Rochester Survives Moline, Defense Seals Gritty Road Win -

by Jack Hart

The Rochester Rockets found a way to get it done Friday night.

After a back-and-forth battle on the road against Moline, Rochester leaned on its defense when it mattered most, making a crucial fourth-down stop late to secure a 21-17 victory.

Moline struck first and led 3-0 after the opening quarter. The Rockets struggled to find their rhythm early, with a fumble on their opening possession and several penalties putting them behind the chains.

Moline extended its lead to 10-0 in the second quarter before Rochester finally found the end zone.

After a huge run from Evrim Tabag, Isaac Hardas punched in a 5-yard touchdown run with 9:33 remaining in the half. Rochester added the extra point to cut the deficit to 10-7.

The Rockets continued to battle through penalties, a fumble and a missed opportunity on a wide-open pass.

Then came a lengthy lightning delay with just over a minute remaining in the first half.

For Rochester, the break became an opportunity to regroup.

Head coach Derek Leonard said the extended delay allowed his team to watch additional film and make adjustments before returning to the field.

Those adjustments paid off.

Rochester came out of the break and took control of the game. Eli Cox found the end zone in the third quarter, giving the Rockets a 21-10 advantage with 7:59 remaining in the period.

Moline continued to fight back, however, and Rochester had another costly fumble later in the quarter.

At the end of three, Rochester held a 21-10 lead.

Moline quickly made things interesting in the fourth. A touchdown pass from near midfield found Ellis, who broke free after Rochester missed two tackles and scored in the left end zone. The touchdown cut the Rochester lead to 21-17.

The Rockets then drove deep into Moline territory, but a fourth-down play went awry when the snap did not go as planned, giving Moline another opportunity.

Moline took advantage and marched down the field, reaching around the Rochester 30-yard line with roughly five minutes remaining.

That’s when Rochester’s defense delivered.

With the game on the line, the Rockets stuffed Moline on fourth-and-inches, turning away the final threat and allowing Rochester to run out the clock.

“We just knew what we had to do,” Rochester senior Barrett Armbruster said. “We had to get a stop at the end. We knew they ran that QB sneak. We knew it was coming. We practiced it in practice, we talked about it, so we just had to go out there and execute, be gritty and just get low.”

Armbruster also pointed to the leadership of Rochester’s seniors and the team’s commitment to trusting the process when things don’t go according to plan.

“Trust the coaches, trust ourselves, trust our teammates,” Armbruster said. “We know what we have to do. We know we can do it. We just have to go out there and execute.”

Leonard acknowledged that Rochester was far from perfect.

The Rockets committed 10 penalties, lost the turnover battle and missed opportunities offensively, but the defense continued to battle and ultimately gave the Rockets a chance to win.

“I thought our defense played good,” Leonard said. “We got stronger defensively as the game went on.”

The win is a major one for Rochester, which opened the season with consecutive games against two highly regarded opponents in Moline and Batavia.

Leonard said that’s exactly why the Rockets scheduled these games.

Now, Rochester turns its attention to Batavia, the defending Class 7A state champion.

“They’re so well coached,” Leonard said. “I think they’re like top five in all of the state of Illinois, class one through eight. That’s why we took these games. I thought we had a good team.”

For the Rockets, Friday night’s win was about more than a perfect performance. It was about finding a way to win when things weren’t going their way.

And when the game came down to one final defensive stand, Rochester answered the call.

Final: Rochester 21, Moline 17.