Roncalli quarterback Aidan Leffler runs up the middle against Mt. Vernon on Friday.
Tom Russo | For the Daily Journal
FORTVILLE
In the end, Roncalli ran out of the time and victories.
The defending Class 4A state champion and No. 1 Royals saw their 24-game winning streak end with a 27-21 loss at No. 4 Mt. Vernon in the regional final Friday night. The Marauders (12-1) lost to Roncalli by 21 points in the regional last year but had beaten the Royals in 2019.
Royals senior quarterback Aidan Leffler scored on a 3-yard touchdown run with 2:19 left in the game to cut the lead to 27-21. The onside kick failed and the Royals (12-1) got the ball back with just eight seconds left on their own 7.
“It would have been nice to have a shot on it,” Roncalli football coach John Rodenberg said of getting the onside kick. “We didn’t capitalize on the turnovers and they had some big plays. They got a couple more plays than we did and they won the game. They just executed.”
The Royals played without star receiver Kyle Lockard, who was sidelined with a concussion suffered in the previous game.
“Kyle has been a stalwart my two years here and one heck of a player,” Rodenberg said. “You take maybe 14 points off the board with him not being here.”
Royals senior quarterback Aidan Leffler completed 14 of 27 passes for 94 yards on a cold evening with saw a few snow flurries in the second half.
“It’s a championship game against good competition,” Rodenberg said of Leffler’s struggles. “The ball just sailed a couple times.”
Royals junior running back Luke Hansen rushed for 112 yards on 18 carries, but most of those yards came in the first half.
“They made nice adjustments on how they stopped our run,” Rodenberg said.
Despite three first-half turnovers, Mt. Vernon led 17-14 at halftime. The Marauders pushed the lead to 24-14 by capping a long touchdown drive with Keagan LaBelle’s 2-yard TD run late in the third quarter. A 37-yard field by Ethan Yeley made it 27-14 with 4:35 left in the fourth quarter.
Roncalli got off to a good start and took advantage of the first turnover when Royals linebacker Ty Garrett came up with a fumble recovery by grabbing a backwards pitch. Hansen’s 41-yard run set up his own 5-yard TD run to give the Royals a 7-0 lead in the opening quarter.
The Marauders tied it at 7-all on Travon Heager’s 1-yard TD run with 6:39 left in the first quarter.
Mt. Vernon’s second touchdown was set up by 72-yard run by George Burhenn. Eli Bridenthal scored from 6 yards out to give the Marauders a 14-7 lead with less than a minute left in the first quarter. Mt. Vernon pushed the lead to 17-7 with a 21-yard field goal. Hansen’s 13-yard TD run made it 17-14 with 10:42 left in the half.
Rodenberg said the team will realize what it accomplished in a few days.
“It’s a great group of guys, great group of seniors,” he said. “They’ve got a lot to be proud of. It hurts tonight.”
Leffler agreed that the sting will be replaced by so many fond memories.
“It’s not where we wanted to be, obviously,” said Leffler, adding the Royals missed Lockard. “No excuses; we did not execute how we should have. I love this team. I would do anything for them. I would jump off a bridge. That’s how far we’ve come. There are so many highlights of the season that eventually we can look back and say it’s about the team and the bonds we formed with this team. These guys are my brothers for life. I guarantee whatever they do in life, they’ll be successful, every single one of them.”
