ROCHELLE — The Hubs varsity football team didn’t need much time to assert its dominance over the Corliss Trojans when the two squads battled Friday night at Rochelle Township High School to kick off the 2017 season.

Rochelle controlled the football for roughly 10 minutes less than Corliss, but the Hubs showcased their efficiency all game long, scoring six touchdowns in the first half en route to a 50-0 victory over the Trojans. Rochelle rushed for 342 yards in the win, with senior fullback Alex Harvey leading the way with 123 yards on 10 carries.

“I think we accomplished our goals tonight which were to stay healthy and play well,” Rochelle head coach Kevin Crandall said after the game. “I thought we were really efficient offensively. Defensively, we were really fundamentally sound. Our kids did a really good on the perimeter when their kids tried to flatten out and get outside. Overall, I thought we played pretty well.”

Rochelle (1-0) scored its first touchdown less than a minute into the game, with senior wingback Ehren Metzger breaking free for a 50-yard run to put the Hubs on the board. Three penalties stymied Corliss’ first drive, which resulted in a safety after a botched snap to give Rochelle a 9-0 advantage.

Senior quarterback Noah Mershon connected with senior tight end Blake Albers on a 30-yard touchdown pass during Rochelle’s second offensive possession, and six players after a Corliss punt, junior tailback Brandon Johnson dragged a pair of Trojan defenders into the end zone on a 4-yard touchdown run.

“They had an overloaded front, and I think we could’ve thrown the ball a little more but we wanted the kids to work,” Crandall said. “Kyle Eyster, Bazil [Bennett] and DiQuan [Ishmon] took over and really made sure we had guys blocking the right defenders. Our kids on the right side did a really good job tonight.”

Rochelle led 23-0 after the first quarter, and the Hubs began the second quarter with a 52-yard touchdown drive capped off by a 21-yard pass from Mershon to junior tailback Eddie Villalobos, who was a perfect 6-for-6 on extra points in the game. The Trojans were unable to gain any momentum on offense, earning one first down the entire night while totaling just 24 yards.

“When we’re playing against a one-back offense, our kids have to get off the ball and make plays,” Crandall said. “It’s not like the old days where they can just plug holes. They have to get off and make tackles, and I thought they did a really good job of that tonight.”

Metzger reached the end zone on a 6-yard rush for his second touchdown of the night, and another Corliss punt resulted in a 17-yard rushing touchdown by Mershon, who totaled three touchdowns in the game. The Hubs entered the locker room at halftime leading 44-0, and the boys added one more score in the third quarter when junior Noah Knight recorded a 1-yard touchdown run on Rochelle’s first possession of the second half.

Rochelle entered Friday’s game ranked sixth in the Associated Press Class 5A Preseason Poll. And while the Hubs had no trouble with the Corliss Trojans, they will have a much tougher opponent next week, when the boys travel for a nonconference game against the Johnsburg Skyhawks, who finished second in Class 4A last year and rank fifth in this year’s AP Preseason Poll. The Skyhawks trounced Rochelle 46-21 in 2016, and Crandall is aiming for the Hubs to increase their energy when the two teams meet again.

“We have to play with more consistent intensity,” Crandall said.