Saturday 3 PM #1 Rochester (12-0) at #2 Murphysboro (11-1)
After three straight home contests, Rochester faces a road game against a perennial playoff team in Murphysboro. An afternoon high of 56 is projected, which is great for mid-November. Last year, the Red Devils lost in the Quarterfinals to SHG. In 2019, they were in the 4A championship game and lost to Richmond Burton. The Rockets have faced Murphysboro once before in the playoffs, winning at home in the 2nd round in 2015. At that time, the current players for both teams would've been playing in JFL. Murphysboro won 8 straight contests to start the season, including wins over 3A-5A playoff qualifiers Carbondale, Benton, Harrisburg, and Carterville. In Week 9, they suffered their only loss of the season to highly ranked 3A DuQuoin 39-7. The margin of this defeat was somewhat surprising, particularly after DuQuoin subsequently lost in the 2nd round of the playoffs. Murphysboro won handily in Week 10 over former CS8 school Taylorville and won narrowly the last two weeks, 14-13 over Charleston and 25-20 last week on the road in a rematch with Harrisburg. The Harrisburg win was decided on the game's final play with the Red Devils coming from behind to win on a 30-yard TD pass. Max Preps does not have individual stats for Murphysboro. I would expect them to have a run-first offense but to also have a capable QB. The Red Devils had one player make the coaches all state team and one more make honorable mention.
Rochester would love to have a start similar to the Quarterfinal contest last season at Carterville. Before a large and enthusiastic Lions crowd, the Rockets scored on the third play of the game when Parker Gillespie took a short pass 75 yards for a TD. Rochester was then able to build a 34-7 halftime lead, which quieted the home crowd considerably. The Rochester Defense has performed very well so far in the playoffs even while dealing with a few injuries, allowing no more than 14 points in any of the three games. The Offense has scored plenty of points but has also had too many turnovers and penalties. As Derek said after the Breese Central contest, the Offense can look great for four or five plays but then suddenly find itself facing a 3rd and 30. Bryan Zulauf and Gillespie have split snaps at QB since Parker returned from an injury in Week 8. Zulauf ran for over 100 yards and 4 TD's last week. Gillespie had a running TD as well. In Week 1 at Peoria, the Offense didn't have many big plays but avoided turnovers and had only a handful of penalties. Consistency from the Rocket offense will be a key factor in determining the outcome. Rochester 42 Murphysboro 14 (Cal Preps: Rochester 38 Murphysboro 14)
After three straight home contests, Rochester faces a road game against a perennial playoff team in Murphysboro. An afternoon high of 56 is projected, which is great for mid-November. Last year, the Red Devils lost in the Quarterfinals to SHG. In 2019, they were in the 4A championship game and lost to Richmond Burton. The Rockets have faced Murphysboro once before in the playoffs, winning at home in the 2nd round in 2015. At that time, the current players for both teams would've been playing in JFL. Murphysboro won 8 straight contests to start the season, including wins over 3A-5A playoff qualifiers Carbondale, Benton, Harrisburg, and Carterville. In Week 9, they suffered their only loss of the season to highly ranked 3A DuQuoin 39-7. The margin of this defeat was somewhat surprising, particularly after DuQuoin subsequently lost in the 2nd round of the playoffs. Murphysboro won handily in Week 10 over former CS8 school Taylorville and won narrowly the last two weeks, 14-13 over Charleston and 25-20 last week on the road in a rematch with Harrisburg. The Harrisburg win was decided on the game's final play with the Red Devils coming from behind to win on a 30-yard TD pass. Max Preps does not have individual stats for Murphysboro. I would expect them to have a run-first offense but to also have a capable QB. The Red Devils had one player make the coaches all state team and one more make honorable mention.
Rochester would love to have a start similar to the Quarterfinal contest last season at Carterville. Before a large and enthusiastic Lions crowd, the Rockets scored on the third play of the game when Parker Gillespie took a short pass 75 yards for a TD. Rochester was then able to build a 34-7 halftime lead, which quieted the home crowd considerably. The Rochester Defense has performed very well so far in the playoffs even while dealing with a few injuries, allowing no more than 14 points in any of the three games. The Offense has scored plenty of points but has also had too many turnovers and penalties. As Derek said after the Breese Central contest, the Offense can look great for four or five plays but then suddenly find itself facing a 3rd and 30. Bryan Zulauf and Gillespie have split snaps at QB since Parker returned from an injury in Week 8. Zulauf ran for over 100 yards and 4 TD's last week. Gillespie had a running TD as well. In Week 1 at Peoria, the Offense didn't have many big plays but avoided turnovers and had only a handful of penalties. Consistency from the Rocket offense will be a key factor in determining the outcome. Rochester 42 Murphysboro 14 (Cal Preps: Rochester 38 Murphysboro 14)
