed only two plays to become the star of the night on Friday, when the Rochelle Hub varsity football team sought out a much-needed victory against Johnsburg.

The junior running back and linebacker opened the game with a standout play on special teams, recovering an onside kick before rushing for a 30-yard touchdown on Rochelle’s first offensive snap. Taft led the Hubs with 16 carries for 95 yards and two touchdowns as the purple and white cruised over the winless Skyhawks 35-10 and improved to 2-2 on the season.

“That was the most hyped I’ve ever been,” Taft said. “We talked at halftime about how we were all gassed after the play because we were so excited to recover that onside kick.”

Leading 7-0 after only 12 seconds ticked off the clock in the first quarter, Rochelle took further control of the game when junior cornerback Aidan Rodriguez intercepted Johnsburg quarterback Luke Conroy and returned the ball 69 yards to the Skyhawk 17-yard line. After a turnover on downs and a Johnsburg punt, Rochelle extended its lead late in the first quarter, when junior Cody Stover-Cullum surged through the middle for a 20-yard touchdown run.

The Skyhawks avoided the shutout midway through the second quarter, scoring on a 21-yard field goal by Cade Piggott. The Hub offense moved methodically down the field on its next possession, using 15 plays and nearly eight minutes of clock to go 75 yards and score on Taft’s 1-yard touchdown run through the left side. Rochelle led Johnsburg 21-3 at halftime.

“We’ve been focused on getting better and finishing our blocks,” Taft said. “We had to get better this week and I thought that’s what we did. Our offensive line was getting off the ball hard on every single play and there were huge holes for us to run through on every play. Our backs were blocking well and Josh [Lloyd] played great. It was a great night for our offense.”

Johnsburg attempted an onside kick of its own to start the third quarter, but the ball was recovered short of the 10-yard minimum, allowing the Hubs to take over in good field position. Rochelle capitalized on the short field, moving the ball 49 yards on 13 plays and using over seven minutes of clock. On a first-and-goal snap, senior quarterback Josh Lloyd connected with junior Garrett Gensler for a 2-yard touchdown pass, Lloyd’s first touchdown pass of the season.

The Hubs conceded their lone touchdown in the fourth quarter, with Conroy scoring on a 3-yard rush after a Rochelle fumble. The Hubs put the game away with one more long drive, totaling 52 yards on 11 yards and melting over five minutes off the clock before Lloyd and Gensler linked up for a 9-yard touchdown pass. Rochelle will be at Harvard next Friday.

Juniors Jaden Cook and Bradley Cooney each had sacks to lead the Hub defense, while senior Braden Alfano recorded a team-high eight tackles. Senior Tanner Lager added five tackles.

Fresh/Soph

The Rochelle Hub fresh-soph football team bounced back against the Johnsburg Skyhawks on Friday, winning 16-6 after falling at Richmond-Burton last week. The fresh-soph team improved to 3-1 on the season.

Rochelle took the early lead behind rushing touchdowns from freshmen Grant Gensler and Erich Metzger. Gensler added an interception in the end zone late in the second half for the Hub defense, while sophomore Caleb Wyssbrod helped seal the win with a sack in the fourth quarter.

Sophomore Brock Metzger and freshman Elijah Harley combined for three tackles-for-loss in the win. Rochelle will face off against Harvard on Monday, Sept. 27 at 5:30 p.m.