Richmond-Burton Football: Livdahl Leads Rockets in Playoff Push
Senior linebacker Blake Livdahl returns from knee and ankle injuries to guide the undefeated team against No. 9 Manteno.
By Simon Bennett ·
Richmond-Burton football coach Mike Noll ends every daily message to his players with two letters: UB. The abbreviation stands for unfinished business, a phrase printed on the back of the team’s new maroon hoodies. The Rockets are chasing a state championship they did not win last year, a goal that defines their current season.
Blake Livdahl, a 5-foot-7, 185-pound senior linebacker, embodies that mission. Last year, the Rockets went undefeated until losing to Byron in the state semifinals. Livdahl earned Class 3A all-state honors in that run. His junior wrestling season ended abruptly after he tore his anterior cruciate ligament and damaged both menisci in his right knee. Surgery in January threatened his final year of football.
Livdahl returned for the start of the 2026 season, but he was helped off the field in Week 3 against Marengo. The injury was an ankle roll, not his repaired knee. He sat out three subsequent games against Plano, Harvard, and Woodstock North. He returned for the regular-season finale, where the Rockets defeated Woodstock 49-0 to clinch the Kishwaukee River Conference title.
The Rockets are 10-0 and face No. 9 Manteno at 1 p.m. Saturday in the second round of the Class 3A state playoffs. Noll credits Livdahl for the team’s defensive structure. He says Livdahl gets the defense lined up and performs well. Livdahl is also learning to long-snap punts and extra points, a skill he has been developing with special teams coach Sean Bryan every day.
Livdahl recorded his first positive-yardage reception in a 42-3 first-round win over Princeton. Quarterback Jace Nelson threw a screen pass that Livdahl caught and ran 13 yards for a first down. The play came on third and five from the Richmond-Burton 35-yard line. Princeton held the ball for the entire third quarter, including a 16-play drive that ended in a field goal.
Richmond-Burton stopped Princeton on downs to end that drive. Fullback Riley Shea returned the ensuing punt 51 yards for a touchdown. Livdahl had to hurry back to the field to long-snap the next kick. He described the defensive stand as a critical moment, noting that the team bent but did not break against Princeton’s sustained offensive pressure.
Livdahl’s father, Pete, told him after the ankle injury that he expected his son to quit football to focus on wrestling. Livdahl said he could not do that to the team he has played with since his sophomore year. He views his remaining games as a final opportunity to compete. The Rockets aim for four more wins to secure their first state title since 2019.
