Turnovers, penalties, botched snaps doom Benet in second-round loss to Rochelle

ROCHELLE – Self-inflicted wounds hurt the Benet Academy Redwings throughout their Class 5A second-round matchup against the Rochelle Hubs on Friday.

Three turnovers, multiple unsportsmanlike conduct penalties and several botched snaps resulted in negative plays for the Redwings, who fell behind early and were held scoreless during the first half of a season-ending 38-6 loss.

Benet (7-4), which was the No. 7 seed in the north bracket, scored its lone touchdown on a 17-yard pass from Ryan Kubacki to Declan Walsh in the third quarter.

“Our kids did something special this year,” Benet coach Pat New said. “They won their division and brought Benet back to the playoffs. We lost to a great team tonight. We had a great game plan offensively, but we couldn’t finish drives and we have to give credit to Rochelle.”

The Hubs (10-1), who are the No. 2 seed, clinched their second trip to the quarterfinals in three years.

Rochelle scored on its opening drive, taking an 8-0 lead on a 1-yard touchdown run from tailback Grant Gensler, who rushed for 137 yards and four scores.

Benet took the ball into the Rochelle red zone on its first drive, but Gensler intercepted a cross-body throw from Kubacki to quash the promising series.

Rochelle extended its lead late in the first quarter when wingback Dylan Manning converted a fourth down and broke two tackles for a 28-yard touchdown run down the left sideline. Manning totaled 110 yards on the ground for the Hubs, who almost had their 16-0 lead cut to 10 points after Kubacki launched a deep touchdown pass down the Benet sideline. But an offensive pass interference penalty negated the play for the Redwings, who were ultimately forced to punt.

“We tried to simulate the speed of their offense in practice, but it’s really hard to replicate,” New said. “That was the biggest challenge for us.

“My message to our seniors after the game was how much I love them and how much I appreciated their effort throughout the season.”

Rochelle took a 24-0 lead after a 2-yard touchdown run from Gensler midway through the second quarter to cap a drive where Hubs converted on a fourth-and-2 run and quarterback Carson Lewis completed a pair of passes to keep the offense rolling.

Benet had a great chance to score before halftime, moving the ball down to the 2-yard line of Rochelle before a 15-yard personal foul penalty and a botched snap led to a sack by the Hubs as the clock expired.

Kubacki’s touchdown throw to Walsh in the third quarter put the Redwings on the scoreboard, but Benet’s defense was unable to slow down the Hubs, who ran for 327 yards and averaged 8 yards per play.

Leading 24-6, Rochelle immediately answered Benet’s scoring drive, surging ahead after Gensler evaded tacklers and exploded down the far sideline for a 75-yard touchdown. The senior tailback added an 8-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Down 32-6 late in the third quarter, Benet attempted to convert a fourth-and-3, but Kubacki was intercepted for a second time. Kubacki, who threw for 230 yards in the game, rolled right and fired a pass that was tipped and ultimately snagged by Hub linebacker Brandyn Metzger. Benet’s third turnover came in the fourth quarter, where a forced fumble by the Rochelle defense extinguished another promising series for the Redwings.

Rochelle advances to face either No. 3 Nazareth Academy or No. 6 Woodstock North in the quarterfinals next weekend. The Hubs, who held Benet to 41 rushing yards, are 10-game winners for the first time since 2003.

The Redwings, who reached the playoffs this season for the first time since 2019, struggled with penalties throughout the evening, committing seven penalties for 134 total yards.

Luke Doyle led the Benet receiving group, catching eight passes for a game-high 107 yards. Conor Evers and Dean Meah combined for nine tackles to lead the Redwings on defense.

https://www.shawlocal.com/friday-night-drive/2024/11/09/turnovers-penalties-botched-snaps-doom-benet-in-second-round-loss-to-rochelle/