Football Game Preview: Rochester Rockets vs. Sacred Heart-Griffin Cyclones + How To Watch

Rochester and Sacred Heart-Griffin are an even 5-5 against one another since September of 2018, but not for long. The Rockets are taking a road trip to square off against the Cyclones at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.

Sacred Heart-Griffin will face off against a team with plenty of momentum: Rochester extended their winning streak to four on Friday. The Rockets claimed a resounding 55-10 win over Springfield. Given the Rockets' advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois football rankings (they are ranked 27th, while the Senators are ranked 174th) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.

David Kates

Rushing Yards (Career)

10/17/25 vs Springfield	92
10/03/25 @ Decatur Eisenhower	76
09/12/25 vs Lincoln	43
09/13/24 @ Lincoln	43
10/04/24 vs Decatur Eisenhower	36

Rochester's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but David Kates led the charge by rushing for 92 yards and one touchdown on only nine carries. Those 92 rushing yards gave Kates a new career-high. Jorey Myren was in the mix too, providing Rochester with two TDs.

Meanwhile, after a string of six wins, Sacred Heart-Griffin's good fortune finally ran out on Friday. They took a 35-31 hit to the loss column at the hands of Glenwood.

Sacred Heart-Griffin's defeat dropped their record down to 6-2. As for Rochester, their victory bumped their record up to 7-1.

Rochester strolled past Sacred Heart-Griffin in their previous matchup back in October of 2024 by a score of 41-27. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Rockets since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.