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St. Rita v Rochester

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RockSoup

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Oct 1, 2009
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Saturday is a day of great matchups. With how hard it is to set up tournaments in general, all you hope for is that the two best teams of that specific class are playing the final game. 5A thru 8A have the best 2 teams of those classes playing the last game of the season. Take a bow IHSA.

Onto the Mustangs v Rockets. Game-wise, it’s a great match up. I don’t think St. Rita has faced such a precision, talented passing game. And with Kaleb Brown and Kyle James pacing the St. Rita O, are we going to see a 48-42 game?

What a great game to kick off a great Saturday slate!
 
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RockSoup

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Wassup13 said:
St. Rita vs Rochester - the winner will get the early lead and dictate their style of play. Two teams with different tempo's of play.
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Like a lot of HS football, I can see St. Rita pass D vulnerable to the Leonard RPO so that tells me St. Rita will have to score which means run game. How is Rochester run D game: strong or vulnerable?
 
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Formicidae13

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Aug 9, 2019
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RockSoup said:
How is Rochester’s kicking game?
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Their kicker went 8/8 on PATs last night but none of them were down the middle. I’d say he’s pretty trustworthy on PATs but not much past that. Most of their kickoffs went to the opponent’s 5 yard line and I believe one touchback last night. It could have been intentional though because almost all of the kicks were going to the right side.
 
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tomloner reborn

tomloner reborn

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Sep 21, 2004
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Could be who ever score last wins or which ever team's defense is able to get the extra stop.

How many Rochester players go both ways?
 
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cornerrat

All-Conference
Aug 1, 2009
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RockSoup said:
Like a lot of HS football, I can see St. Rita pass D vulnerable to the Leonard RPO so that tells me St. Rita will have to score which means run game. How is Rochester run D game: strong or vulnerable?
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All..... Should the Mustangs want to have a chance in winning this game several tasks are ahead.

Beating Rochester starts with having an exceptional running game. But varied formations and constant changes is a must. No matter how much success you have with a particular play unless the offensive line has complete control the Rockets will eventually slow it down or stop it.

They know St. Rita is run heavy. Better be able to throw and not just in passing situations. Bishop Mac who beat Rochester last year had the recipe. A great rb and a qb who could throw in NON throwing situations. Waiting until it's third and ten is not what you want to do.

Now everyone always has the same idea with the offense. Burn clock against them. Yes it's a start. Except the Rockets after waiting to get the ball for say 8 or 9 minutes will score quickly in a minute and a half. Can't give up the big play constantly and expect to win

Rochester is also going to go no huddle and super fast like nothing you have ever seen. They wore the young SHG team down doing just that in a dog fight of a game in the second half a couple of weeks ago. That game could of gone either way until this strategy was put in along with run,run, run, causing more exhaustion even quicker. St. Rita better have a lot of players to sub unless they are super fit and can withstand that kind of attack.

Rochester's offense can run and throw. They have multiple receivers that can catch the best of the lot a sophomore who will be their qb next year, The team also has a very good running game with several to execute plays. Their qb can and will run,.

Teams make the mistake against them of not having two separate game plans one for the first half and a different one for the second half. I guarantee you Rochester does regardless of how well they have been up to that point. They will use it at times even if they are up by a ton causing further havoc to opposing teams. And of course the Rockets are very good at making adjustments to stop what success opposing offenses have had.

So there you have it....Ratsy
 
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Marica_rivals226105

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Has Rochester played anyone with overall speed comparable to Rita?
I have only watched a few minutes of past games. Seen lots of throwing and sometimes defenders just a tad late on bubbles and such. So is it possible that Rita's speed will be enough of a disruption to their offense?
 
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rocketnation

All-Conference
Aug 12, 2017
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Marica said:
Has Rochester played anyone with overall speed comparable to Rita?
I have only watched a few minutes of past games. Seen lots of throwing and sometimes defenders just a tad late on bubbles and such. So is it possible that Rita's speed will be enough of a disruption to their offense?
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Haven’t seen St Rita play but Glenwood had great speed this year, except in comparison to East St Louis. Springfield, SHG, and MaCArthur also had 1 or 2 burners each but less quantity.
 
