OTTAWA — Friday night’s varsity football game at Ottawa was the first of two hurdles Rochelle needed to clear in order to keep its postseason hopes alive. The Hubs had no trouble breezing past the Pirates, though, winning 42-7 and improving to 4-4 overall while finishing 3-1 in the Northern Illinois Big 12 West.

Behind 177 total yards and five touchdowns from senior Eddie Villalobos, Rochelle compiled 374 yards on offense while scoring 14 points in each of the first three quarters. The Hubs capitalized on two Ottawa turnovers early in the game, and Rochelle held the struggling Pirates (0-8, 0-4 NIB-12 West) to only 70 yards of total offense.

The victory over Ottawa means Rochelle can clinch an at-large playoff berth with a win at Kaneland next Friday, Oct. 19.

“We came together and we knew this was a really important game,” junior Austin Greifenkamp said. “We knew what the stakes were… We pulled through and it feels amazing.”

Ottawa’s first possession began with a 10-yard loss before Greifenkamp intercepted Pirates quarterback Brett Galletti over the middle of the field. Rochelle cashed in with a 29-yard rushing touchdown by Villalobos to take a 7-0 lead in the first quarter.

“I dropped back in my zone and I knew the quarterback’s throw was going over the receiver’s head,” Greifenkamp said.

The Pirates turned the ball over again when senior Louie Mancinas intercepted Galletti near the Ottawa sideline. Rochelle then padded its lead with a 16-yard rushing touchdown by junior Gavin Ansteth, who had 76 rushing yards in the win. The Hubs led 14-0 after the first quarter, and after forcing Ottawa to punt early in the second quarter, Rochelle capped off a 31-yard scoring drive with a 2-yard rushing score by Villalobos.

Villalobos scored again from 12 yards out before halftime, giving Rochelle a 28-0 advantage. The Hubs received the ball to start the third quarter, and senior quarterback Andrew Johnson made some key plays in the passing game, finding Villalobos for a 15-yard touchdown pass before senior Brandon Johnson ran in Rochelle’s 2-point conversion to make it 36-0 with 7:41 in the third.

“We were able to punch the ball down their throat and we were picking up yards on every play,” Ansteth said. “It feels good to win and get momentum, and like coach [Kyle] Kissack told us, we need to be laser-focused so we can be ready for Kaneland.”

The Pirates couldn’t muster anything on the ground Friday night, as Matt Ahearn was the team’s leading rusher with just 16 yards. Galletti was held to 51 yards passing on six completions, and penalties set back multiple Ottawa possessions. 70 yards was the lowest amount of total offense Rochelle has allowed in any game this season.

“Our mindset was to win tonight so we can stay alive for the playoffs,” senior defensive lineman Edwin Vega said. “We just have to stay focused. Kaneland is a tough team, but if we play as hard as we did against Sterling, we can win.”

Rochelle took a 42-0 lead on a 39-yard rushing touchdown by Villalobos near the end of the third quarter, leading to a running clock entering the fourth quarter. Ottawa’s lone touchdown came on a 36-yard pass from Galletti to Ben Slack down the Ottawa sideline with 11:00 in the fourth quarter.