ROCHELLE — A bend-but-don’t-break mentality fueled the Rochelle Hub varsity football team on defense during its second-round playoff matchup against Benet Academy on Friday night.

While Redwing quarterback Ryan Kubacki threw for 230 yards and one touchdown, Rochelle forced three turnovers on defense, including two interceptions, while capitalizing on multiple botched snaps and personal-foul penalties on Benet Academy. With their defense hanging tough, the Hubs continued to roll on offense, rushing for 327 yards and five touchdowns to beat the Redwings 38-6 and reach the state quarterfinals for the second time in three years.

“We executed well,” said senior outside linebacker Ethan Goodwin, who totaled a team-high 12 tackles and forced a fumble in the win over the Redwings. “Coach [Kyle] Kissack tells us that we can bend and give a little bit, but we can’t break. Whether they scored or they were close to the red zone, we stuck together and we were able to find a way out… Our game plan was to have at least two explosive plays on offense and to force at least two turnovers on defense.”

Rochelle (10-1, 4-1 Interstate 8) will face No. 3 seed Nazareth Academy, the two-time defensive 5A state champion, in the quarterfinals next Saturday at 1 p.m. The Hubs took the opening kickoff into Benet territory and scored on their first drive, which culminated with a 1-yard touchdown run from senior tailback Grant Gensler, who ran for a game-high 137 yards and four scores. Friday’s victory marks the first time since 2003 that the Hubs have earned 10 wins in a single season.

“We’re keeping our pads down on every play and we’re doing our jobs,” Gensler said. “It feels great, especially because we put a lot of hard work in over the summer and in years prior. Seeing that hard work pay off means a lot, especially since it’s with the people I love the most.”

Benet nearly scored on its first series of the game, but Gensler emerged from the free safety position and nabbed a clutch interception for the Rochelle defense, snagging a cross-body pass from Kubacki and returning the ball to near midfield. The Hubs took advantage of the defensive play, converting a fourth-and-2 down and scoring on a 28-yard touchdown run from sophomore wingback Dylan Manning, who shook off multiple Benet defenders on the scoring play.

Down 16-0, Benet (7-4, 3-0 CCL/ESCC Purple) nearly cut the deficit to 10 points, but a long touchdown pass down the far sideline was negated by an offensive pass interference penalty. The Redwings, who were ultimately forced to punt on the drive, fell behind even further after Gensler cashed in a 10-play, 82-yard scoring drive with a 2-yard touchdown up the middle. 

Benet, who entered as the No. 7 seed in the north bracket of Class 5A, moved the ball down to Rochelle’s 2-yard line before a personal-foul penalty and a botched snap led to a sack by the Hubs as time expired in the first half. The Redwings finally reached the end zone midway through the third quarter, where Kubacki took a pitch on a trick play and fired a 17-yard touchdown pass to tight end Declan Walsh, who soared over Manning to secure the grab.

The Hubs, who entered as the No. 2 seed, answered almost immediately, with Gensler following senior guard Kaiden Morris to the right side and sprinting down the near sideline for a 75-yard touchdown run. Leading 32-6, Rochelle made another key defensive play late in the third quarter, where a tipped pass on a fourth-and-3 play led to an interception by senior linebacker Brandyn Metzger, who had three tackles and one sack to aid the Hubs in the second-round win.

“We practice the tip drill every single day,” Metzger said. “We always have to be ready in case the ball comes our way and I was ready at that moment. Coach Kissack set a goal for us to force two turnovers. It’s a great feeling. We’ve played three Catholic schools in a row and we felt like this was a big test for us. Our plan was to stop the run and force them to pass because we knew the more passes they threw, the higher the chances were of them making a mistake.”

Rochelle iced its victory with an 8-yard touchdown run from Gensler and a forced fumble during the fourth quarter, where Goodwin punched the ball free from Benet wide receiver Ben Albert and junior linebacker Gavin Neale made the recovery. Neale recorded seven tackles and a sack for the Hubs, who finished with three total sacks in the victory. Manning rushed for 110 yards, while junior fullback Roman Villalobos added 60 yards on 12 carries for the Rochelle offense.