ROCK FALLS – It wasn’t as though they won the state championship, but the feeling had to be nearly the same.

The Mendota varsity football program has been desperately searching for a win – since Sept. 22, 2017, to be exact. Victory has never really been that close for Mendota since it overcame a two-touchdown deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat Rockford Lutheran, 32-28, more than two years ago.

But a streak of 20 consecutive losses is finally behind them as the Trojans staged another late-game rally to knock off Rock Falls, 26-21, in a Big Northern Conference slugfest on Oct. 18 at Rock Falls.

Mendota’s records now stand at 1-7 overall and in league play with the season finale coming up this week.

“This feels really good,” said MHS coach Keegan Hill, who earned his first win in his second season as the sideline boss. “I’m so happy for the kids. We shot ourselves in the foot several times, but the guys didn’t hang their heads. We showed a lot of character.”

Sometimes it takes a mistake by the opposition to bring good fortune to yourself, and the Trojans took advantage of a huge miscue by Rock Falls early in the fourth quarter and parlayed it into the winning touchdown drive.

With Rock Falls up 21-20 late in the third quarter, a 22-yard punt return by Booker Cross had the Rockets in business at the Trojan 37-yard line. Rock Falls moved closer to the Mendota goal line as the fourth quarter began.

Then the Trojans got the break they were looking for. As Cross took a handoff from quarterback Evan Laws and was seemingly heading in for what might have been the dagger in Mendota’s heart, Cross lost control of the football at the 2-yard line and it sailed into the end zone where the Trojans’ Abrahm Guerra pounced on it for a touchback. Mendota took over at its own 20-yard line with 10:10 left in the game.

From there, Mendota put together its most impressive scoring drive of the season. Advancing the ball entirely on the ground, the Trojans ran 15 plays and took just over nine minutes off the clock, with workhorse Cody Jenner finishing off the drive with a 1-yard touchdown plunge with just 1:05 left in the contest to give the Trojans their first lead of not only the game, but the entire season. Mendota’s two-point pass attempt was incomplete. Of the 15 plays, Jenner ran it 12 times for 76 of the 80 yards.

Rock Falls had one last futile gasp when it started the ensuing possession at its own 25, but the Mendota star on offense quickly became the hero on defense as Jenner intercepted a Laws pass at the Rockets’ 34-yard line with 48 seconds left. The Trojan offense then lined up in victory formation as quarterback Ted Landgraf took a knee to run out the clock.

“Jenner toted the rock and he got excellent blocking in the final drive,” noted Hill. “It was a great way to end the game for our guys.”

The contest began with an unsuccessful onside kick by the Trojans when Rock Falls recovered at the Mendota 47-yard line. The Rockets drove to inside the Mendota 10-yard line, where the Trojan defense stiffened and held Rock Falls on fourth down at the 6-yard line.

Mendota couldn’t get anything going on its first series and Damien Magallanes dropped back in punt formation. Magallanes was able to scoop up a low snap from center, but the Rock Falls defense managed to penetrate the line and block Magallanes’ punt, which was recovered by the Rockets’ Chris Moore at the 5-yard line.

On Rock Falls’ first play after the block, fullback Noah Schueler bulled his way into the end zone for a 6-0 Rocket lead at the 4:53 mark of the opening stanza. The two-point conversion run failed.

After receiving the kick, the Trojans took over at their own 36 and were about to achieve something else they hadn’t done in more than two years. On a third-and-11 play, Landgraf ripped off a 54-yard run down to the Rock Falls 10-yard line. Moments later, Jenner completed the 64-yard drive with a 3-yard TD run with 1:12 left in the first period. Mendota’s PAT kick was blocked. With the touchdown, it was the first time the Trojans had scored in the opening quarter since Oct. 13, 2017 against North Boone.

After an exchange of punts, Rock Falls broke the tie when it drove 65 yards in five minutes, capped off by a 1-yard run by Laws with 3:45 left before intermission. Schueler ran in the two-point conversion.

Mendota had good field position at its own 47 to start the ensuing possession, but the Trojans fumbled on the first play and Kamerin McGlown recovered for Rock Falls at the 45. However, the Trojans got the ball right back when Christian Dean fell on a Rock Falls fumble at the Mendota 28 with 2:28 left in the half.

The Trojans were able to turn the Rock Falls mistake into a score when Landgraf spotted a wide-open Magallanes over the middle for a 45-yard TD pass with 1:47 to go in the half. Mendota’s two-point run attempt came up short and the Trojans trailed, 14-12, at the break.

Rock Falls stretched its lead early in the third quarter when Schueler ran in from 7 yards out, followed by a Max Parker extra-point kick to make it 21-12. A 34-yard run by Schueler down to the Trojan 13 was the big play of the 47-yard drive.

It was Mendota’s aerial attack that got it back in the game after the Rock Falls TD. Landgraf connected with Magallanes for 44 yards to the Rocket 19, then the sophomore quarterback lofted a pass toward Andres Castaneda, who leaped up and won a wrestling match for the ball from a Rock Falls defender as he fell into the end zone for a touchdown. Jenner ran in the two-pointer to draw the Trojans to within one, setting the stage for the thrilling fourth quarter.

Mendota piled up 345 yards on offense and held Rock Falls to 183. Jenner rushed 23 times for 121 yards, while Landgraf had 12 totes for 83 yards. Landgraf completed four passes for 137 yards. Schueler led the Rockets with 19 carries for 114 yards.