However for Rochester it was just another road trip south that produced a lopsided playoff victory.

The Rockets made the long journey to Jackson County a successful one, rolling to a 42-0 lead before two late 'window dressing' touchdowns by Murphysboro in the fourth quarter finished the scoring of the 4A semifinal victory for the 13-0 squad.

Rochester booked its spot in the state championship game slated for next Friday night at Hancock Stadium at Illinois State University with the triumph.

They will face Burbank St. Laurence (10-3) in the title tilt.

The Vikings defeated Wheaton Academy, 31-30 in overtime on Saturday.

While that semifinal game was close, the contest at Murphysboro's Doc Bencini Field wasn't.

Rochester diminutive junior quarterback Bryan Zulauf took care of his part of the proceedings, passing for 184-yards on 9-of-13 attempts.

Three of the completions were for touchdowns as Rochester aims to add its ninth state championship to the resume.

Senior running back Nolan Mrozowski led the rushing attack for the Rockets with 10-carries for 94-yards and three touchdowns.

Pinned back on their own one-yard line on their first possession after a punt by Murphysboro, the Rockets went 99-yards on six plays to score first which set the tone of the afternoon.

Mrozowski got Rochester out of the hole with a 18-yard run and finished the drive with a 24-yard TD scamper.

A key pass completion from Zulauf to wide out Henry Buecker went for 26-yards to set up the TD run.

“We gave up big plays today. Two of them were wide open guys on broken coverage,” said Murphysboro head coach Gary Carter. “Everyone knows they (Rochester) are good. We wanted to come out and play well and we pinned them down there early (one-yard line) but we let the out of the hole. We knew it was going to be an uphill battle.”

After forcing Murphysboro's second punt, Rochester took just thirty seconds to score.

The 52-yard drive was just three quick plays with a 36-yard pitch and catch from Zulauf to receiver Mason Jacobs for a 14-0 lead.

“I'm happy for the kids and the program. Our kids were prepared. They knew it would be a rough environment. That 99-yard drive was a big statement,” said Coach Leonard who, in his 19th year, is now 197-36. “We came up big when we had to today.”

(CONTINUED)

Gibson Fager, the Red Devils' junior quarterback, finished his day 15-of-25 for 150-yards passing.

Fager led the Red Devils to the Rochester 26 on the next possession where on a fourth-and-six he missed running back Sam Herring on a swing pass for a turnover on downs.

The Rockets took just under five minutes off of the clock overlapping into the second quarter on a 16-play drive for 74-yards.

Mrozowski scored on a one-yard dive into the endzone for the third TD of the half, as the Rockets led 21-0 at the break.

The Red Devils had a opportunity at changing the momentum late in the second quarter.

However, in the final seconds, a Fager pass to senior wide out Karmelo Abernathy bounced off of his hands and was intercepted at the goal line by Rochester defensive back Eddie Slot.

A return out to the Rockets' 25 and a kneel down sent the teams to intermission.

Getting the second half kickoff, Zulauf found Jacobs again wide open down the right sideline, nearly identical to the previous TD pass from the first half.

This time it went for a 62-yard score.

The fourth PAT kick from junior Lach Sullivan pushed the score to 28-0 with 10:26 left in the third quarter.

Two special teams plays by Rochester led to the Rockets' fifth and sixth touchdowns.

Fager dropped back to punt and a bad snap resulted in a blocked kick by Rochester linebacker Parker Lyons.

The recovery set up the Rockets at the Murphysboro 13 yard line.

Two plays later, Mrozowski scored his third rushing touchdown from nine-yards out.

Another PAT pushed the advantage to 35-0.

The next possession by the Red Devils ended with yet another blocked punt, this time by senior lineman Jack Swaney.

The ball ended up at the Murphysboro eight.

Although a unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Rochester for celebrating the play move the ball back to the Red Devils' 16, it only delayed the inevitable.

Zulauf found senior Parker Gillespie on a slant pass for an 11-yard touchdown pass.

The TD and extra point at 1:39 remaining in the third quarter triggered the 40-point mercy rule continuous clock.

(CONTINUED)

(CONTINUED) Murphysboro, playing against the Rochester reserves, scored a pair of late touchdowns to make the score look more presentable.

Herring scored on a 50-yard run on the first play of the fourth quarter and Fager threw a six-yard TD pass to Abernathy with 2:42 remaining.

Coach Derek Leonard, in his 19th year, is now 197-36, which includes a 63-13 mark in playoff games.

The Rockets have defeated its four playoff opponents 215-44.

“You have to get there to have a shot and we don't want to just play there, we want to win it,” said Coach Leonard. “Our kids do it the right way, they're good kids and I'm proud of them. We have kids who believe.”

The end of the season for Murphysboro and Coach Carter came a game too early as the Red Devils were trying to get back to the championship game for the first time since a second place finish in 4A back in 2019.

Herring ended his prep football career with 11-carries for 98-yards and a TD while Abernathy caught nine passes for 73-yards and the other score.

Rochester out gained Murphy in total yards 365-325.

However 116 of the Red Devils' yards came on two late scores against the Rockets' second team.

“When you get to the semifinals you've done something good,” said Coach Carter, reflecting on the season. “Obviously we have great kids and a great coaching staff. It's a collective effort. I'm really proud of our seniors for all of the efforts.”