ROCHELLE — Football season is officially back.

The Hubs varsity football team dressed in helmets and gym clothes for its first practice of the 2017-18 school year Monday morning at Rochelle Township High School. With a large group of players returning from last year’s playoff squad, expectations are high for this coming season.

“We’ve been out here all the summer,” said senior quarterback Noah Mershon, who is entering his second year as Rochelle’s full-time starter. “Returning starters are going to be huge for us. We have a bunch of returning starters with confidence and that will help us in games. I’m focusing on being a great leader, holding my teammates accountable and seeing if I can run the ball more.”

Mershon’s final game of the 2016 season was his best rushing performance of the year, as the 6-foot, 175-pounder ran for 55 years on eight carries in a 26-14 playoff loss to the Sycamore Spartans. The Hubs may need to rely on Mershon’s legs more in 2017 to fill the void left by senior graduates Matt Albers and Kaywan Palmer.

Another player who could substantially boost Rochelle’s rushing attack is senior Alex Harvey, who scored six rushing touchdowns and totaled 657 yards on the ground while averaging 7.6 yards per carry before suffering a season-ending ankle injury in Rochelle’s 31-0 win over the Geneseo Maple Leafs. Harvey will likely receive a bulk of the carries this season, and after an impressive showing in practice on Monday, Harvey said he’s ready to go this fall.

“My ankle feels good,” Harvey said. “We have an experienced line and an experienced backfield which will be very helpful… We have some young guys who will have to step up and play well, but they’ve had a lot of time to learn and I think they will help us a lot this year.”

Senior Ehren Metzger, who rushed for 602 yards and seven touchdowns in Harvey’s absence, took first-team reps in the backfield Monday morning along with junior Eddie Villalobos, who helped the RTHS sophomore football team finish 6-2 and win the Northern Illinois Big 12 in 2016. Junior Noah Knight is another running back who could see carries this season.

Four of Rochelle’s five offensive linemen are back in 2017 including senior and 2016 All-Conference honoree Kyle Eyster. Seniors James Kerfin, Bazil Bennett and DiQuan Ishmon also suited up for practice on Monday, with junior Will Jandak taking reps at right tackle, a position left by senior graduate and Wisconsin-Platteville recruit Danny Redington.

“We’re not necessarily teaching the old stuff,” Eyster said. “We’re adding more to it… We’ve had a great summer. We just have to stick together. We have a great group of kids and we have a lot of talent and depth on our roster.”

Rochelle won five of its first six games in 2016 before ending the season on a three-game losing streak to finish 5-4. The Hubs bounced back with a victory over Ridgewood in the first round of the playoffs before bowing out to Sycamore in the second round. Like last season, health could be a determining factor in how Rochelle’s 2017 season plays out.

“Last year we fought through adversity with injuries,” Mershon said. “If that happens again this year we just have to keep fighting through it… We’re looking to make a deep run in the playoffs to state.”