Turnovers near goal line, Rochelle’s run game doom L-P on homecoming

LA SALLE – Two turnovers near the goal line. An inability to slow down the running game. Double-digit penalties for over 100 yards. Injuries piling up to key players, especially on the defensive side.

All that added up to a 48-20 Interstate 8 Conference loss to Rochelle for La Salle-Peru on homecoming at Howard Fellows Stadium.

“We played hard and we played tough, but we left points on the field that probably would have made it a little different,” L-P coach Jose Medina said. “We didn’t make enough plays offensively and defensively, it was tough for them tonight.”

After Rochelle scored on its initial drive, the Cavaliers drove deep into Hub territory looking to tie or take the lead.

However, on second-and-goal from the 2, L-P fumbled and Rochelle recovered.

The Cavs had another chance as Rochelle fumbled and L-P’s Griffin May pounced on it at the Rochelle 10.

But again, L-P turned it over.

On third-and-goal from the 8, Rochelle’s Elijah Harley intercepted a pass at the goal line and returned it to the Hub 38.

Five plays later, Rochelle’s Dylan Manning scored on a 30-yard run on a reverse and the Hubs led 14-0 after the two-point conversion.

L-P quarterback Marion Persich avoids a sack from Rochelle's Brandyn Metzger on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024 at Howard Fellows Stadium. (Scott Anderson)

“We had opportunities to move the ball and we had opportunities to put points on the board, but we just didn’t,” Medina said. “That ultimately falls on me to get those points scored. Unfortunately, our guys made some mistakes and it ended up going the other way.”

The Cavs did get on the board in the second quarter as a 43-yard completion from Marion Persich to Wyatt Kilday started the drive and a personal foul on Rochelle pushed L-P to the Hub 7.

This time, L-P cashed in with a 1-yard TD run by Brevyn Vogel with 3:21 left in the half.

The Hubs managed to respond before the break with an 80-yard drive capped by a 19-yard TD run by Grant Gensler with 35.1 seconds left for a 20-6 halftime lead.

In the second half, Rochelle put together four scoring drives of seven plays or less to pull away with a 29-yard run by Grant Gensler, a 30-yard counter by Manning, a 26-yard run up the middle by Roman Villalobos and a 2-yard TD plunge by Jordan Bly with 10:10 left in the game that was set up by an interception return by Ethan Goodwin to the L-P 2.

The Hubs capitalized on L-P’s defensive injuries, including linebacker Josh Bickford among several starters to go down, to pile up 432 yards on the ground, led by Gensler with 200 yards and three TDs on 14 carries, Manning with 104 yards and two scores on 10 attempts and Villalobos with 99 yards and a TD on 17 carries.

“They run that offense well,” Medina said. “It’s tough to defend. If you have the bodies to do it, you can, but we started having injuries and had to put other people in and it was tough to stop.”

Persich threw an 8-yard TD to Mikey Hartman and a 23-yard TD to Raphael Helmig in the second half.

The freshman QB finished 18 of 35 for 235 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

The Cavs (2-3, 0-2 I8) travel to Ottawa (1-4, 0-2) next week.

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