Richmond-Burton sported new looks with same old results against Urban Prep-Bronzeville

RICHMOND – Richmond-Burton had several new starters and a new artificial turf on its field, yet still looked a lot like its old self.

The Rockets opened up with a 40-yard pass on their first play from scrimmage and rolled to a 49-0 victory over Chicago Urban Prep-Bronzeville Friday.

R-B had five new starters on both sides and was playing its first game on the new turf. The Rockets, ranked No. 5 in the first Associated Press Class 4A poll, made a strong statement in the first quarter, scoring six touchdowns.

On the first play of the game, they strayed from their usual ground game as quarterback Joe Miller (4-of-5 passing for 88 yards) connected with tight end Luke Bresnahan on a 40-yard completion. Three plays later, running back Toby Quentrall-Quezada scored the first touchdown of the season on an 11-yard run.

Running back Steven Siegel had a memorable first quarter, scoring four touchdowns. On offense, he had touchdown runs of 32, 1 and 14 yards. He also recovered a fumble on defense and returned it 24 yards for a score.

Running back Braxtin Nellessen scored the first of his two touchdowns in the first quarter helping the Rockets build a 42-0 lead. The Rockets could not have scripted a better start to the season.

“I would agree and it starts up front with the lineman, they gave us great lanes, they gave me, Toby and Braxtin a lot of room to run,” said Siegel who had 70 yards on seven carries and one reception for 20 yards.

In total, the Rockets ran for 270 yards on 41 carries.

“The lineman work so hard in practice, they really deserve a lot of credit, they just do a great job and that’s where it all starts for our offense,” said Quentrall-Quezada who finished with 65 yards on a four carries, while also intercepting a pass and recovering a fumble on defense.

While the offense started strong, the defense was equal to the task. The Rockets limited Bronzeville to one yard on 16 carries for the game. They also created turnovers, recovering two fumbles and intercepting one pass.

“We really came out and executed like we work on in practice, we were prepared and put it all together tonight,” linebacker Daniel Kalinowski said. “It was fun, we had a lot of energy.”

The Rockets also saw a transition in personnel, with five new starters on offense and defense.

“You are always going to lose good seniors, but that creates opportunities and in a good program, if you work hard in the off-season, things usually work out and that happened for us,” R-B coach Mike Noll said. “We understand the team concept and we want the parts to fit together and that’s a strength for this team.”

The Rockets enjoyed the feel of the new surface.

“It feels lighter and faster on our feet, the new turf will be great in the rain and mud games that we would have on grass,” Quentrall-Quezada said.