Football: Mendota uses big plays to subdue Rock Falls

MENDOTA – Rock Falls came up with some unique special teams plays, but they weren’t enough to hang with Mendota.

The Trojans had an answer for each of the Rockets’ explosions and pulled away for a 42-28 victory Friday night. Both teams were 0-2 entering the contest.

Mendota churned out 209 yards rushing in the second half on 28 carries, with halfback Damien Magallanes (12-95) and quarterback Ted Landgraf (11-89) doing the bulk of the damage. The Trojans had 71 rushing yards in the first half.

“Honestly, it was nerves,” Landgraf said. “It was nerves in the first half, and we got it out of our system the second half. Halftime was crucial. We just said, ‘Screw it, we’re going to go as far as we can.’ All the reads were right, and all the running was very good by everyone. The blocks by the line were crucial.”

Magallanes scored four touchdowns – three on short plunges and a 51-yarder with 1 minute, 29 seconds to go – to seal the win. Magallanes had picked up a critical first down on a fourth-and-2 play from the Rock Falls 49 before busting loose for the clincher.

Rock Falls, meanwhile, never got things going in the second half, when it had a mere 58 yards of total offense; 30 of those yards came in the waning seconds on a halfback option pass from Booker Cross to Kamerin McGlown.

“We were trying to make things happen, and it didn’t go the way we predicted,” Rock Falls coach Kevin Parker said. “You try to find some holes, and you think you have it, and it’s almost like they could read it. We didn’t do one thing really well that we could keep going back to, and we’re still looking for that. That wasn’t there. The effort was there, but we gave up way too many big plays.”

The Rockets’ lone highlights after halftime were a pair of special teams gems. With Mendota up, 28-14, Dillon Schueler took a kickoff near his own 20 and ran a reverse with Cross. Cross broke a few tackles early before taking it to the house to get Rock Falls within 28-21.

Mendota responded with a 10-play, 68-yard march capped off by an 8-yard run by Landgraf. The key play was a 31-yard run by Magallanes on a fake punt to put the Trojans in business at the Rock Falls 30.

Now ahead, 35-21, with 4:04 remaining, Mendota went for the kill with an onside kick. It bounded to Schueler, who caught it with a full head of steam. He split two Mendota tacklers and returned it 55 yards for a TD to bring his team within a touchdown.

Schueler’s favorite play of the night, however, was an 89-yard run midway through the second quarter that knotted the score at 14. It was a simple-looking handoff off left tackle, but it broke clean, and he outran the Mendota secondary for an unlikely score.

“It was just seeing my blockers block for me and finding the open hole,” Schueler said. “Seeing the open field for once and getting a breakaway play, it gave the team a boost after we went down 7-0.”

Ryan McCord scored on an 8-yard run with 10:44 to play in the second quarter to tie the score at 7.

Schueler rushed eight times for 102 yards to pace the Rock Falls offense.

Magallanes had 20 carries for 117 yards and four TDs for Mendota. Landgraf rushed 20 times for 132 yards and one TD. He also hooked up with Emilio Perez for a 73-yard TD pass in the second quarter and threw for 165 yards overall.

Football

Mendota 42, Rock Falls 28

Star of the game: Damien Magallanes, Mendota, 117 yards rushing, 4 TDs

Key performers: Dillon Schueler, Rock Falls, 102 yards rushing, 2 TDs (1 kickoff return); Ted Landgraf, Mendota, 297 total yards

Up next: Oregon at Rock Falls, 2 p.m. Saturday

Brian Weidman

Brian Weidman

Brian Weidman was a sports reporter for Sauk Valley News