MENDOTA – Trailing by a point in the final moments with his team desperately needing someone to make a play, Rock Falls’ Roman Luevano made it.

Luevano grabbed Mendota quarterback Jake Buchanan’s pitch out of midair and rumbled 58 yards to the Trojans’ 22 with 1:38 to play. But, the Rockets could not cash in, as an interception in the end zone sealed Mendota’s 14-13 Big Northern West victory Friday night.

“I just wanted to get down the field and help my team win the game,” said an emotional Luevano, a 5-foot-7, 215-pound senior who just could not outrun the Trojans. “I knew [the pitch] was coming. I anticipated it and tried to make the best out of the play, but I was hoping to score.”