INDIANAPOLIS
Roncalli football coach Scott Marsh wasn’t surprised what freshman quarterback Aidan Leffler could do. But he was certainly impressed with his poise throughout.
“Gosh almighty, he was awfully, awfully good,” Marsh said. “He made great decisions and got the ball to the right people. I couldn’t be more proud of him.”
Leffler passed for 160 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for 112 yards on 27 carries and three touchdowns in the Rebels’ 38-28 victory over Class 2A No. 1 Scecina Friday night.
It was Roncalli’s first win of the year and its 23rd consecutive victory over the Crusaders (4-1).
“We knew he was capable of that,” Marsh said. "It was just obvious that the element in the running game we need. We have to do things to be able to stress the defense and running the quarterback and being able to put 11 on 11. (Friday night) it came together."
Leffler, who replaced starter Cole Beckman after the first series, is the grandson of former Scecina football coach Ken Leffler, who died in 1988.
Elijah Mahan gained 106 yards on 16 attempts as the Rebels had a pair of 100-yard rushers for the first time in six years.
Leffler, who completed 6 of 9 passes, put the Rebels ahead for good at 28-21 on a 31-yard TD pass to sophomore Baron Huebler with 1:45 left in the third quarter.
“Huebler is a sophomore but he’s been pressed into duty due to wide receiver injuries,” Marsh said. “The young kids are bringing us lots and lots of energy.”
The Rebels expanded the lead to 35-21 on a 7-yard TD run by Leffler with 4 seconds gone in the fourth quarter. The Rebels added a 34-yard field goal by Owen Herndon with 5:48 left to make it 38-21.
Leffler’s 2-yard scoring run tied it a 7-all in the first quarter, and his 4-yard TD run tied it at 14-all in the second. Roncalli took a 21-14 halftime lead when Leffler connected with Luke Dill for a 53-yard TD.
Scecina quarterback Mac Ayres tied it on a 1-yard TD run in the third quarter. Ayres completed 24 of 45 passes for 256 yards and two touchdowns.
“They have some great skill kids,” Marsh said. “We can’t cover them, I’m not going to lie. We didn’t play very disciplined defensively.”
