ROCHESTER — Ben Mullens appeared almost in shock as he limped to the Peoria Notre Dame bench while his teammates celebrated on the beaten turf of Rocket Booster Stadium after his team’s incredible 59-58 victory Friday night that put end to defending Class 4A champion Rochester’s season. It turned out that Mullens wanted to take it all in for a few more moments, to understand what his team had just accomplished.

In probably one of the most epic playoff games in state history, the No. 13 seed Irish barely outlasted a valiant Rockets team in a game that both teams seemed to have blocked a few minutes earlier. . Ultimately, the Irish were successful thanks to the quarterbacking of Mullen, the running of halfback Jack Hanley and the right leg and right arm of fullback, linebacker and kicker Lawson Alwan.

“It was a very good match. I will remember this game forever,” said Mullens, whose white and Kelly green uniform was encrusted with dirt. “It’s just an amazing feeling to win.”

For the first time since 2008, the nine-time state champion Rockets are eliminated in the first round. Not only was it the first first-round playoff loss for No. 4 Rochester in that span, but the Rockets had not missed out on making at least the quarterfinals in any playoff series since 2008.

While Hanley probably deserved the game ball after scoring five touchdowns, including one on a 33-yard run with 3 minutes, 7 seconds left in regulation, the real hero for the Irish in the end was Alwan. Not only did he kick a 30-yard field goal with 1.8 seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 52-52, but he then blocked the extra point after Rochester’s Tanner Beal scored on the Rockets’ first possession in extension to keep the Irish at six. points back with four tries from the 10 yard line to get seven points.

On fourth down, about three inches from the goal line, Mullens called a buzzer and handed the ball to Alwan, who barely managed to get the ball over the white boards. With the score now tied 58-58, Alwan scored the extra point well beyond the uprights.

The Rochester players fell to their knees, while the Irish players danced for joy alongside a large contingent of fans from Peoria.

Alwan credited junior lineman teammate Jacob Khoury for helping him block the extra point in overtime.

“He made the guard open a little bit and gave me a little bit of a window and I was able to raise my right hand and block it,” Alwan said. “After that basket to tie the game, that (extra penalty point) was easy. I felt the nervousness disappear and I knew we had it.

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Rochester, which lost starting quarterback Bryan Zulauf early in the season, became an offensive juggernaut as the season progressed. The Rockets were averaging 39 points per game before this one. But no, the defense just wasn’t as good as last season’s dominant team. Not that the effort wasn’t there.

“They’re a young team, and they played hard,” Rockets coach Derek Leonard said. “We just didn’t play our best game tonight. They were physical and outweighed us physically, but you know which man? I love these kids and I love these seniors and people can’t assume that winning just happens. That’s not the case, and I think that was a real lesson for everyone.

The first half featured touchdowns on the first 11 possessions combined, with the Irish holding a 42-38 lead. Rochester’s defensive line got much tougher in the second half and it took the Irish over 15 minutes to score another point. The Irish running game was just too much for Rochester to handle, as the visitors rushed for 460 yards. Mullens only threw three passes in the game, but they were big ones near the end, for 56 yards.

Kaiden Stout had a solid game for the Rockets, rushing for 127 yards on 19 carries and a 9-yard TD in overtime. Tanner Beal scored three touchdowns for the Rockets and three quarterbacks combined for 230 yards on 12-of-19 passing.

Hanley not only ran for 212 yards, but he also caught a big pass on the Irish field goal that tied the game 52-52. He also ran back 88 yards on a kickoff for a touchdown.

“He’s our superstar,” Alwan said. “He’s our guy. He does everything for us. But it was a team effort for us all the way.

Rochester finished the season 7-3. The loss ended a five-game winning streak.

“In the playoffs, there are no good lessons, but there will be eventually for some of our younger kids,” Leonard said. “For our seniors, they can leave this field with their heads held high.”

Adrian Dater is a freelance writer for the State Journal-Register. He can be reached via the sports department at [email protected].

This article originally appeared in the State Journal-Register: IHSA Football Playoffs: Peoria Notre Dame surprises everyone with upset win over Rochester