SYCAMORE — Nearly 80 percent of the total yards compiled by No. 12 Rochelle and No. 5 Sycamore on Friday were obtained on the ground as both teams squared off in the first round of the IHSA Class 5A Playoffs.

Senior Eddie Villalobos ignited the Hubs with a 94-yard touchdown run to put the Hubs ahead 7-0 early in the first half, and the Rochelle defense held Sycamore scoreless over the first two quarters. But the Spartans took control in the second half, with quarterback Grant McConkey scoring three unanswered rushing touchdowns to help Sycamore beat the Hubs 21-7 and end Rochelle’s season with a record of 5-5.

“This was an old-fashioned football game,” head coach Kyle Kissack said. “I’m really proud of our defense and how well they hung in there. They played really well and they were physical and relentless. Our defense kept us in the game… We had a hard time getting into a rhythm offensively. I thought we had some good looks, but we couldn’t quite execute.”

Sycamore successfully completed a fake punt on its first drive before being stopped on its next series of plays. Villalobos scored on Rochelle’s first offensive play of the night, and the Hubs forced the Spartans to punt four times in the first half. Sycamore drove late in the second quarter but the Spartans turned the ball over on downs at Rochelle’s 23-yard line.

“It was a great start for us and I think Eddie’s run gave us some momentum,” Kissack said. “I think it helped us out defensively too because we were able to sit in and not press as much. I thought the play was huge and finishing the first half up 7-0 was critical for us.”

The Hubs were stopped on their first drive of the second half, and Sycamore took the ball 75 yards down field on 15 plays to tie the game 7-7 on McConkey’s 2-yard touchdown scamper. After another Rochelle punt, Sycamore took the lead 14-7 on a 74-yard scoring drive completed by McConkey’s 27-yard touchdown run with 7:20 in the fourth quarter.

Rochelle picked up one first down on its next drive before Sycamore forced the Hubs to punt once again. With time winding down in the fourth quarter, the Spartans capped off a 52-yard scoring drive with a 5-yard rushing touchdown by McConkey to take a 14-point lead with 1:12 remaining in the game.

Villalobos finished with a team-high 120 rushing yards for Rochelle, while senior Brandon Johnson anchored the defense with 11 tackles. Senior Edwin Vega added eight tackles on defense for the Hubs, who lost three players including seniors Noah Knight (ankle) and Greg Ricketts (shoulder) to injuries during the game.

“When you lose two seniors who are the backbone of your program, that’s always difficult to overcome,” Kissack said. “I feel awful for those two kids and I know they wanted to finish strong and finish well… I thought the kids who came off the bench played well given the circumstances.”