The Rochelle Township High School football program will be debuting a new-but-traditional helmet styling when the Hubs take the field this fall.

Beginning with Rochelle’s season-opener against Marion on Saturday, Aug. 25, the Rochelle football players will wear the classic Hub logo on the sides of their helmets. The Hub logos will replace the big “R” that RTHS players have worn on their helmets for the last several years. The helmet will also feature three white stripes going from the front to the back of the helmet.

First-year head coach Kyle Kissack began the process of making the change this past winter.

“The Hub logo is always a source of debate, but for me, I’m someone who appreciates the logo,” Kissack said. “I think it’s unique and it sets our school apart. I wanted to honor that… It’s important that we recognize the tremendous responsibility of representing Rochelle football.”

Evidence of the change emerged when the Rochelle Football Twitter account posted an image of an RTHS football helmet with the Hub logo on the right side this past Saturday afternoon. Kissack said that players reacted positively to the change, and he said the team held a meeting on Monday to further reveal the new helmet design.

Kissack said the helmet redesign was a subtle, but important change for he and his staff to make.

“It’s less about the uniqueness of the helmet and more about the relentlessness of our play,” Kissack said. “The Hub logo a small detail that we appreciate. There isn’t another school in the state with that logo… We think it’s a great way to honor our tradition. It was neat for the kids to see it come across their phones and I think they were really excited about it.”