MORRIS — Trailing by four points with 1:04 remaining in a wild shootout with the Morris Redskins on Friday, the Hubs varsity football team needed 75 yards to complete a potential game-winning touchdown drive.

Rochelle moved the football into Morris territory, with senior Ehren Metzger totaling 27 yards on two plays before senior quarterback Noah Mershon fired a 22-yard strike to senior tight end Blake Albers with 5.8 seconds on the clock. The Hubs lined up for one final play, but the pocket quickly collapsed around Mershon, who was sacked by a pack of Redskins as time expired to seal the Morris win by a final score of 34-30.

“We played extremely well, and we’ve played extremely well for four weeks in a row,” Rochelle head coach Kevin Crandall said after the game. “I couldn’t be prouder of our kids, and I couldn’t have been prouder if we won the game. We’ll go back and try to fix things that need to be fixed, and we’ll keep working on the things we do well.”

Rochelle (2-2) and Morris (4-0) combined for 824 yards of total offense in the game, with the Hubs recording 474 yards including 351 rushing yards. Rochelle stunned the Morris defense with two quick touchdowns in the first quarter behind Metzger and senior Alex Harvey, who each scored once to give the Hubs a 13-0 lead.

“It was nice to get off to a good start,” Crandall said. “They did a good job of executing when they had to.”

The Rochelle defense forced three consecutive Morris punts to start the game before the Redskins found their offensive rhythm. The Hubs failed to convert a fourth down at the Morris 44-yard line early in the second quarter, and the Redskins scored three plays later on a 53-yard touchdown pass from Mitchell Mayberry to Austin Hatcher, who recorded 180 yards and three total touchdowns in the game.

Morris gained even more momentum when the Hubs fumbled the ensuing kickoff and the Redskins gained possession at the Rochelle 37-yard line. Mayberry completed two passes to Tyler Spiezio before Hatcher’s 14-yard touchdown rush gave Morris its first lead of the night, 14-13.

“They’re a really good team, and once they get going, they get going,” Crandall said.

While the Rochelle defense had trouble keeping Morris down, the Hubs continued to roll on the offensive side of the ball. Metzger began Rochelle’s next drive with a 20-yard rush, igniting a 78-yard scoring drive capped off by a 10-yard touchdown pass to junior Noah Knight, who broke out Friday night with three catches for 79 yards to lead all Rochelle receivers.

“He’s a very versatile kid and he can fill a lot of roles,” Crandall said. “We ask him to do a lot for us and it was nice to see him have a good night.”

Rochelle’s touchdown gave the Hubs a 20-14 lead and sparked a back-and-forth offensive battle between the two teams. Morris went 72 yards in 3:10 and scored on a 1-yard touchdown rush by Kameron Dransfeldt before Rochelle junior Eddie Villalobos kicked a 21-yard field goal before halftime to make it a 23-21 game.

Junior Brandon Johnson broke a flurry of Morris tackles on a 6-yard rushing touchdown to give the Hubs a 30-21 lead early in the third quarter, and the Redskins responded quickly after junior Tyler Petty plunged forward on a 1-yard scoring rush to complete a 43-yard drive. A crucial holding penalty stalled Rochelle’s next drive, and the Hubs punted for the first time in the game, only for Morris to travel 81 yards in 1:34 and score on a 31-yard rush by Hatcher to reclaim the lead.

Rochelle moved the ball 53 yards to the Morris 1-yard line on its next possession, but the Redskins emerged with the game’s biggest defensive stop. The Hubs attempted a run off the right side, but a fumble moved the ball back 12 yards before Rochelle failed to convert on another fourth down to give Morris the ball back.

The Redskins couldn’t ice the game, however, as four penalties crushed the last Morris offensive drive and forced a punt to give Rochelle one final chance at victory. While the Hubs were unable to complete the rally, the boys will gear up for another conference contest when they host the Ottawa Pirates on Friday, Sept. 22