For the Daily Journal
FORTVILLE
After three straight lopsided wins in state tournament action, Roncalli’s football team figured to encounter a much tougher challenge in Friday’s Class 4A regional at top-ranked Mt. Vernon.
Fourth-ranked Roncalli didn’t get to sit its starters in the second half this time, but it dominated Friday’s action nonetheless.
Roncalli controlled virtually every aspect of the game, building a quick 21-0 second-quarter lead, stunning the home crowd, and coasting from there to a 35-14 win over the Marauders.
The team will host third-ranked Mooresville (12-1), which edged second-ranked Evansville Central 37-34 in their regional matchup, in the semistate round next Friday.
The win gave Roncalli (11-1) its 16th regional crown and first since the 2016 squad won the 4A state title. John Rodenberg’s club also avenged a 25-17 regional loss to Mt. Vernon last year.
“It means everything,” said Roncalli senior running back Baron Huebler, who led everyone with 148 rushing yards. “When you come from a program with nine state championships, a lot is given to you, but a lot is expected out of you. It means a lot to get back to where Roncalli’s used to going.”
Most observers expected a close contest, but Roncalli took control early against the Marauders, who entered play 12-0. The visitors’ first touchdown came with quarterback Aidan Leffler hit Cole Beckman with a screen pass. Beckman then streaked down the left sideline untouched for a 53-yard touchdown on Roncalli’s second possession of the game.
Roncalli scored its next touchdown after Ryan Papandria recovered a fumbled Mt. Vernon pitch at the Marauder 45-yard line. A Huebler 23-yard run to the Mt. Vernon 4 set up Leffler’s second touchdown pass, a quick slant to Beckman with 42.4 seconds left in the first quarter.
Leffler found Kyle Lockard on a deep pass on Roncalli’s next possession on a third-and-7 play. Lockard made one defender miss, then sprinted to the end zone for a 75-yard touchdown. That gave Roncalli an improbable 21-0 lead with 10:23 still to play in the first half.
Leffler threw just 10 passes in the first half and completed five, but three went for touchdowns and he totaled 175 yards.
Meanwhile, Roncalli held Mt. Vernon to just 22 rushing yards. Marauder quarterback Gehrig Slunaker threw for 231 yards and a touchdown, but needed 40 pass attempts to reach that number, and 79 of yards came on a garbage-time fourth-quarter touchdown drive when Roncalli led, 35-7.
“I was real pleased with how we stopped (Mt. Vernon) defensively,” Rodenberg said. “I had a lot of respect for that offense. We knew we had to pressure them, and our pressure worked. We’re not a big blitz team, but we felt this was the only way we could beat them.”
Roncalli only recorded one sack (Sean Sinovic), but that pressure forced a lot of hurried throws and inaccurate passes. Dominic Brown and Michael Hegwood intercepted Slunaker passes, and Roncalli recovered two fumbles while committing just one turnover (a Leffler interception).
While Leffler’s efficient passing controlled the game in the first half, Roncalli’s running game dominated the second half. It essentially put the game away with a 14-play, 80-yard touchdown drive to open the second half. Roncalli ran the ball on every play and ate up 5:58 of clock.
Leffler’s 6-yard sneak completed the drive and gave Roncalli a 28-7 edge. The visitors didn’t throw another pass the entire second half.
“That’s our goal,” Huebler said of the running dominance. “Tear them down inch by inch, quarter by quarter and win the ball game.”
In addition to Huebler’s 148 yards, 89 in the second half, Leffler finished with 103 rushing yards and a touchdown on 20 touches.
The win gives Roncalli a 3-2 lifetime record in games against No. 1-ranked teams.
