Rochester routs Maconaquah, goes undefeated in TRC for first time since 2014

Val T.
6 hours ago
5 min read

Parks runs for 3 TDs, Shotts adds 2 TD runs; Beck, Meadows add interceptions

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

Kale Shotts Zakk Parks Jabez Yarber

Completing their first undefeated Three Rivers Conference season in 11 years, the Rochester football season relied on field position and an overpowering running game to defeat Class 3A, No. 5 Maconaquah 48-6 at Barnhart Field Friday.

Zakk Parks ran for three touchdowns, and Kale Shotts added touchdown runs on each of the Zebras’ first two possessions. Carson Paulik and Trenton Meadows also had touchdown runs.

Brant Beck, limited to linebacker duties on defense after Rochester coach Ron Shaffer said he was “banged up,” set up a touchdown drive with a 44-yard interception return that set up a touchdown.

Meadows also had an interception.

Spencer Backus went six for six on extra points.

Rochester did not have a 100-yard rusher, but four different backs had at least 50 yards. Shotts led with 14 carries for 77 yards, Jabez Yarber had six carries for 65 yards, Meadows had five carries for 62 yards, and Parks had five carries for 51 yards.

Parks, a senior, had only one rushing touchdown in his career prior to Friday.

Rochester converted both Maconaquah turnovers into touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Zebras had no turnovers themselves.

In the end, five of Rochester’s seven touchdown drives started in Maconaquah’s half of the field. None of their touchdown drives was longer than 59 yards.

“We didn’t see them punt very much,” Rochester coach Ron Shaffer said. “That’s a prolific offense. They don’t punt very often. They just didn’t punt very well, and it turned to our advantage. Field position was great for us all night. Not only that, just cashing in on it. You have to cash in, and I thought we did a really nice job of that tonight. I thought our kids played really well and took advantage of those opportunities.”

Both teams are 8-1. Rochester finished 8-0 in the TRC while Maconaquah finished 7-1.

Rochester shared the TRC title as recently as 2022 when they split it with Tippecanoe Valley and Southwood. This marked the first time since the Zebras went undefeated in the TRC since 2014.

Maconaquah had not lost a regular season game since a 36-14 loss at Barnhart two years ago. They had won 20 of 21 games since Michael Fenters took over as coach in 2024.

But they gave up touchdowns on the Zebras’ first seven drives.

It was just two weeks ago that Shaffer criticized the team’s focus after a win over Northfield.

“Things definitely changed,” senior offensive and defensive tackle Matt Crossland said. “We picked practice up and had two really good weeks of practice and came out and won the conference championship. … We all executed our blocks well.”

Yarber set the tone early. He returned the opening kickoff 27 yards to the Rochester 44 and then followed with a 40-yard run on a jet sweep to the left.

“It feels great,” Yarber said. “Very happy. I feel accomplished, but we’ve got more to do at sectionals, and that’s what we’re focusing on now.”

A three-yard Meadows run and a four-yard Yarber run preceded Shotts picking through a hole on the right side of the offensive line and scoring from the 9.

Beck picked off a pass intended for Jordan VanNess and returned it to the Maconaquah 21. Two plays later, Shotts scored again off the right side to make it 14-0.

Maconaquah answered with a 14-play, 73-yard touchdown drive of their own. The drive included three Rochester penalties – two inadvertent face masks and a personal foul for a late hit – and Marcell Sims capped it with a one-yard plunge.

“It’s probably eliminate the penalties, and we were a little lackadaisical on the front line,” Shaffer said. “We weren’t redirecting routes, and just got a little more aggressive and got after it.”

But Yarber returned the kickoff 55 yards to the Maconaquah 25.

“I think the second kick return I had, I think they definitely overran that one,” Yarber said.

That’s when Parks was introduced to the offensive backfield in an I-back set, a different look from the wing-T. He had runs of seven and five yards and then shed a potential tackler going left and turned back and right and scored on an 11-yard run on the last play of the first quarter to make it 20-6.

Maconaquah went three-and-out on all three possessions in the second quarter. They punted three times. Freshman punter Jaxon Cole’s three punts traveled 6, 19 and 13 yards, and Rochester turned all three short punts into touchdowns.

Paulik scored from the 1 after faking a handoff to Shotts. Then Parks followed a lead block off the right side and scored on a 27-yard run. Then Parks added another 1-yard scoring run with 5.9 seconds left in the half. A 10-yard pass from Paulik to Meadows set up that score.

“Sometimes you don’t pull things out until you need them,” Shaffer said of Parks at running back. “With Brant being a little bit banged up, we went to Zakk on that, and he’s excitable, right? A really good player from there. He just kind of bides his time on the defense, and he had a hell of a game on the defensive side. I really thought he played well tonight, probably his best game all year.”

Backus’ PAT assured of another running clock in the second half.

Meadows completed the scoring with a 45-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.

“I think that we got the job done,” Yarber said. “We can do it even when we were missing guys, and when we’re together as a team, we can make things happen.”

Zebra notes

Elwood beat Frankton 34-27 in their regular season finale Friday. Elwood (3-6) will host Rochester in a Class 2A, Sectional 36 quarterfinal next Friday.
Rochester joined the TRC in 1987. They have won at least a share of the conference title 15 times. That is the most of any active member of the TRC. Former TRC member Tippecanoe Valley has won the most conference titles with 16.
Sims came in averaging 142 yards rushing per game. Rochester held him to 53. Of the 53, 24 came after the running clock started.
Assistant coach Isaac Shaffer became a father earlier Friday.
Yarber, who transferred from Caston to Rochester last spring, praised Ron Shaffer afterwards.