Wheaton Warrenville South’s home closer ended in defeat at the hands of the Batavia Bulldogs, 28-14 at Red Grange Field on Oct. 13.
The Tigers competed with the DuKane conference heavyweights until the end of the match, forcing them into a gritty battle. South entered the game as underdogs determined to reach a playoff-clinching win, while Batavia sought to continue a five-game winning streak. The contest was also Senior Night for the home side, honoring players in their final season.
The game started off with a slow pace, as weather conditions alternated between dry and rainy. Batavia quarterback Ryan Boe struck first with a rushing touchdown in the opening quarter. South responded to tie the match in the following quarter, with a touchdown through the air, courtesy of Luca Carbonaro’s pass to Joe Preede.
The home team’s defense maintained the Tigers in the game throughout the night, providing what could have been a game-changing play soon after South first scored. Sophomore Zach Rogers intercepted North Dakota State-bound Boe, placing the Tigers on Batavia’s 24-yard line. Boe was held to 82 passing yards in the whole game.
“I think our defense in the last couple weeks, a few games back, has given up some big yards in the passing game and they really played lights out,” said WWS head coach Sean Norris. “I thought they took a step forward, which is really good to see defensively. They fought really hard.”
Nevertheless, South was unable to convert any points on the next drive and the Bulldogs seized the opportunity. Batavia stormed down the field to take a seven-point lead with under two minutes remaining in the first half. Boe made no mistake this time and delivered the touchdown pass to CJ Valente. South entered halftime down 14-7.
Field position was a recurring issue for the Tigers, as they continuously found themselves starting drives 10 yards or less from their own endzone. Additionally, the running game was never established, which has been a cornerstone for South’s offensive success. Consequently, many drives were cut short as South didn’t want to take too many risks in that area of the field, resulting in the Bulldogs receiving punts in Tiger territory.
“They have a tough defense,” said Norris. “Their interior defensive lineman did a really nice job, plugging up some holes, we were not really able to get a run game going. They take pride in stopping the run.”
Batavia took these chances and ran with them as Jacob Jansey scored a rushing touchdown to increase the Bulldogs’ lead to 20-7 in the third quarter.
South forced their way back into the contest with a prolonged drive between the third and fourth quarters, getting within six points. Ultimately, the definitive play came when the Tigers failed to convert on fourth down by inches with just over two minutes left in the game. Nathan Whitwell scored the final touchdown for Batavia, which was followed by a successful two-point conversion.
“Very proud of our guys in general by how much they fought, how much they battled,” said Norris. “(Batavia’s) a very good football team and we proved that we can play.”
The Tigers followed up this match with a 24-3 win at St. Charles East, finishing the regular season at 5-4 and securing a spot in the IHSA Class 7A Football Playoffs. They faced off against Hersey (10-0) as the visiting team in the first round on Saturday, Oct. 28. It resulted in a hard-fought 28-19 loss for Wheaton Warrenville South.
