WOODSTOCK — As the temperature hovered around 90 degrees Friday evening, the Rochelle Hub varsity football team enjoyed a sizzling hot start to the fall season, torching the Woodstock Blue Streaks with eight rushing touchdowns and over 400 yards of offense in a 60-22 victory. Rochelle (1-0) will host Herscher for its first home contest of the season on Friday, Sept. 3.

Woodstock struggled out of the gate, committing an intentional grounding penalty in the end zone on its second play from scrimmage to net a safety for the Hubs. Rochelle cashed in on its first offensive possession, with junior Garrett Gensler scoring the first of his team-high four rushing touchdowns on a 2-yard run. Gensler led Rochelle with 126 total yards in the win.

“We knew we were tough and we showed that tonight,” Gensler said. “We ran the ball down their throats and they couldn’t stop us. I thought we got off the ball really well tonight and the blocking up front was great. We had huge holes and we were reaching the second level. We have a small group this year, but we’re sticking together and we want to make a playoff run.”

Quarterback Liam Mickle carried the load for the Woodstock offense, finishing with 198 total yards and three touchdowns. With the Blue Streaks trailing 10-0 in the first quarter, Mickle marched Woodstock down the field, ultimately connecting with Sean Ryan on a 5-yard touchdown pass. Rochelle answered right back, though, wrapping up a brief scoring drive with a 4-yard touchdown run from Gensler on the team’s first offensive snap of the second quarter.

Mickle needed only two passes to find his second touchdown of the evening. After hitting Jared Kniola for a 31-yard strike, Mickle linked up with Caden Monti down the sideline for a 30-yard touchdown pass to make it a 16-14 game. But Woodstock had no answer for the Rochelle offense, which compiled 415 yards of total offense and 381 rushing yards in the win. Gensler’s third rushing touchdown of the night, from 3 yards away, helped put the Hubs ahead 24-14.

“We came out strong and we stacked a lot of days on the practice field over the summer,” senior center Brodie Nantz said. “That’s what Rochelle football is supposed to look like. We controlled the clock, scored a lot of points and ran the ball down their throats. Winning our first game, especially on the road, is huge for confidence, especially for the rest of the season.”

The Hub defense stepped up with a stop late in the second quarter, forcing Woodstock to punt before taking the ball over and scoring once again, this time on a 5-yard rush from junior Trey Taft. Rochelle led 32-14 at halftime, but Woodstock briefly gained momentum in the third quarter, recovering an onside kick and scoring soon after on Mickle’s 16-yard touchdown run.

Those were the last points the Blue Streaks would earn, however, with the Hubs sealing their victory behind 28 unanswered points over the third and fourth quarters. Woodstock’s second onside-kick attempt failed, resulting in a 23-yard rush from Taft and a 30-yard rush from Gensler that saw him reach the end zone for the fourth time. Junior Cody Stover-Cullum scored on a 5-yard touchdown run, helping increase Rochelle’s lead to 46-22 after three quarters.

“Our backs were running hard and we were finishing our blocks up front all night,” Nantz said. “We were on top of their defenders after every play. We have a good group this year. There aren’t many of us, but everybody who’s out here wants to be here and we have a lot of heart.”

Junior Landon DeLille scored both of Rochelle’s touchdowns in the fourth quarter, with his first coming on a 3-yard rush and his second on a 40-yard burst down the right sideline to cap off a 97-yard rushing performance on Friday. Junior Jaden Cook and senior Marco Castro each recorded sacks for the Hub defense, while senior Tanner Lager totaled a team-high six tackles.