11/12/2022
BY JACK BULLOCK
CARTERVILLE - On Saturday in the IHSA 4A quarterfinals against Rochester, the host Carterville Lions moved the ball up and down their home turf for most of the day.

But when it came to getting the ball into the endzone, especially with the opportunities in the first half, head coach Brett Diel's club couldn't find the right formula.

As they proved on Saturday, Rochester is too good of a team to come up empty on that many trips into Rockets' territory.

The perennial powerhouse program from near Springfield took a lead in the first minute and never surrendered the advantage as they rolled to a 34-7 halftime spread and coasted home to a 41-28 triumph.

Head coach Derek Leonard and his squad improved to 11-1 with their eleventh consecutive victory as they move into the semifinals next Saturday.

The loss closes a great campaign for the Lions with their only defeat.

It was Rochester and senior quarterback Keeton Reiss who proved difficult to stop.

The 6-0, 250 QB, who looks more like a lineman than a signal caller, rushed for 113 yards on 16 attempts while going 8-of-18 for 167 yards and a touchdown in the opening moments of the game.

“He (Reiss) is special. He's a nose tackle playing quarterback. He can do it all. He can run, he can throw, he is a special player,” said Coach Leonard. “We are, like Carterville; we'll take what you give us. Good teams aren't one-dimensional and that is where our positive is.”

Junior running back Nolan Mrozowski ran the ball 13 times for 72 yards and a pair of touchdowns as the Rockets rushed for 273 total yards in the contest.

Another junior, running back Parker Gillespie, ran five times for 53 yards but his best play was on the second play from scrimmage for Rochester.

Taking a swing pass from Reiss in the right flat, Gillespie broke a pair of tackles then headed down the right sideline for a 78-yard score just seconds into the game.

It put the Lions in a position that they hadn't faced often during the 2022 season, playing from behind.

“It (early touchdown) probably stunned them a little bit. Being on the road in this cold weather against an undefeated, great coached team that's a great start just from the momentum side of it,” said Coach Derek Leonard. “We were able to keep the momentum in the first half. We got a little banged up but I'm proud of our kids. I give credit to Carterville. They have some good players and very well coached.”

Gillespie ended up with four receptions for 110 yards on the day.

Wide out junior Henry Bueker scored the other passing TD on a lateral play near the end of the first half.

Bueker was also one of the top defenders for Rochester as he and senior defensive back Cameron Beal led the way with a combined 10 solo tackles and 18 assists.

Carterville senior quarterback Andrew Hellriegel closed out his career with a 24-of-40, 262 yard performance passing with a pair of TD passes.

However he also was intercepted twice in the first half, each of which halted potential scoring drives.

Senior running back and workhorse Bryce Smith finished with 192 yards on the ground on 26 carries and two touchdowns.

Senior wide receiver Peyton Bittle caught 13 of the Hellriegel throws for 179 of the yards and both TD's while senior receiver Blake Burkey snagged six passes for 52 yards.

In total yards the Lions out-gained Rochester (462-440) but that is little consolation as the season ended in the quarterfinal round.

“Give credit to them (Rochester) they make you make some of those mistakes. They got some stops when they needed it. We made some plays in the second half to make things interesting,” said Coach Diel. “You don't have a lot of room for many mistakes and we made a few too many. They are good up front and that is a good football team and a great program for a reason.They can power run in the middle and they can throw the ball down field. They're a well-balanced team and I wish them the best.”

After the Gillespie early score, Carterville got the ball and drove into Rochester territory as they reached the Rockets' 23 yard line.

But the drive stalled as Hellriegel was sacked on a fourth-and-13, giving the ball back over on downs.

Twelve plays later the Rockets scored their second touchdown.

Reiss connected with Gillespie twice on the drive, including a 15 yard pass and catch that gave Rochester a first-and-goal at the Carterville nine.

Two plays later Mrozowski scored from two-yards out for a 14-0 advantage with 4:27 left in the opening frame.

The Lions best drive of the first half came next.

It took just over three minutes to go 81 yards in nine plays with Smith doing the bull-work.

Smith carried the ball six of the plays, culminating with a seven-yard scoring run up the middle of the Rockets' defense.

The PAT narrowed the gap to 14-7 with just :46.1 left in the first quarter.

The rest of the half belonged to Rochester.

After an exchange of punts, the Rockets added to their lead with a quick five-play, 55 yard drive.

A 21 yard pass from Reiss to junior wide receiver Jack Swaney got the ball to the Carterville 15.

Mrozowski scored on the next play, running up the middle for a TD for a 21-7 spread after the PAT kick.

Things got worse for Carterville as they had a three-and-out on its next possession.

Rochester scored again quickly, aided by a long run by Gillespie and a personal foul penalty on Carterville that tacked 15 more yards on the play to the Lions' 23.

A Reiss to Gillespie pass play followed by three runs by Reiss and Mrozowski got the Rockets to the Carterville six.

On a designed pass play, Reiss rolled to his right and threw back to his left to a wide open Mekhi Dixon.

The 6-0 senior fullback waltzed into the endzone for the fourth TD of the game for the Rockets.

Senior place kicker Zoe Cormier tacked on his fourth-consecutive PAT for a 28-7 lead at the 4:28 mark of the second quarter.

Carterville moved the ball into the Rockets territory for third time in the half only to come away empty.

Hellriegel threw his first interception as senior defensive back Amar'e Franklin picked off the pass at the Rochester 39.

It took just three plays for the Rockets to score again, this time on a bit of trickery.

Reiss found senior wide out Anthony Marinelli down the middle of the field with a long pass.

Marinelli then pitched a lateral to Bueker who was streaking down the right sideline.

The play covered 45 yards to the endzone for the fifth first half touchdown for the guests.

In one of the few mistakes Rochester made, the PAT attempt was no good, leaving the score at 34-7 with 1:34 remaining in the half.

Carterville had a shot at scoring again in the first half as the Lions drove down to the Rochester five yard line.

However a Hellriegel pass was intercepted by Beal as the half ended with the hosts down by 27.

“They (Rochester) don't give you a lot of room for error. Our guys battled. We had the ball and we moved the ball all day but we needed to convert in the first half on a couple of our possessions when we got into the 'red zone' to try and keep that thing close,” said Coach Diel. “I'm proud of our guys for fighting right until the very end.”

Coach Diel's team came out and played much better in the second half, getting a touchdown on their second possession on a 42 yard TD pass from Hellriegel to Bittle.

However Rochester answered with 10 play, 51 yard drive with most of it coming on runs by Reiss up the middle of the Lions' defense.

On a key third down pass, Reiss found Swaney over the middle to the Carterville four.

Three runs later, all by Reiss, tacked on the sixth and final TD for the Rockets.

The Cormier PAT made it 41-14 with 10:30 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Carterville managed to score a couple of late touchdowns to make the final score a bit more respectable.

A 20 yard pass from Hellriegel to Bittle and an eight yard run by Smith closed out the scoring.

The Rockets advanced to the semifinals for what will be a date with Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin

Rochester (11-1) will play the unbeaten Saints (12-0) in the semifinals, which is slated for 7 PM on Friday night at Ken Leonard Field.

Ken Leonard, Derek's father, is the long time head coach at SGH and is the all-time winningest coach in IHSA football history with a won-loss mark of 385-71 and five state championships.

Rochester lost the first game of the season to SHG, 62-27, and haven't lost since.

Carterville closed out one of the best season's in the school's history

“It's tough (end of the year) and we talked about their effort on the field and what they do off the field is just awesome. It's a great group of guys. They're great football players but they're high character kids, too,” said Coach Diel. “And that's more important than anything