Rochester ends Mascoutah’s state title game hopes with flawless offensive performance
The Rochester Rockets weren’t just good on their first eight offensive possessions of the IHSA Class 5A semifinal game Saturday against Mascoutah.
The Rockets were perfect.
Senior running back Jacob DuRocher scored the first of his four touchdowns with just 80 seconds gone in the opening quarter and the Rockets took off from there as they moved into the Class 5A state championship with a 56-34 win at Mascoutah High School.
Competing in Class 5A for the first time after winning seven Class 4A titles since 2010, the Rockets (12-1) stunned the partisan Mascoutah crowd of more then 4,000 by marching 71 yards on four plays to take the lead.. Senior all-state quarterback Clay Bruno’s 42-yard completion to sophomore Hank Beatty set up the Rockets deep in Indians territory and when DuRocher scored on a 9-yard run on the next play, it was the beginning of a long night for the Indians defense.
Seeded-second in its half of the Class 5A bracket, Rochester scored touchdowns on its first eight offensive possessions to build a 56-13 lead.
“We wanted to set the tone early. We wanted to play fast and we felt it was important that we get off to a good start. It had been a while since we had been able to come out of the gate fast,” Rochester coach Derek Leonard said. “The players were ready to go tonight. They were denied a chance to play for the state title when they lost this (semifinal) game last year and they weren’t going to let it happen again.”
The win moves the Rockets into the Class 5A title game at Huskie Stadium on the campus of Northern Illinois University in DeKalb on Saturday, Nov. 30. Rochester will take on Chicago St. Rita, which defeated Rockford Boylan 42-21 in the other semifinal. The Class 5A title game begins at 10 a.m.
Mascoutah, playing in the state semifinals for the third time in school history, wasted little time in responding to the Rockets initial score. Just 1 minute, 18 seconds after DuRocher’s touchdown, Indians quarterback Devon Ross connected with Thomas Conroy on a 71-yard touchdown play to tie the score at 7.
But a 4-yard run by DuRocher and a 14-yard touchdown pass from Bruno to Clay Alwelt gave the Rockets a 21-7 lead after one quarter.
“I have confidence in all of my receivers. We have a lot weapons on this football team. My job is to get the ball to them,” Bruno said. “The coaches have been talking to us all week about coming out and attacking early. We hadn’t played that well in our last few games.
“But tonight, we did. It’s great to be going to the state title game after last season. And to me it doesn’t matter if it’s Class 4A, Class 5A or Class 2A .... We’re going to be playing for a state championship next week.”
Hoping to get back to the state championship game for the first time since winning the 1979 Class 3A title, Mascoutah (9-4) cut its deficit to 28-13 early in the second quarter when Ross threw a 21-yard strike to Timothy Middleton.
But 40 seconds later, Bruno connected with a wide-open DuRocher on a 61-yard touchdown pass for a 35-13 margin.
“We could never get any momentum going,” a dejected Mascoutah coach Josh Lee said. “We knew how good they were coming in and they didn’t really do anything we didn’t expect. They just don’t make many mistakes.
“They play at a fast tempo. Offensively they come at you with power. But they use so many different formations, they are tough to defend..”
Held to only 30 yards in the first half, Mascoutah running back Devin Wills finished strong. Scoring on touchdown runs of 61, 28 and 51 yards in the final half, Wills finished his final high school game with 226 yards while running for more than 2,200 yards this season.
But Wills was just one of several seniors who have changed the culture of the Indians football program.
“It’s been a great season,” Lee said. “I’m just so proud of this football team. From what this football program was four years ago to what it is today is just a testament to these kids and the work they’ve put in.”
