For the tenth time in thirteen tries, Roncalli is an Indiana high school football champ. Friday night, the Rebels, ranked No. 8 in the High School Football America Indiana Top 10, beat Hobart 49-7 to win the Class 4A state championship.
Congratulations to Roncalli High School, the #IHSAA Class 4A Football State Champions! @RHS_Athletics pic.twitter.com/jX2J06iOFX
— IHSAA (@IHSAA1) November 28, 2020
Below is a game recap story from IHSAA.org.
Leffler’s record-tying 5 TD passes leads Roncalli to rout of Hobart
Roncalli quarterback Aiden Leffler threw five touchdown passes on his team’s first six drives to lead his team to a 49-7 win over Hobart in the Class 4A championship game.
What a catch! Cole Beckman stays with it, and @RoncalliFB goes up 21-0 on Aidan Leffler's third TD pass of the game.
— FOX Sports Indiana (@FSIndiana) November 27, 2020
TV: FSI | Stream: FSGO | @IHSAA1 pic.twitter.com/kxdSB6HAza
Leffler tossed scoring passes of 4 and 17 yards in the first quarter, then added tosses of 50 and 15 yards to build a 28-0 lead at halftime. On the first play of the second half, Leffler hit Kyle Lockhard on a 51-yard TD pass (Lockhard’s third TD catch of the game) and the rout was on.
Leffler finished 12-of-16 passing for 200 yards and the five scores – which tied a 4A championship game record – without being intercepted.
Coach John Rodenburg’s Roncalli squad dominated the Brickies (11-3) in every phase. Roncalli (13-1) ran up 399 yards in offense – 200 passing and 199 rushing. Baron Huebler led the ground attack with 155 yards rushing and one touchdown run.
The Roncalli defense, meanwhile, shutout the Brickies until the final minute and held Hobart to less than 200 yards in offense.
The final Roncalli touchdown came on a 91-yard kickoff return by Dominic Brown after Hobart broke through with its only score, a 1-yard run by Tyler Turley. Turley led the Hobart offense with 138 yards rushing on 26 carries.
The title is the 10th (in 13 appearances) for Roncalli, while Hobart was making its 12th appearance in the finals, but the first since 1996 – a game Brickies coach Craig Osika played in.
Class 4A State Championship Records
Largest Margin of Victory (tied) – 42 points by Roncalli
Most Passing Touchdowns (tied) – 5 by Aiden Leffler, Roncalli
Most Touchdown Receptions (tied) – 3 by Kyle Lockard, Roncalli
Roncalli’s Ryan Henry earns the Phil N. Eskew Mental Attitude Award
During the awards ceremony, Ryan Henry of Roncalli High School was announced by the IHSAA Executive Committee as the recipient of the Phil N. Eskew Mental Attitude Award in Class 4A Football.
Congratulations to Ryan Henry of @RHS_Athletics, this year’s Phil N. Eskew Mental Attitude Award recipient for Class 4A Football and presented by the Indianapolis @Colts! pic.twitter.com/L6HxLZgL6L
— IHSAA (@IHSAA1) November 28, 2020
The award is annually presented to a senior who is nominated by his principal and coach, and has demonstrated excellence in mental attitude, scholarship, leadership and athletic ability during his four years of high school.
He is the son of Travis and Megan Henry of Franklin. He plans to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point or the Air Force Academy to study Engineering.
The award is named in honor of Commissioner Phil N. Eskew, who served as the IHSAA’s third commissioner from 1962-76. Under his leadership, the IHSAA football state tournament was initiated in 1973.
The Indianapolis Colts, a corporate partner of the IHSAA, presented a $1,000 scholarship to Roncalli High School’s general scholarship fund in the name of Ryan Henry.
