INDIANAPOLIS
Roncalli’s football team has only had to play four competitive quarters in its first two sectional games, but it’s been so dominant in those four quarters, it’s rendered the other four periods meaningless.
Roncalli did it again Friday night, this time dominating a Beech Grove team that entered play 7-3 on the Hornets’ home field.
Class 4A No. 4 Roncalli dominated in all three phases, particularly run offense, pass defense and all-around special teams play. It built a 50-7 halftime lead and eased to a 57-7 semifinal win.
Roncalli (9-1) advances to host Lebanon in next Friday’s sectional championship game. The Tigers advanced with a 29-25 win over Western.
Baron Huebler starred for Roncalli, compiling 225 all-purpose yards and scoring four touchdowns, all in the first half. He rushed for 195 yards and three touchdowns, and added 30 receiving yards en route to the end zone on the final play of the first half.
“We like to pound it,” Huebler said. “Our offensive line is the best in 4A, and I’d argue in the state. We’ve just got to see what’s working and keep going with it.”
“I really liked how he got outside,” Roncalli coach John Rodenberg said. “He took a couple of those plays that would have been stopped for two or three yards and turned them into 20-yard gains. His moves on the outside are something. We haven’t thrown to him a lot on that outside bubble, but he was really special on that.”
In addition to Huebler’s exploits, Roncalli intercepted three passes and converted two of those into touchdowns. Ryan Henry returned one interception 30 yards for a touchdown with 4:32 left in the first half to extend Roncalli’s lead to 34-7, and a Skyler Phillips interception on Beech Grove’s next possession led to Huebler’s third rushing touchdown and a 42-7 Roncalli lead three plays later.
Andrew Baugh claimed Roncalli’s third interception, which came late in the third quarter when the reserves were on the field.
On special teams, Roncalli’s Dominic Brown recovered a Beech Grove fumble late in the first quarter at the Hornets’ 25-yard line that led to an Aidan Leffler-to-Caden Gore 14-yard touchdown and a 21-7 Roncalli lead. Two possessions later, Greg Kirkman recovered a muffed punt at the Hornets’ 42. Leffler threw an interception in the end zone on the next play, but then Henry’s pick-six on the next play from scrimmage sealed any doubt about the outcome.
Roncalli’s 57 points tied a school record for most points in a postseason game. Rodenberg admitted the blowouts in the first two rounds (Roncalli defeated Crispus Attucks 52-6 in the first round) have left him worried about keeping his starters’ edge, and he’s adjusted practices to work around that.
“We go a lot of (starters-on-starters) in practice just so we can stay sharp,” Rodenberg said. “We’re only practicing 90 minutes, but we’re going pretty intense to make sure we keep our edge.”
That said, he still came away impressed with Roncalli’s showing Friday against a Beech Grove team that also easily won its first-round game (61-0 over Indianapolis Shortridge).
“When you score that many points, you’re doing something right,” Rodenberg said. “Defensively, we’re playing with good flow. I like how they’re getting there.”
