Batavia football on wrong end of staggering finish

BATAVIA – The only thing harder to maintain than the lead late Saturday night at Bulldog Stadium was perspective.

Somehow, Batavia quarterback Kyle Niemiec managed. After a staggering ending that packed quite the emotional wallop, Niemiec embraced the brilliance he had just been part of, heartache and all.

Batavia and Oswego scored two touchdowns apiece in the final two minutes. The Panthers’ final score came with no time on the clock, a 24-yard TD pass from Steven Frank to Joseph Hennessy to give the Panthers a 40-38 win as wild as they come.

"Sure, we would have loved to win this game, but what happened on the field tonight was amazing," Niemiec said. "And it just shows the potential we have throughout the season."

In the first game for Batavia since last year’s IHSA Class 6A state championship conquest, fans were treated to maximum entertainment value – especially since no admission was charged in the aftermath of Friday night’s lightning postponement.

Batavia senior running back Noah Frazier stomped in from 5 yards out to give Batavia the lead, 31-27, after Howie Morgano's extra point with 1:49 to play in the fourth quarter. The crowd rejoiced, many assuming the play would stand as the game-winning score.

Not this night. Not even close.

Frank, a junior Division I prospect for the Panthers, needed only two passes to cover 64 yards for a rapid Oswego response, including a 13-yard TD connection with Ryan Hennessy, and the Panthers led 34-31, with 1:05 to play.

Starting field position near midfield allowed the Bulldogs to swiftly surge within striking distance for last-minute theatrics. A pass interference call – a frequent nemesis for Oswego on the night – put the ball at Oswego's 37, and the Bulldogs crept within Oswego's 17 with 29 seconds remaining. After a timeout, Niemiec fired to junior Canaan Coffey (13 receptions for 172 yards), who was wide open after an Oswego defender in front of him stumbled.

The Bulldogs were back in front, 38-34 after the PAT, and the Bulldog Stadium crowd howled their approval.

"As soon as I released, it just worked out well," Niemiec said. "Canaan, I knew that I could trust him. I've always trusted him, and luckily [the defender] fell down and made it easier on Canaan. I knew he was going to make the play."

After the ensuing kickoff, only 20 seconds remained, and crazy as the game was going, it seemed unthinkable that Oswego had time to conjure another score, especially with the Panthers forced to start from their own 20-yard line and the first play of the sequence an incompletion.

But two Frank completions and a critical face mask penalty after the second catch afforded the Panthers one final, untimed play with the clock entirely drained from Batavia's 24-yard line.

"I'm sure there was a penalty. There must have been. They were a good crew," Batavia coach Dennis Piron said. "It was just disappointing to have the game won, it's over, he's tackled, it's done, and then to have a penalty there."

On the last play, Joseph Hennessy jostled his way through heavy traffic in the front of the end zone and squeezed the decisive touchdown pass. Frank said he thought his final pass would wind up shy of the end zone, but instead, it was a play that will go down in Panthers lore.

"I don't even know if I will sleep tonight, to be honest with you," Frank said. "It was crazy. I'm about to go watch some film when we get home."

His coach, Brian Cooney, said there is no game he'd previously been part of that packed the drama of what unfolded Saturday.

"I've only been at this 17 years as an assistant and three as a head coach," Cooney said. "Guys that have been here a lot longer, they may have seen something different … I never have. It was unbelievable."

The breathtaking finish distracted from a respect-earning outing from a new crop of Batavia skill players. Lefty QB Evan Acosta played the first half and the first series of the third quarter and Niemiec took over from there, with both making compelling cases to remain in offensive coordinator Mike Gaspari's plans.

Coffey delivered a breakout performance, and a whopping nine Bulldogs notched at least one reception. Niemiec went 16 for 18 for 154 yards down the stretch.

"The playmaking was phenomenal as always," said Piron, whose son, Peyton, caught a go-ahead, 10-yard TD pass with 9:32 left in the fourth quarter. "I don't know how kids continue to seem to do that here. They just continue to make plays and seem to get the job done over and over again. Every time we're looking for someone to do something special, they'll do it.

"I love what Canaan Coffey brought to the table tonight. Evan Acosta and Kyle Niemiec both played wonderful football games and did a great job."

The game was tied, 7-all, with 4:30 to go in the first quarter when it resumed Saturday night. The Bulldogs led at halftime, 17-14, with a 26-yard Morgano field goal the difference.

Batavia has scheduled ultra aggressively in recent years, and now must fend off formidable Glenbard North on the road next week to avoid a rocky start to the season.

"I'm really proud of our kids," Piron said. "I mean, [Oswego] is a heck of a football team. The quarterback is outstanding, their offensive line is tough, their defense is fast and aggressive with big linebackers, and they're an 8A school that has won their conference seven years in a row. I mean, we're not getting any cupcakes here."

No cupcakes, but the football was plenty delicious.

"I'm just sad that it had to end like that," Piron said. "It could have been a great victory, and within seconds, it was an incredible loss. It was really sad."

OSWEGO 40, BATAVIA 38

O –  7  7  7  19  –  40

B –  14  3  0  21  –  38

HOW THEY SCORED

First quarter

O – J. Hennessy 9 pass from Frank (Robinson kick), 9:30

B – Coffey 28 pass from Acosta (Morgano kick), 5:25

B – Frazier 4 run (Morgano kick), 1:27

Second quarter

O – Cavins 1 run (Robinson kick), 10:00

B – Morgano 26 field goal, 5:50

Third quarter

O – R. Hennessy 22 pass from Frank (Robinson kick), 4:46

Fourth quarter

B – Piron 10 pass from Niemiec (Morgano kick), 9:32

O – Cavins 4 run (kick failed), 6:21

B – Frazier 5 run (Morgano kick, 1:49

O – R. Hennessy 13 pass from Frank (Robinson kick), 1:05

B – Coffey 17 pass from Niemiec (Morgano kick), 0:24

O – J. Hennessy 24 pass from Frank, 0:00

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING – Oswego: Weddington 8-94, Cavins 10-93, Frank 4-23, Richardson 1-2. Totals: 23-212. Batavia: Frazier 6-17, Garrett 12-34, Acosta 1-0, Hlava 2-8, Niemiec 5-23, Crowder 1-minus 4. Totals: 27-78.

PASSING – Oswego: Frank 15-24-1-255. Batavia: Acosta 15-24-0-187, Niemiec 16-18-0-154. Totals: 31-42-341.

RECEIVING – Oswego: R. Hennessy 7-103, Wagner 1-minus 6, Robinson 2-41, J. Hennessy 3-42, Weddington 1-24, Tripp 1-51. Totals: 15-255. Batavia: Coffey 13-172, Frazier 3-37, Albanese 2-32, Piron 5-65, Shubert 3-13, Crowder 1-minus 2, Nutley 1-3, Garrett 1-3, Stuttle 2-18. Totals: 31-341.

TOTAL OFFENSE – Oswego 467, Batavia 419