T

trapps1

Freshman
Nov 19, 2003
59
60
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Rochester's kicker has kicked for at least the last 3 years. Not sure if he was their kicker his freshman year. He kicked the winning fg in the 4A title game vs. Morris 2 years ago. Rochester has seen good speed and some really good athletes playing in the CS-8. They will be a formidable foe for St. Rita and will not be, and are not intimidated in any way. They are solid on both the O and D lines, and will be well prepared. They study film, and study film, and study film. This game will be close, and although I have not seen Rita, I would say Rochester wins this game by 7. The weather could be a factor as it is supposed to be a rain/snow mix next Saturday. That may be in Rita's favor. Maybe. It should be a great game. Rochester can play in 5A, so don't let their past history of being in 4A fool you. It should be one of the better title games next weekend...
 
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cornerrat

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Aug 1, 2009
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Marica said:
Has Rochester played anyone with overall speed comparable to Rita?
I have only watched a few minutes of past games. Seen lots of throwing and sometimes defenders just a tad late on bubbles and such. So is it possible that Rita's speed will be enough of a disruption to their offense?
Click to expand...

All.... The key and it doesn't take a genius to figure out is it all starts with their qb. Keep him from delivering the ball in the air and that's a good thing. That will take speed and strength. The Rocket line is pretty stout. And of course should that happen Coach Leonard likely will counter with quick hand offs.If the rb's break that line of scrimmage there better be some db's ready to make a tackle or it's off to the races. And it's worth repeating the Mustangs must be ready for the hurry up offense they will run to wear you down. Chatham likely was the fastest team they faced. Everyone else not so much. Chatham beat Rochester 56-26 in conference play. Ratsy
 
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Wittymoniker1

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Aug 6, 2007
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tjjrr said:
Rochester's kicker has kicked for at least the last 3 years. Not sure if he was their kicker his freshman year. He kicked the winning fg in the 4A title game vs. Morris 2 years ago. Rochester has seen good speed and some really good athletes playing in the CS-8. They will be a formidable foe for St. Rita and will not be, and are not intimidated in any way. They are solid on both the O and D lines, and will be well prepared. They study film, and study film, and study film. This game will be close, and although I have not seen Rita, I would say Rochester wins this game by 7. The weather could be a factor as it is supposed to be a rain/snow mix next Saturday. That may be in Rita's favor. Maybe. It should be a great game. Rochester can play in 5A, so don't let their past history of being in 4A fool you. It should be one of the better title games next weekend...
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I agree. Rita is a 10 point underdog here.
 
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Wittymoniker1

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cornerrat said:
All.... The key and it doesn't take a genius to figure out is it all starts with their qb. Keep him from delivering the ball in the air and that's a good thing. That will take speed and strength. The Rocket line is pretty stout. And of course should that happen Coach Leonard likely will counter with quick hand offs.If the rb's break that line of scrimmage there better be some db's ready to make a tackle or it's off to the races. And it's worth repeating the Mustangs must be ready for the hurry up offense they will run to wear you down. Chatham likely was the fastest team they faced. Everyone else not so much. Chatham beat Rochester 56-26 in conference play. Ratsy
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Can anyone answer this? Is it fair to say that Rita is just as fast or maybe even faster than Chatham?
 
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cornerrat

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Wittymoniker1 said:
Can anyone answer this? Is it fair to say that Rita is just as fast or maybe even faster than Chatham?
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All.... Chatham defeated Rochester for several reasons one was better team speed. Combined with an exceptional aggressive defense and seasoned skill position players galore they were too much for Rochester to handle.

Haven't seen St. Rita play so I don't how fast they are but it will take more than just speed for a Mustang victory. Ratsy
 
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Wittymoniker1

All-Conference
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cornerrat said:
All.... Chatham defeated Rochester for several reasons one was better team speed. Combined with an exceptional aggressive defense and seasoned skill position players galore they were too much for Rochester to handle.

Haven't seen St. Rita play so I don't how fast they are but it will take more than just speed for a Mustang victory. Ratsy
Click to expand...

Yes. Rita is the underdog here. Thanks for your answer.
 
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Marica_rivals226105

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cornerrat said:
All.... Chatham defeated Rochester for several reasons one was better team speed. Combined with an exceptional aggressive defense and seasoned skill position players galore they were too much for Rochester to handle.

Haven't seen St. Rita play so I don't how fast they are but it will take more than just speed for a Mustang victory. Ratsy
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Sounds like Chatham and Rita are very similar. Doesn't mean same result but least Rita may have a chance in this one.
 
