INDIANAPOLIS
Roncalli tailback Baron Huebler shoehorned a game’s worth of statistics into the first quarter Friday night, but there was still work to be done.
Third-ranked Mooresville didn’t receive such lofty status by being a pushover.
Nonetheless, No. 4 Roncalli’s impressively fast start gave it the cushion it needed in downing the visiting Pioneers, 42-14, in a Class 4A semistate game. Huebler, a 5-foot-9, 185-pound maestro of starts, stops and abrupt directional changes, wound up with a career-best 301 yards rushing and five touchdowns on 33 carries.
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Huebler totaled 131 yards by the end of the first period, leading his team to a 21-0 advantage that eventually grew to 28-0.
“I think a very important aspect for a running back is vision because, I mean, you can be 225 (pounds) or you can be tall, but if you can’t have vision, you can’t go anywhere, and then it really doesn’t matter,” Huebler said. “But when you have an offensive line this good, it’s pretty easy to have that vision.”
The win sends Roncalli (12-1) to the 4A state championship game against Hobart at Lucas Oil Stadium. It will be Roncalli’s 13th appearance in a title game, and its first since 2016, as the program seeks its 10th state championship.
Mooresville closes its season with a 12-2 record.
Roncalli came into Friday night’s game having won all but one of the seven meetings with Mooresville since the 2003 season. Roncalli outscored Pioneer teams, 241-101, during that stretch, winning five of the contests by three or more touchdowns.
Mooresville was vying for its first championship game appearance, but Roncalli, ignited by the dominant ground attack, took control immediately.
“That was crazy,” Roncalli junior quarterback Aidan Leffler said of Huebler’s statistical onslaught. “Just knowing that Mooresville’s defense was going to be tough. They had some big dudes up front, but Baron is special. Our line helped him out and even helped me out when I ran. They’re incredible.
“We definitely thought this was possible. We went through a rough time last year, but coach (John Rodenberg), he’s awesome.”
Huebler, Leffler and the line blocking for them were a nightmare for the Mooresville defense the entire game.
Huebler took it into the end zone from 5, 8, 11 and 19 yards in the opening half and tacked on a 10-yarder in the fourth quarter. Huebler’s 11-yarder was a thing of beauty as he darted left, got to the Mooresville 3 and soared over a Pioneer defender to make it 21-0 with 13 seconds left in the opening stanza.
“I’ll tell you what, people don’t understand how hard he works,” said Rodenberg, who has the opportunity to win a state championship in his third state after claiming two at Cincinnati Moeller and one at Covington Catholic in Kentucky. “Everything he gets, he’s worked for.
“He’s relentless, he’s a great leader, he’s not a yeller and screamer. A very humble kid. I mean, he’s just a really good kid.”
Mooresville quarterback Nick Patterson, an exceptionally poised sophomore, directed his offense downfield on the ensuing series. The series, aided by a Roncalli pass interference, concluded with Patterson’s 1-yard run. The Pioneers defense stiffened, forcing Roncalli into its lone punt of the half, before the offense took over again and traveled 71 yards in seven plays to paydirt.
Again, it was Patterson with a 1-yard run with only 21 seconds remaining before halftime, giving the Pioneers much-needed momentum with two quarters to play.
Mooresville took the second-half kickoff, but an offensive pass interference call stopped that drive and prevented the Pioneers from making it a one-score game.
As a team, Roncalli rushed for 392 yards overall, with Leffler supplying 84 and a 1-yard touchdown dive that made it a 35-14 score.
