If the rugged slate in the Interstate 8 wasn’t enough for the Rochelle football team, the nonconference portion of it provided quite a test also, with all four opponents playoff bound.

Starting with a renewal of a storied rivalry with Geneseo, a trip to Chicago against King, hosting the state’s premier 1A program in Lena-Winslow and ending with a 27-6 win over a Waterloo team that traveled 290 miles to Rochelle, it was a diverse challenge each week.

“Those are sustained, successful programs,” Rochelle coach Kyle Kissack said. “For us to finish at 6-3 is a credit to our kids and a testament to how well they responded to adversity.”

The Hubs racked up 318 yards rushing and other than a fumble at the 5-yard line on the opening drive, they were unstoppable.

“It was old-fashioned football math - four times three equals 12, and they’re very good at it,” said Waterloo coach Dan Rose in reference to Rochelle’s ability to rack up first downs by running the ball.

After forcing a Waterloo punt, it was Tyler Gensler keying Rochelle’s first score with runs of 16 and 31, the latter going for TD and 7-0 lead. Gensler gained 115 yards on eight attempts, the second week in a row he averaged over 10 yards a carry.

“The O-line was firing off every single play,” Gensler said. “As a team this year, we’ve stuck together.”

The Bulldogs (6-3) put together an impressive 15-play drive, converting two fourth-downs in the process, but were stalled at the 36-yard line. It was 6-foot-3, 215-pound linebacker Brode Metzger with a crushing sack of QB Conrad Lindhorst that gave the ball back to Rochelle.

“Brode is the epitome of what Rochelle football is all about with his accountability and responsibility,” Kissack said.

Besides five tackles, Metzger also forced a fumble and knocked down a pass. Mark Green led Rochelle with nine tackles, adding to his season-high total of 57. Gavin Neale had seven tackles.

Late in the second quarter, Rochelle increased its lead to 13-0 on a 4-yard run by Roman Villalobos, as the Bulldogs staggered against the blocking by the Hubs.

“Every single play we come out of the huddle, relentless and aggressive,” said senior center Markell Pogue.

With all the injuries Rochelle has had, this was only the third time all season that this group of offensive lineman played together.

“We were very physical at the point of attack and on the back side,” Hub line coach Erick Olson said.

At the beginning of the second half, Waterloo showed why it is playoff worthy. Effectively using misdirection in the backfield, Waterloo drove 68 yards on 15 plays to close the lead to 13-6.

It was Owen Niebruegge grabing a 17-yard pass from Lindhorst to start the rally. Leading rusher and receiver Derez Sayles closed it out with a 4-yard TD reception on fourth down. Waterloo was 5-for-7 on fourth downs.

“We moved the ball okay,” said Rose, the 26th-year head coach. “We wanted to come out and score and then get a stop.”

The Bulldogs did force a fourth down on Rochelle’s next possession, but it was Gensler going 17 yards on that same play to up the lead to 20-6.

Metzger and Cooper Holmgren then pressured Lindhorst into an incompletion on fourth down to squelch any chance the Bulldogs had of coming back. A steady dose of Villalobos up the middle made it 27-6 late in the fourth quarter.

The 157 yards gained by Villalobos put him at 1,030 for the year, to go along with 15 touchdowns. Dylan Manning, who suffered a head injury against Morris three weeks ago, finished with 829 yards and 11 TDs. After two surgeries, he remains at Loyola.

“Dylan is continuing to make progress,” Kissack said. “He has a lot of work left to do, but he’s a fighter. We love Dylan and his family and our praying for him to get better. In a nice gesture, Waterloo gave us a number 10 jersey and we continue to get support from all over the state.”