While it was all tied up 14-14 at halftime, Kaneland was not quite Rochelle's equal in the second half on Friday. They and the Hubs were almost perfectly matched up, but they suffered a 21-20 defeat. The game marked the Knights' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.
Despite the loss, Kaneland saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Hayden Nowak rushed for 141 yards and a pair of touchdowns on only 15 carries.
Roman Villalobos was nothing short of spectacular for Rochelle: he rushed for 134 yards and three scores. That's the most rushing touchdowns Villalobos has posted since back in November of 2024.
Kaneland's defeat dropped their record down to 5-2. As for Rochelle, they now have a winning record of 4-3.
Kaneland and Rochelle should be looking forward to their upcoming games as both have a sizable advantage in the MaxPreps Illinois Rankings. The Knights will face off against LaSalle-Peru at 7:00 p.m. on Friday with a big rank advantage (60 vs. 239). Meanwhile, Rochelle (ranked 102nd) will meet Ottawa (ranked 301st) at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