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MonetaMitch

Redshirt
Aug 5, 2019
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cornerrat said:
All..... Should the Mustangs want to have a chance in winning this game several tasks are ahead.

Beating Rochester starts with having an exceptional running game. But varied formations and constant changes is a must. No matter how much success you have with a particular play unless the offensive line has complete control the Rockets will eventually slow it down or stop it.

They know St. Rita is run heavy. Better be able to throw and not just in passing situations. Bishop Mac who beat Rochester last year had the recipe. A great rb and a qb who could throw in NON throwing situations. Waiting until it's third and ten is not what you want to do.

Now everyone always has the same idea with the offense. Burn clock against them. Yes it's a start. Except the Rockets after waiting to get the ball for say 8 or 9 minutes will score quickly in a minute and a half. Can't give up the big play constantly and expect to win

Rochester is also going to go no huddle and super fast like nothing you have ever seen. They wore the young SHG team down doing just that in a dog fight of a game in the second half a couple of weeks ago. That game could of gone either way until this strategy was put in along with run,run, run, causing more exhaustion even quicker. St. Rita better have a lot of players to sub unless they are super fit and can withstand that kind of attack.

Rochester's offense can run and throw. They have multiple receivers that can catch the best of the lot a sophomore who will be their qb next year, The team also has a very good running game with several to execute plays. Their qb can and will run,.

Teams make the mistake against them of not having two separate game plans one for the first half and a different one for the second half. I guarantee you Rochester does regardless of how well they have been up to that point. They will use it at times even if they are up by a ton causing further havoc to opposing teams. And of course the Rockets are very good at making adjustments to stop what success opposing offenses have had.

So there you have it....Ratsy
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I've only seen a little video of Rochester but Rita shouldn't have a problem. Rochester has not played against a defense as aggressive, fast and powerful as Rita. Also, even though Rita's offense has been very run focused, they have have a great o-line and one of the best running backs in the state, so why not. They have not had to reveal their passing game so far because they haven't been challenged. Regarding wearing down? It has been the opposite. Their offense pounds their oppenents defense until they fade and SR defense is so punishing and hard hitting I would expect Rochester players hitting the sidelines with injuries or at least be gun-shy for catching a pass knowing what is coming. It will be a close game but Rita by 2 scores at least.
 
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Chicago312

Junior
Nov 29, 2015
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Does one or two guys make a team overall fast? A hurry up offense could spell doom for the SR D- lineman and heavier linebackers.....like NCAA/NFL, Rochester will exploit matchups by getting slot guy/RB vs linebackers. A zone defense may get picked apart, press man may work depending on DB depth which one would assume SR lacks. Run the ball, control the clock (yes #35 could break a big one), show different looks including a Phillips type defensive look, ha.
 
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Doctor_D

All-Conference
Oct 9, 2016
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For all you sandbaggers Rita is an 8 point favorite per Massey. I expect a good game. Pound the rock and be balanced enough to keep the Rockets honest would be a good general game plan for Rita.
 
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McCaravan

McCaravan

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Feb 1, 2016
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I like Rita in this one and I really think they’ll win by 2 scores. Rita in 5A after playing a tough CCL schedule is just too much for these teams. Rita has been mowing them down. Maybe if Irving played Hillcrest would have given them a game but instead of 35-8 it may have been 35-22. No disrespect to Rochester, they’ll make a game of it, but it’s 42-28 IMO.
 
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CCLorBUST

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Sep 21, 2017
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Interesting how a week ago, SR was the heavy 5A favorite and the IHSA should be ashamed they even allowed them to play in such low class whereas according to cornerrat, the Mustangs shouldn't even make the trip to Dekalb because the glorious Coach Leonard has already made adjustments to their adjustments they haven't made yet. Rochester's final games of the year have been a loss to Bishop Mac, a game-winning 24-21 win over Morris, and a win over Johnsburg (?). Teams that aren't even blips on SR's schedule.

The best team Rochester played all year dropped a 50 spot on them and showed how not fast the Rockets can be. Taking a look at the MaxPreps roster, I see starting LB #10 clocking in at 5'7'' 170lbs and #41 at 5'7'' 150lbs....yeeeesh.

