RICHMOND – Richmond-Burton ended its last practice of the week with a “tag” drill similar to the childhood game, with the winner getting to enjoy a chilled pineapple: a nice reward on a hot summer day.

But it hasn’t been all fun and games.

“So far, it’s been real physical,” senior middle linebacker-tight end Zach Smith said. “We’re a very competitive team. Our energy is high, tackling’s been nice, and everybody’s coming together. The teamwork has been great.”

The Rockets, coming off their third straight Class 4A state semifinals appearance, have become well known for their physical style of play, as well as their recent run of success.

After finishing 14-0 and winning the state title in 2019, R-B was 6-0 during the COVID-19-shortened 2021 spring season. Last year’s team won its first 12 games, bringing its state-best winning streak to 32 games, before a hard-fought loss to Joliet Catholic, 35-18, in the state semifinals.

Joliet Catholic went on to win its state-record 15th championship.

[ Photos: Richmond-Burton summer football practice ]

Richmond-Burton won’t lack any experience this fall, with the Rockets returning 15 seniors and a handful of juniors who played on varsity as sophomores. Mike Noll, who has coached high school football for 32 years, including a 16-year run at McHenry, is excited to put the pieces back together.

“It’s a lot of fun to put it together each year,” said Noll, who has led the Rockets to a 43-3 record in four years. “The summer is just a matter connecting it together and getting the kids to pull together on the same rope. We’re off to a good start.

“This is a really good class of leaders we have. They all have tremendous work ethic. I don’t think you can be great unless you have good senior leadership, and we’re going to have that. We have seniors who really like the program.”

Last year’s Rockets beat Chicago Phillips, a team that played in Class 7A in 2019, in the quarterfinals before losing to Joliet Catholic, a team that played in 5A in 2019, in the semifinals. R-B trailed by only three points with 8:09 left before the Hilltoppers pulled away.

Those results aren’t because of luck.

“I think we do things the right way,” Noll said. “We’re all about process in our football program. Show up everyday, get better. We’ve had a lot of good kids and a lot of really good players. A lot of kids that have gone on and played college football and a lot of kids that are multi-sport athletes and have excelled in other sports, too. I’m just proud of all that. It’s a good place to be right now.”

Among those back for the Rockets are six three-year varsity players: Smith, quarterback-defensive back Joe Miller, fullback-defensive lineman Steven Siegel, wide receiver-defensive back Nick Falasca, two-way lineman Jacob Gray and offensive lineman-linebacker Nate Komar.

Miller, who completed 68.7% (57 of 83) of his passes for 1,001 yards and 15 touchdowns as a junior, never had been on the losing end of a varsity game until last season. Keeping R-B’s winning streak alive was nice, he said, but it was never something the team focused on.

“Of course, it was amazing to win 32 straight games, but I don’t think we cared too much about the streak as a whole,” Miller said. “Most of us on the team last year, we only had the 12 games that was our own accomplishment. The 14-0 and 20-0 were the seniors before us. But I think we’re very proud of what we accomplished. We left it all on the field, so I don’t think you can be really upset about it.”

Gray, who was a freshman when R-B won the state title in 2019, doesn’t expect the Rockets to take a step back.

“I think we’re capable of winning a lot of games, just as many we’ve been winning the last four years,” Gray said. “I think we do a real good job of staying focused and keeping that record as spotless as we can. It all starts out here. Once we start to get the hang of it [in practice], we’ll be ready to go.”