INDIANAPOLIS
The absence of a running clock in state championship football games only delayed the inevitable celebration of Roncalli’s 10th state title on Friday.
That was the only thing out of its control.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery
Roncalli spent four quarters making life miserable for tradition-rich Hobart, thoroughly dominating the Brickies, 49-7, in the Class 4A championship game inside Lucas Oil Stadium.
It was the red, white and blue icing on a season first-year Roncalli coach John Rodenberg envisioned but could have never scripted. The 56-year-old Cincinnati native has now captured a state title in three states, having won two in Ohio at Cincinnati Moeller and another in Kentucky at Covington Catholic.
“It was amazing. The last three games, Mt. Vernon, Mooresville and today, Hobart, you walk in and you’re walking on glass because you know you’re playing great football teams,” Rodenberg said. “We had really good practices at the end of the year, and I was so impressed with how dialed in our guys got.
“We kept practices short, but we kept them focused. I’m not surprised at the way we played. I just thought we were really dialed in at the playoffs. We were underdogs in the last two games, and our kids, they took that as a challenge.”
Roncalli outscored No. 1 Mt. Vernon, third-ranked Mooresville and No. 7 Hobart by a combined score of 126-35. Rodenberg’s squad (13-1) outscored its six postseason opponents, 277-55.
Junior quarterback Aidan Leffler completed his first seven passes on his way to a five-touchdown performance and 200 yards passing. Three of the scores wound up in the able hands of junior receiver Kyle Lockard, his trips to the end zone covering 17, 15 and 51 yards.
“With the receivers that I have and the line that gives me time, I think I could envision it,” said Leffler, the starting quarterback since his freshman season. “(Lockard) is my best friend, so we work on it quite a bit. He’s really fast. I’m happy for him. I love that kid.”
Roncalli coasted to a suspense-free 28-0 halftime lead on the strength of four Leffler TD passes, tailback Baron Huebler’s clock-consuming 23 carries and a defense that forced the Brickies into four punts. Hobart ventured into Roncalli territory only once in the opening half, at the 49, before a 10-yard loss on a quarterback sack ended that threat.
Leffler’s scoring strikes started with a 4-yarder to junior Michael Gallagher in the left flat, a play that capped an 18-play, 66-yard drive. They followed it with the 17-yarder over the middle to Lockard — set up by linebacker Skyler Phillips’ interception — a 50-yard slant to Cole Beckman and Lockard keeping his toes barely inbounds for a 15-yard score with only 16 seconds remaining before halftime.
Hobart, which was making its first trip to Indianapolis in 24 years, attempted to catch Roncalli off guard with an onside kick to open the third period, but junior Joey Milto covered the ball for Roncalli on its 49. One play later, Roncalli used a bit of trickery itself, with a flea-flicker resulting in Leffler’s fifth TD pass of the afternoon, the 51-yard strike to Lockard to make it 35-0.
Roncalli made it a 42-0 game on Huebler’s 2-yard run. Hobart sidestepped the distinction of being the fifth team to finish a 4A final scoreless with Tyler Turley’s 1-yard touchdown run with only 38 seconds remaining in the final quarter.
Only Roncalli wasn’t done. Senior Dom Brown took the ensuing kickoff, eluded a couple of would-be tacklers and was off to the races for a 91-yard touchdown.
“It’s my last play of high school football. Maybe of football my whole life,” said Brown, who plans to play baseball at the University of Indianapolis. “When they kicked it my way, a jolt of energy sparked and I just knew I was going. We could have ended it with putting zero on the board (for Hobart), but I’ll take it.
“It couldn’t have ended much better. It was just a dream.”
