We had to prove to ourselves and to everyone else that we’re the real deal.”

Alex Pemberton

ROCHELLE — Hosting the No. 5 ranked program in Class 5A, the Rochelle Hub varsity football team made a statement in both the Interstate 8 Conference and northern Illinois on Friday evening, when the purple and white dominated their Homecoming game against Morris.

Rochelle rushed for nearly 400 yards and forced three turnovers on downs to roll over Morris 37-15 and hand the team its first conference loss of the season. The Hubs (5-1, 2-1 Interstate 8) clinched playoff eligibility as an at-large team and will have a chance to earn an automatic bid to the postseason next Friday, when Rochelle hosts Kaneland for another Interstate 8 battle.

“Our mindset was that we had to play 48 minutes of tough football,” senior lineman Alex Pemberton said. “We had to prove to ourselves and to everyone else that we’re the real deal. We all went out there and fought for our four yards. Everyone from the linemen to the tight ends and the quarterback were all blocking for our backs. Morris is a good team, but we’re a better team and it felt great to win in front of the home crowd and not let them down like last time.”

Although penalties were an issue for both teams, as Morris committed 10 of them while the Hubs had nine, Rochelle’s defense took control during the first half, where Morris was held without a point after averaging over 50 points per game in their previous three contests. Among the leaders for the Rochelle defense, which forced two fourth-down incompletions in the first half, was junior linebacker Brode Metzger, who had four tackles and caught a touchdown pass.

“We read our keys and did what we were supposed to do,” Metzger said. “We came out ready to play today. We were locked in during practice and our scout team did a good job this week. It’s a big confidence builder. Morris is a good team and Kaneland is a good team too. We’re ready.”

With Rochelle’s offense controlling the line of scrimmage, Morris defenders had no answers for the Hubs, who ran for 398 yards and received a stellar performance from sophomore wingback Dylan Manning. Manning rushed for a game-high 217 yards and four touchdowns, giving the Hubs an early lead after cutting up the middle for a 37-yard touchdown in the first quarter.

“It’s an awesome feeling, especially with it being on Homecoming,” Manning said. “We just focused on doing our job and reading our keys. The linemen were executing and doing their job. I just had to watch for the holes. It’s a huge confidence builder, but we’re still humble.”

Manning’s bright night continued late in the first quarter, when the sophomore shedded multiple Morris defenders before sprinting to the end zone for a 61-yard touchdown. Rochelle held a 21-0 halftime lead after Manning broke loose for an 18-yard touchdown and junior fullback Roman Villalobos bulldozed a Morris defender to reach the end zone on the 2-point conversion.

Rochelle extended its lead late in the third quarter, when senior quarterback Carson Lewis dropped back on a second-and-13 down and found Metzger, who lined up at tight end and beat the Morris defense on a corner route for a 31-yard touchdown. Morris finally got on the board early in the fourth quarter, when running back Bryce Varner punched in a 1-yard touchdown. 

The Hubs held Morris to 277 total yards, with quarterback Brady Varner throwing for just 114 yards on 13 completions. Rochelle knocked Varner out of the game in the third quarter, when senior defensive end Jack Pavlak converged on the quarterback for a big sack that resulted in a 10-yard loss. Senior linebacker Ethan Goodwin had eight tackles including two tackles for loss, while junior linebacker Gavin Neale followed with six tackles and one tackle for a loss.

Rochelle iced the Homecoming victory midway through the fourth quarter, when Manning once again carved his way through the Morris defense, outracing the unit for a 76-yard touchdown on the longest play from scrimmage in the game. Senior safety Elijah Harley put the cherry on top for the Hubs, intercepting Morris backup quarterback RJ Kennedy late in the fourth quarter. 

Other notable contributors in the win were senior tailback Grant Gensler, who rushed for 103 yards on offense, as well as senior corner Xavier Villalobos, who collected six tackles. Senior lineman Kaiden Morris added five tackles for the Hub defense in Friday’s Homecoming win.