Rochester 41/1857

Beck, Shotts, Meadows go over 100 yards as Rochester handles Northwestern

Val T.
Oct 11
5 min read

Zebras to host Mac next week for TRC title

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

Ethan Bailey Kale Shotts

Brant Beck ran for 137 yards and three touchdowns before leaving with an injury, and Trenton Meadows and Kale Shotts also ran for over 100 yards as the Rochester football team routed Northwestern 49-7 to stay undefeated in conference play Friday.

The Zebras fumbled on their first drive but scored on six consecutive possessions and accumulated 418 yards of total offense in the first half in building a 42-0 halftime lead.

They made it seven consecutive possessions with a score to start the second half on a bizarre play: Shotts found a hole off left guard and took it for a 22-yard gain before fumbling, and quarterback Carson Paulik scooped up the loose ball and took it 17 yards for a touchdown.

It was the capper as the lead reached 49-0.

Shotts finished with 106 yards and a touchdown, and Trenton Meadows had 101 yards and a touchdown.

Jabez Yarber had 76 yards rushing and a touchdown on two carries, and he also forced a fumble and blocked a field goal.

Spencer Backus went seven for seven on extra points and also had two touchbacks on kickoffs.

Defensively, Rochester blanked a Northwestern offense in the first half that came in averaging 32 points per game. They held Northwestern to 12 yards rushing in the first half.

Northwestern’s only points came on an 11-yard touchdown pass from Collin Cook to Dewayne Perrigen on the last play of the third quarter.

Rochester coach Ron Shaffer also approved of the tackling, which prevented Northwestern from getting large gains after the catch.

“Some things we did with the secondary, I think, gave them a little bit of trouble,” Shaffer said. “We were able to get some press and be able to sit back. I thought for the most part, we got a little bit of pressure. He gets rid of the ball fast. But I think probably the biggest thing was getting hits on the receivers as they were catching the ball or right after, so I think maybe just from that standpoint, I don’t know if they’ve been hit that quickly after catching the ball.”

Rochester improved to 7-1 overall and 7-0 in the Three Rivers Conference. Northwestern dropped to 4-4, 4-3.

In other TRC action Friday, Maconaquah edged Manchester 29-28 on Nolan Tarrh’s 28-yard field goal with three seconds left. Maconaquah had trailed 28-0 at halftime.

Maconaquah’s win eliminates Manchester from conference title contention and sets up a showdown at Barnhart Field next Friday between the Braves (8-0, 7-0 TRC) and Rochester for the conference title.

Beck had four carries for 18 yards on the first drive, and Meadows had a 25-yard carry, but the drive ended on a mishandled exchange between Paulik and center Derek Wortley that resulted in a fumble that Northwestern recovered.

But an incomplete pass and two running plays that led to five yards in losses led to a punt.

After two gains totaling 12 yards, Beck slipped inside on a trap and was gone, breaking into the clear and to his right and going 54 yards for a touchdown.

The next Northwestern drive resulted in their first first down, and they faced a third-and-1 at the Rochester 42. But a false start penalty made it third-and-6, and an incomplete pass made it fourth down.

Northwestern went for it, but Rochester inside linebacker Ethan Bailey blitzed up the middle and came in unblocked. He mauled Cook for a 13-yard loss.

Rochester then drove 40 yards in four plays with Beck going right up the middle for a 29-yard touchdown run on second-and-12 to make it 14-0.

Northwestern drove from their 20 after a Backus touchback on a kickoff to the Rochester 16, but Cook threw three incomplete passes, and Yarber blocked Ty Kidwell’s 33-yard field goal.

“We really concentrated on it this week based on their personnel,” Shaffer said when asked how much they practiced blocking field goals. “So they had three of their eligible receivers were actually ineligible numbers. So they couldn’t catch the ball. We knew we could bring pressure and didn’t have to worry about coverage.”

Rochester followed with a two-play, 84-yard drive. Meadows ran 27 yards around the right perimeter as Northwestern had an 11th defender running onto the field just as the ball was being snapped. Yarber then ran 57 yards for a touchdown around the left side to make it 21-0.

Northwestern faced a fourth-and-7 from their own 35 to start the second quarter and decided to go for it, but a completed screen pass was stopped for a five-yard loss.

Rochester senior cornerback Clarence Garrett had the assignment for the most part against top Tiger receiver Perrigen.

“I think it was a great challenge for me,” Garrett said. “After we played Wabash, we didn’t play the best game, so it was nice to come out and play better. … Watching film is very important. Everybody on the team has got to watch film. We all have got to make sure we’re keeping up so everyone knows what every other person is doing. We’re all a team here.”

Four plays later, with the Zebras facing their own fourth down at the Northwestern 22, Meadows went off right tackle and then broke free and dragged two defenders the final three yards for a touchdown.

And after Yarber forced a Jayden West fumble after a reception, Rochester went on a four-play, 44-yard touchdown drive. The drive included a pass interference penalty on Northwestern on a Paulik pass intended for Grant Clark, an 11-yard Grant Holloway run and an 11-yard Beck run behind left side blockers Mason Hisey and Declan Gard for a touchdown.

The lead was 35-0.

Rochester forced a three-and-out, and Kidwell drilled a 55-yard punt that forced Rochester to start at their 14.

But Zakk Parks reached over his shoulder for a high-level 28-yard reception, Beck ran around the left perimeter for a gain of 19, and Shotts raced 38 yards before being tackled at the 1. Two plays later, Shotts scored to make it 42-0.

“They did a really nice job adjusting,” Shaffer said of the offensive line play. “They came out a little bit fluky with us. I think we fumbled on the first drive, got a three-and-out, came right back and scored pretty quick on a trap, I believe. I thought the kids blocked really decently, a good job tonight.”

Shaffer disapproved of the team’s focus in a 51-14 win over Northfield last week due to issues with fumbling on offense and missed assignments on defense.

“I think the focus was 10 times better today,” team captain Garrett said. “I think we played slow last week, but we came in this week, and we were ready. … We had an extra practice on Saturday, and we worked on different blitzes to get us ready, and I think overall, we just watched more film. We were more prepared.”

Zebra notes

Beck did not play in the second half. He was in street clothes on the sidelines, and his left arm was in a sling.
Northwestern running back Sam Jones, who had at least 90 yards rushing in each of his last five games, did not play. No reason was given.
Northwestern tight end/H-back Bradyn Wilson, who came into the game with 31 receptions for the season, also did not play. No reason was given.
Rochester and Northwestern were playing for the first time as conference rivals. This was their first meeting since Oct. 31, 1997. Northwestern won that game 31-19 in the sectional semifinals, ending Rochester’s undefeated season.

Rochester 49, Northwestern 7

Rochester 21 21 7 0 – 49

Northwestern 0 0 7 0 – 7

First quarter

RHS – Brant Beck 54 run (Spencer Backus kick)

RHS – Beck 29 run (Backus kick)

RHS – Jabez Yarber 57 run (Backus kick)

Second quarter

RHS – Trenton Meadows 22 run (Backus kick)

RHS – Beck 11 run (Backus kick)

RHS – Kale Shotts 1 run (Backus kick)

Third quarter