We’ve been doing this all of our lives. We know how to work hard and we know how to rely on one another. We relied on each other tonight and we played smash-mouth football.”

Jack Carmichael

ROCHELLE — After a dominant home win over Morris in which they rushed for nearly 400 yards, the Rochelle Hubs took their ground game to another level on Friday, when the purple and white battled the Kaneland Knights in a crucial Interstate 8 varsity football matchup.

Rochelle needed just four plays to score, taking an early lead after a 52-yard rushing touchdown from sophomore wingback Dylan Manning. The explosive run was emblematic of a season-best offensive display from the Hubs, who tore apart the Kaneland defense for 616 rushing yards en route to a 52-24 victory. Among the tone setters for the Hubs was Jack Carmichael, one of the four senior linemen leading an offense that posted an average of 10.2 yards per play on Friday.

“We’ve been doing this all of our lives,” Carmichael said. “We know how to work hard and we know how to rely on one another. We relied on each other tonight and we played smash-mouth football. We went after them and we put our foot on the gas pedal. We talked in practice about relying on each other. Our backs were running hard tonight and we were running hard, too.”

Kaneland came within one point early in the first quarter, scoring on its second play from scrimmage, a 24-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Chase Kruckenberg to wide receiver Vinny McDonald. Rochelle settled in on defense for the remainder of the first half, sacking Kruckenberg three times and forcing a turnover on downs in the second quarter. Two of those sacks involved senior lineman Ryan Senne, who recorded six tackles and 1.5 sacks in the win.

“Our game plan was to stop the run and put a blanket on their short passing game,” Senne said. “I thought we did a really good job against the run. They had some big passing plays, but other than those plays, I thought we played great defense… It builds my confidence since I’m a little undersized on the defensive line and I was able to beat guys who are bigger than me.”

Leading 8-7, Rochelle surged ahead later in the first quarter, where senior tailback Grant Gensler reached over the goal line for a 2-yard touchdown run and junior fullback Roman Villalobos barrelled forward for a 6-yard touchdown run. The Hubs continued to shred the Knights on the ground during the second quarter, taking a 38-7 lead after a 2-yard touchdown run from Villalobos and a 14-yard touchdown run from Gensler. Gensler eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards for the season, ending the night with a team-high 252 yards on only 18 carries.

“The credit for all of our success goes to the offensive line,” Gensler said. “They’re physical on every play and doing their jobs. We’re able to pick up all of our yards because of them. We’ve focused on getting better every week and Kaneland’s a good team. Now we have to move on and continue to grow as a team. We have to stay focused, stay locked in and stay humble.”

Despite entering the second half with a 38-10 lead, Rochelle showed no signs of slowing down. Manning gave the Hubs their largest lead of the game, running through the left side of the line of scrimmage untouched for an 11-yard touchdown. The sophomore went for 175 rushing yards and averaged almost 15 yards per carry in the win. Rochelle’s scoring drive was set up by multiple tough runs from Villalobos, who had a season-high 182 rushing yards Friday night.

While the game was largely out of reach, Kaneland connected on a pair of passing touchdowns in the second half, with Kruckenberg hitting Brady Alstott for a 6-yard score late in the third quarter before launching a 59-yard scoring throw to Dylan Sanagustin early in the fourth quarter. But it was far too late for the Knights, who conceded the final touchdown of the night on a 4-yard run from Gensler. Rochelle (6-1, 3-1 Interstate 8) is playoff bound for the fourth straight year.

“We have unfinished business,” Carmichael said. “That’s what we’re looking forward to.”

Senior linebacker Ethan Goodwin recorded a team-high 11 tackles to lead the Hubs on defense Friday evening. Senior cornerback Xavier Villalobos totaled six tackles, while three players including senior linebacker Brandyn Metzger and junior linebacker Gavin Neale had five tackles.