Mendota to rely on veteran line as it looks to build on playoff berth

Mendota's quarterback Justin Randolph, (no,4) throws a pass against St. Bede on Thursday Oct. 21, 2021

The Mendota football team finally got a taste of success last fall.

After five consecutive seasons of one win or less, the Trojans won five games in 2021 and qualified for the postseason for the first time since 2014.

“The seed has been planted that this is something we’re capable of,” said Mendota coach Keegan Hill, whose team opened camp July 11 with 7-on-7s on July 12 at Kaneland and July 16 at Princeton. “Our attendance in June for workouts was better than anticipated. I would say [last year’s success] contributed.”

The Trojans lost a strong senior class that featured several three-year starters, but senior lineman Jose Rocha is confident Mendota can build off last season.

“This summer we can get together as much as we can and get more chemistry,” Rocha said. “We lost some key guys who were good in that playoff run, but I think we are at a caliber where we can do that again. We just have to put in the work this whole summer, which we have been.”

The Trojans must work this summer to fill holes in their skill positions offensively after losing three-year quarterback Ted Landgraf (566 passing yards, 5 TDs, 609 rushing yards 6 TDs) and leading rusher Uzi Angulo (731 yards, 9 TDs) as well as other key contributors.

What Mendota does have, however, is an experienced offensive line to build around.

The Trojans return four starters on the line in Rocha, Landon Kreiser, Jordan Coney and Neal Linden.

“Having veterans on the offensive line is always key,” Rocha said. “Having four seniors is going to be good because we’ve been playing for years and we know the ropes. We can teach the younger guys as the season goes, and if someone gets injured the younger guys can get an opportunity to step in.”

Rocha expects the veteran presence up front to ease the transition for the Trojans’ new quarterback – expected to be junior Justin Randolph – as well as a stable of running backs taking on larger roles.

“When you have a veteran offensive line, it gives the quarterback more time to look and get his reads, and for the running backs it’s also great because they can trust the offensive line to make holes for them,” Rocha said. “It’s just great for our offense.”

Randolph saw limited action last season as a sophomore, attempting passes in five of 10 games.

“He’s taking a bunch of reps at that spot,” Hill said. “We’d like him to be the guy.

“He likes playing quarterback. He likes throwing the ball. We’re getting the learning curve going because the guy ahead of him was a three-year starter. This summer has been pretty good to him.”

Anthony Childs will play a key role in the ground game after rushing for 467 yards and six scores last season.

J.P. Belmonte also got some carries last fall, while returning receiver Isaac Smith “might get a couple touches in other ways, too.”

The Trojans also return others with experience in the receiving corps, including Ryne Strouss and Garrett Zinke.

“Without the offensive linemen you can’t get anything done, so that helps a lot,” Strouss said. “It helps a lot because you know you can count on them. It helps our quarterback 100 percent because he doesn’t really need to be worried about pressure. He knows he’ll get time. He’ll have enough time to complete passes, and he knows the holes will open up.”

With the inexperience in the backfield as well as voids from a senior-laden defense in 2021, the Trojans will use the rest of the summer looking to plug those holes.

“We have to get people acclimated to their new spots,” Hill said. “If we adjust what we want to do, we have to introduce how we want to play football. We have to get all those things introduced by the end of July so in August you’re sharpening your tools as opposed to just handing them to them.”