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Beck runs for 109 yards, Shotts, Meadows add 2 TDs each
BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS
Sports Editor, RTC
Brant Beck ran for 109 yards, all in the first half, and Kale Shotts and Trenton Meadows had two touchdown runs each as the Rochester football team routed Peru 38-6 on homecoming at Barnhart Field Friday.
Quarterback Carson Paulik completed only one pass, but it was a 29-yarder for a touchdown to Drew Bowers on Rochester’s first possession.
Rochester scored on all five of its first-half possessions and converted four of five two-point conversions. They avenged their lone TRC loss from last year.
Though Rochester scored 50 points and had over 390 yards of offense in a win over Lewis Cass last week, coach Ron Shaffer wanted to improve on the execution of its belly and belly sweep plays.
The effectiveness of each play is somewhat tied together.
“We ran one belly sweep play with Trent, and he just hit it too tight, and then came back with Brant, and it worked out really nice, and belly went really well with Kale tonight,” Shaffer said. “Just blocked really well all over.”
Meanwhile, the Zebra defense held Peru scoreless through the first three quarters. They forced two turnovers that eventually led to scores.
Ryne Babbs’ 6-yard touchdown run with 9:48 left averted the shutout for the Tigers. The second half was played with a running clock.
Rochester improved to 5-1 overall and 5-0 in the Three Rivers Conference. Peru fell to 2-4, 2-3.
Peru played without Tanner Boggs and Isaiah Korba, their top two rushers. Korba was suspended after being ejected from the previous game against Maconaquah. There was no reason given as to why Boggs did not play.
In other TRC action Friday, Maconaquah handed Northwestern their first conference loss 42-2. Rochester and Maconaquah are the lone remaining unbeatens in the conference and will meet in Bunker Hill in the regular season finale on Oct. 18.
Rochester drove 80 yards for a touchdown on their first drive and never trailed.
The drive included an 18-yard run from Meadows on a jet sweep and a 3-yard run from Shotts on third-and-1 from the Peru 39.
Two plays later, Paulik lofted a pass down the right sideline to Bowers on a go route. Johuan Antunez was in coverage, but Bowers looked back and leaped to make the catch inside the pylon and in the end zone.
Peru then followed with a 15-play drive out of a single-wing offense. A pass from Antunez to Trevi Hillman-Conley converted a third-and-8, and an offsides call on the Zebras moved the sticks on fourth-and-1.
Peru would then face a third-and-10, and Antunez would find Weston Marks for a 9-yard gain on the second play of the second quarter.
On fourth-and-1 from the 19, Antunez turned around with the snap and Hillman-Conley inadvertently knocked it out of his hands as he looked to make a block. Beck recovered the fumble at the Rochester 20.
“They’re a little down on personnel, but they’re still big upfront,” Shaffer said. “They still block well. There was a good turnover, and then I think we got a pretty quick score out of that, and that really changed the momentum big.”
Two plays later, Beck turned upfield on a belly sweep play and then cut back toward the Peru sideline. Babbs finally tracked him down at the Peru 12 after a gain of 56 yards.
Shotts, a sophomore fullback, scored from the 3 three plays later, and Beck ran for a two-point conversion to make it 14-0.
On the third play of the next drive, Babbs fumbled, and Mason Hisey fell on the loose ball at the Peru 36.
The next play was a handoff to Shotts, who relied on a kickout block from Callen Ferverda and a block from Trenton Meadows and shot up the middle for a 36-yard touchdown. Paulik threw a two-point conversion pass to Grant Clark to make it 22-0.
Senior left tackle Liam Pinder said working the belly and belly sweep were among the plays the team worked on in practice. The technique, which is called a “scoop” block, is critical for those plays to succeed.
“First practice this week was scoop, scoop, scoop,” Pinder said. “Make sure you get in front of those guys and get them blocked. That’s been a big thing.”
After Beck stopped Antunez for no gain on fourth-and-2, Rochester went on another scoring drive. Beck had a 7-yard run on third-and-5, and Shotts followed with a 12-yard run to get the ball to the 15.
Two plays later, Meadows scored on a sweep, and Shotts added a two-point conversion run to make it 30-0.
After Peru was called for an illegal touching penalty for batting Davis Renie’s kickoff out of bounds at the 10, the Tigers went three-and-out and took over at the Peru 24 after a 15-yard punt from Landon Crowe.
Two plays later, Meadows scored on a 17-yard counter, and Beck added a two-point conversion run to make it 38-0.
All in all, Rochester scored 32 points in less than eight minutes.
In addition to Pinder, center James Gardner is another senior getting a chance to start on the offensive line. Since his previous experience was at guard and tackle, he said he had to “relearn” the offensive line and learn how to hike a ball.
He also said he had to learn how to communicate with Hisey and Ferverda, the guards on either side of him, as well as the tackles.
“It’s an honor,” Gardner said when asked what it was like to block for Beck, Shotts and Meadows. “They’re great, and to be on their line is something I wouldn’t have any other way.”
He also praised Shaffer.
“He’s taught me everything I know,” Gardner said. “He’s a darn good coach.”
Senior Xavier Vance also saw time at center. Shaffer said that Vance, who had played offensive line since the Tippecanoe Valley game on Aug. 30, played there to improve depth at both center and tackle.
Pinder admitted that he was “very surprised” that Shaffer inserted him into the lineup for the Whitko game on Sept. 6. Pinder had been recovering from a knee injury during the offseason.
“I think he’s confident in me now, and I’m confident in X,” Pinder said. “He’s doing good at center too.”
Kye Murphy was named homecoming king and Emma Bays homecoming queen in halftime ceremonies.
Rochester 38, Peru 6
Peru 0 0 0 6 – 6
Rochester 6 32 0 0 – 38
First quarter
RHS – Drew Bowers 29 pass from Carson Paulik (run failed)
Second quarter
RHS – Kale Shotts 3 run (Brant Beck run)
RHS – Shotts 36 run (Grant Clark pass from Paulik)
RHS – Trenton Meadows 7 run (Shotts run)
RHS – Meadows 17 run (Beck run)
Third quarter
(no scoring)
Fourth quarter
PERU – Ryne Babbs 6 run (run failed)
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