December 23, 2024
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Batavia shuts out Wheaton Warrenville South

By Jerry Birchfield - Daily Herald Media Group
Batavia’s Gerke Drew (11) catches a pass for a touchdown against Glenbard North during a football game at Glenbard North High School in Carol Stream on Friday, Sep 23, 2022.

Batavia’s Gerke Drew (11) catches a pass for a touchdown against Glenbard North during a football game at Glenbard North High School in Carol Stream on Friday, Sep 23, 2022. (Sean King for Shaw Local)

BATAVIA – Dominating on both sides of the ball, Batavia blanked Wheaton Warrenville South 35-0 in a DuKane Conference clash Sept. 30 in Batavia.

While rolling up 401 yards of offense, Batavia limited Wheaton Warrenville South to 147 yards and never allowed the Tigers inside the red zone.

Senior running back Ryan Whitwell led the Bulldogs’ attack, rushing for 159 yards on 26 carries and scoring four of the team’s touchdowns.

“Overall, a great team effort. All phases were really awesome tonight. We had really consistent execution,” Batavia coach Dennis Piron said. “I like that we were able to balance the run and the pass throughout the game. And really good defense again.”

“Our linemen just absolutely dominated up front,” Whitwell said. “When you are physically dominant like that, you are hard to stop.”

The Bulldogs scored their first touchdown on their second drive of the game. Starting at its own 1-yard line, Batavia needed 16 plays to go the distance, scoring on Whitwell’s 3-yard run at the 5:36 mark of the second quarter.

Batavia (4-2, 3-1) increased its lead to 14-0 on its next possession. Whitwell crossed the goal line on a 3-yard run with 1:07 left in the half.

Three of Wheaton Warrenville South’s four first-half possessions were sustained drives, but they stalled out at midfield. Batavia’s defense limited the Tigers to 95 total yards in the first half, 26 on the ground and 69 in the air.

The Bulldogs widened their lead to 21-0 at the 6:44 mark of the third quarter. Quarterback Ryan Boe (12 of 15 for 172 yards) connected with Charlie Whelpley for a 20-yard TD pass.

Earlier in the drive, Whelpley kept things alive. Facing fourth-and-3 on their own 34-yard line, Batavia lined up for a punt. Whelpley took the snap but instead of kicking the ball, he ran six yards for a first down.

Whelpley caught four Boe passes for 56 yards.

WW South (2-4, 1-3) came up short twice in the third quarter. On the first possession, Tigers quarterback Luca Carbonaro connected with Matthew Crider for an apparent 77-yard touchdown, but it was nullified by a penalty. On the team’s next possession, Carbonaro’s pass from the Bulldogs’ 30-yard line was intercepted in the end zone by Batavia’s Drake Ostrander.

Carbonaro, a sophomore, completed 14-of-22 passes for 121 yards. Braylen Meredith caught five of the passes for 54 yards. Colin Moore grabbed five passes for 49 yards.

Whitwell scored his third touchdown on a 6-yard run at the 2:39 mark of the third quarter. The senior crossed the goal line for the fourth time on a 1-yard dive with 3:24 left in the game.

Whitwell gave all the credit to his offensive line for his four-touchdown night.

“It wasn’t hard with good blocking,” he said. “The holes were wide open.”