Rolling Meadows wins playoff opener at Riverside-Brookfield

Playing together for as long as they can remember, senior twins Jack and Josh Rappa shared a special victory with their Rolling Meadows football teammates Friday.

Known this season for their offense, the No. 14-seeded Mustangs used a strong defensive effort to defeat No. 3 host Riverside-Brookfield 29-23 in the Class 6A playoff opener – the program’s first playoff victory since 2019.

The Mustangs (7-3) limited the high-scoring Bulldogs (8-2) to just three touchdowns for the first time this season with Josh Rappa making perhaps the biggest play.

With 3:18 left, R-B closed to 22-20 on a 37-yard TD pass from quarterback Braeden Novak to Xavier Mrozik-DeJesus. On the two-point conversion to tie, Leo Aleman pressured Novak and Josh Rappa got the sack to maintain the two-point lead.

On the next play from scrimmage, the Mustangs’ Keeling Murray ran for a 68-yard touchdown and a 29-20 advantage. The Bulldogs’ John Bielobradek kicked a 31-yard field goal with 1:28 left, but the Mustangs recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock.

The victory also was special for first-year Rolling Meadows coach Devonte Amos, a 2017 alumnus who starred for the Mustangs and played at Wisconsin-LaCrosse.

The Bulldogs were seeking their first playoff win since 2015.