Morris falls flat in road loss at Rochelle

ROCHELLE – Morris head coach Alan Thorson admitted he was at a loss for words after the team conceded a lopsided loss against Rochelle in a crucial Interstate 8 matchup.

Morris displayed dominance last week, rolling over Kaneland by 40 points at home to move to No. 5 in Class 5A in the AP rankings.

But the Hubs were the ones dominating on Friday, rushing for nearly 400 yards and forcing three turnovers on downs to hand Morris a 37-15 loss and its first conference defeat of the season. Despite scoring 50 or more points in each of its previous three games, Morris (4-2, 2-1 Interstate 8) was held scoreless over the first three quarters Friday.

“We didn’t play well and Rochelle did,” Thorson said. “They came out and played extremely hard. I thought they won the line of scrimmage tonight and we have to learn from this and move on. The season’s not over, but we have to learn from this. We need to show more consistency.”

Penalties were an issue for Morris as it committed 10 of them, including two on the team’s first drive of the night.

Rochelle (5-1, 2-1 Interstate 8) scored on its first series of the night, taking the lead midway through the first quarter after a 37-yard touchdown run from wingback Dylan Manning, who cut through the middle of the Morris defense.

Morris had no answers for the sophomore Manning, who rushed for a game-high 217 yards and four touchdowns.

“We knew Rochelle was a very good team and we didn’t come in expecting to blow these guys out,” Thorson said. “We knew this was going to be an extremely difficult game. I’m just very upset with how we played. I think we could’ve given a better showing tonight, but we have to give credit to them and we have to come back and regroup. There’s still a lot of season left.”

The Hubs extended their lead late in the first quarter when Manning shedded Morris tacklers before sprinting to the end zone for a 61-yard touchdown to put Rochelle ahead 13-0.

Morris had a somewhat promising drive midway through the second quarter, moving the ball to around midfield after a 13-yard run from Caeden Curran, who finished with 96 rushing yards on 20 carries. But an incomplete pass on a fourth-and-3 gave the ball back to the Hubs.

Rochelle capitalized on the defensive stand, surging ahead 21-0 after a 19-yard touchdown run from Manning and a 2-point conversion from fullback Roman Villalobos.

Morris was held to 277 total yards with quarterback Brady Varner throwing for just 114 yards on 13 completions. To make matters worse for the Morris side, Varner took a big sack from the Rochelle defense during the third quarter and did not return for the remainder of the game.

The Hubs, who ran for 398 yards in the game, made a big play through the air late in the third quarter, scoring after quarterback Carson Lewis launched a 31-yard touchdown pass to tight end Brode Metzger.

Morris finally got on the board early in the fourth quarter when Bryce Varner punched in a 1-yard touchdown run and Curran ran for the 2-point conversion. Steven Wagner added a 25-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter, rumbling down the sideline for the score.

Blaine Beshoar and Caleb Walton each had six tackles for Morris, which will look to bounce back with a home game against Ottawa next week. Rochelle, which became playoff eligible with its fifth win, will host Kaneland seeking to continue its move up the Interstate 8 ladder.