We’ve worked a lot on getting the calls down and making sure we’re in the right spots in terms of our positioning. We can’t make the play if we’re trailing or we’re in the wrong spot.”

Jack Tilton

STERLING — Returning seniors Jack Tilton and Xavier Villalobos were players to watch on both sides of the ball on Thursday evening, when the Rochelle Hub varsity football team resumed its summer schedule with a series of 7-on-7 scrimmages at Sterling High School. 

Rochelle took on a trio of foes including Mt. Zion, East Moline United and Sterling during Thursday’s 7-on-7s, which saw each team take 50 reps per scrimmage with 25 reps on offense and 25 reps on defense. Thursday marked the third series of 7-on-7s this summer for the Hubs, who competed at Sterling last week before visiting Kaneland for more scrimmages on Tuesday.

“I’ve been thinking about this all year,” said Tilton, a three-sport athlete at RTHS. “I love my other sports, but there’s nothing like high school football. It feels great to be in there and I've been dreaming about playing varsity games since I was little. I want to prove I’m a good player.”

Entering his second season on the varsity team, Tilton has taken advantage of the summer schedule in hopes of earning a larger role this coming season. While Tilton didn’t see much playing time as a junior, he’s taken first-team reps at safety and wide receiver throughout the summer, filling in for fellow senior Elijah Harley, who’s recovering from a hamstring injury.

“We’ve worked a lot on getting the calls down and making sure we’re in the right spots in terms of our positioning,” Tilton said. “We can’t make the play if we’re trailing or we’re in the wrong spot. I love these guys and we’ve been playing together forever. It’s like we’re a big family and we’re making it even bigger with the younger kids we’re bringing up. I think we can go far.”

Villalobos is returning for his third season with the varsity team this fall. The senior has started at cornerback since his sophomore year and was an All-Conference Honorable Mention in the I-8/KRC as a junior. With his senior season on the horizon, however, Villalobos has flashed on offense, taking first-team reps as a slot receiver during the team’s 7-on-7 scrimmages.

“It feels amazing to be back on the field and play with this team,” Villalobos said. “We love to compete and we have a lot of trust in each other to make plays. Competitiveness has been an emphasis for sure… I feel comfortable playing running back or wide receiver and I’ll compete wherever the team needs me to compete and make us better. We’re competitors and a big story in our hearts is that we want to bleed purple and show everyone what Rochelle is all about.”

Rochelle’s defense will be a senior-heavy group that includes returning starters like free safety Grant Gensler and outside linebacker Ethan Goodwin, who each made a handful of stops during Thursday’s 7-on-7s. The Hubs will begin their two weeks of padded camp on Monday before traveling to Byron on Friday, Aug. 2 for their final 7-on-7 scrimmages of the summer. 

“We’re going to run into some solid teams and we’ll have to be ready to give it our all,” Villalobos said. “Our goals are to reach the playoffs and make it to the state championship game.”