'A little Hank': Versatile junior could be Rochester's next do-it-all football star

ROCHESTER — A wide receiver screen. A trick run. A direct snap.

Perhaps a pass attempt was the only thing missing from Parker Gillespie’s array of plays.

The junior receiver totaled 96 yards of offense and two touchdowns in Class 4A No. 4 Rochester’s 42-14 Central State Eight Conference victory over Jacksonville at Rocket Booster Stadium on Friday.

Gillespie nabbed a 23-yard touchdown reception on a screen pass from senior quarterback Keeton Reiss and followed with a 15-yard TD run on a reverse sweep for a 21-0 advantage by the end of the first quarter.

He finished with three carries for 51 yards and two catches for 45 yards.

“That was huge,” Reiss said. “We got him involved real quick and he did what he can do. We got him the ball and he made plays.”

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‘A little Hank’

Gillespie continues to be listed at quarterback on the roster despite starring on the field as a slot receiver since last season. He led the Rockets in that regard last fall, with 40 receptions for 543 yards and four touchdowns while also rushing for 230 yards and three scores.

This year has been much the same with 27 catches for 432 yards and three TDs — not to mention 116 rushing yards — after eight games.

Gillespie said it didn’t take too long to transform into a slot receiver since arriving in high school. He said it's also helped him develop better quarterback vision.

"It's very complex and he has you do all sorts of things," Gillespie said of Rochester coach Derek Leonard's wily playbook. "But once you get it down, it works and just trust the process, I guess."

It’s perhaps redolent of former standout Hank Beatty, who led the Rockets to the Class 4A state semifinals as a quarterback last season and now plays receiver at University of Illinois.

“He's kind of like Hank,” Leonard said. “He can play a little running back, play quarterback and obviously he's a starting receiver in the slot, so he's got the flexibility to do a lot of things. He reminds me of a little Hank.”

Rochester rolls early to big lead

The Rockets (7-1) turned to a number of other players while senior running back Ayden Huet remained out with an injury.  Senior Ian Lichtenberger ran for 62 yards and two TDs while junior Tyson Binion posted 41 rushing yards and two scores as well.

“We feel like we can get a lot of people going and it was just kind of his turn and he was open,” Leonard said, when asked about Gillespie. “Keeton does a great job of taking what the defense gives and I think that was a case of that.”

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Reiss completed 7 of 10 passing attempts for 119 yards and one TD. He threw to five different receivers, led by Gillespie.

“That's just one of my read options,” Reiss said of his quick TD toss to Gillespie toward the far sideline. “I saw we outnumbered them over there and I spit it out to him and he made plays.”

Reiss sure made it seem easy.

“He's always in a positive mood,” Gillespie said of Reiss. “He's got the arm to get it there no matter when. He's fun to work with and you know he always has your back.”

Rochester led 35-0 by halftime and quickly prompted a running clock early in the third quarter after Binion converted his defensive fumble recovery into a 20-yard TD run on offense.

Freshman running back DaShawn Armstrong reeled off 71 rushing yards and two TDs in the second half for the Crimsons, who fell to 5-3 overall.

Jacksonville’s prolific tandem of senior quarterback Elijah Owens and junior running back Cam’Ron Mitchell otherwise combined for 79 rushing yards on 19 carries. Owens also went 3-of-7 passing for 51 yards and one interception.

How is Gillespie as a quarterback by the way?

“He's a great quarterback,” Reiss said. “I know he'll do great things.”

Contact Bill Welt: (217) 788-1545, bill.welt@sj-r.com, Twitter.com/BillWelt

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: IHSA football: Parker Gillespie sparks Rochester offense in CS8 win