Now, Rochester has a special offensive set that will kill you with formations but for an SR team who's played 4 completely different types of offenses this season, they'll only need so many looks because all RR's concept plays are the same. This game will come down to SR defense open field tackling and getting off the field, two things they've built their 9 game win streak around. RR's defense isn't in the same conversation as ND, LA, Boylan, and Sterling's and they run a very similar defense to ones that they've seen for 5 straight weeks now. The common denominator is Kaleb Brown and the offense always finding a way to break big plays when needed.

I'll always respect the Rochester program and they've always been my favorite Friday night state championship game to watch, especially in the Wes Lunt days, and the offense will score points but they'll need to score at least 35 to win Saturday, especially since the forecast is calling for rain/snowy mix all day Saturday which is music to the running game of SR and might hang in the heads of RR's pass happy offense.

SR 35 - RR 20
 
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Richards-now-SHG fan

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All posters on this site, if Rochester beats St. Rita, can we finally give them and Derek Leonard the credit they deserve. All I ever hear is how they should petition up and they couldn't beat the 5A schools from up North. With that being said, the key to beat Rochester is to throw the ball over the middle of the field and always has been, at least when they are playing teams that run the spread offense. In the quarterfinals SHG exploited this but then Rochester made an adjustment and SHG did not adjust to that adjustment. I give the coaching staff at Rochester lots of credit, I coached at the junior levels in Springfield and the Rochester teams were terrible. Then Derek Leonard gets a hold of them and they become State Champions. I am very excited to see how this game plays out.
 
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Richards-now-SHG fan

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Yeah I don't think there defense is as good as in years past. But, their could be an argument made that their offense is. That being said if they beat SR, and all you yahoo's out there I said "IF", big props should be given to Derek Leonard and the coaches of Rochester.
 
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Wittymoniker1

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Richards-now-SHG fan said:
Yeah I don't think there defense is as good as in years past. But, their could be an argument made that their offense is. That being said if they beat SR, and all you yahoo's out there I said "IF", big props should be given to Derek Leonard and the coaches of Rochester.
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"Yeah I don't think THEIR defense . . . past. But, THERE could be an . . . "
 
R

RockSoup

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doctor_d said:
For all you sandbaggers Rita is an 8 point favorite per Massey. I expect a good game. Pound the rock and be balanced enough to keep the Rockets honest would be a good general game plan for Rita.
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Edgy picked Rochester today on his NBCSN periscope after just watching St. Rita play live. Who’s sandbagging?
 
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rocketnation

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Wassup13 said:
Don't compare this Rochester finalist team to others that made it. This team is not as good as the others.
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On Defense, I agree. On Offense, I believe this team is more balanced than any of the prior championship teams. Those teams may have been better individually at certain positions, but this group has a 2 year QB who can throw and run, an 1800 yd RB, a WR with 25 TD’s, solid secondary WR’s, and a physical experienced OL.
 
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Doctor_D

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RockSoup said:
Edgy picked Rochester today on his NBCSN periscope after just watching St. Rita play live. Who’s sandbagging?
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I think it will be a really good game, and I could see Rochester pulling it off. I just don’t think there’s any way that Rochester is a multiple score favorite which I saw mentioned a few times here. I’m assuming Rita’s line will hold up. Over the years Rochester has had some close calls in the finals against teams with weaker pedigrees than Rita. I think if Rita plays their game, they get the win.
 
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SteelGimlet

Redshirt
Nov 9, 2019
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If the statement, "Offense wins games, Defense wins Championships" (which actually makes no logical sense, but sounds cool), has any validity whatsoever, then Mustangs over Rockets.
 
S

Sterling Warrior

Junior
Oct 25, 2016
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RockSoup said:
Saturday is a day of great matchups. With how hard it is to set up tournaments in general, all you hope for is that the two best teams of that specific class are playing the final game. 5A thru 8A have the best 2 teams of those classes playing the last game of the season. Take a bow IHSA.

Onto the Mustangs v Rockets. Game-wise, it’s a great match up. I don’t think St. Rita has faced such a precision, talented passing game. And with Kaleb Brown and Kyle James pacing the St. Rita O, are we going to see a 48-42 game?

What a great game to kick off a great Saturday slate!
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I honestly think Saint Rita could run away with this, if the D plays like they have been playing Rochester wont have enough time to get their passing game in sync just my 2cents.
 
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