Batavia puts up big numbers vs. Streamwood

With a fifth straight Upstate Eight Conference River Division title in hand, a long road trip and lousy weather on tap, there was one mission for the Batavia football team Friday.

Get in. Get done. Get home.

Consider that mission accomplished. Despite a driving rainstorm that soaked Millennium Field for the better part of 3 quarters, the Bulldogs trounced Streamwood 51-7 to complete their regular season 8-1 and once again finish undefeated in the Upstate Eight River at 6-0.

Now Batavia and coach Dennis Piron have nothing to do but wait until Saturday night for IHSA Class 7A playoff pairings to be announced, but that should be very good news.

"We're proud to be in," Piron said. "Our first-round matchup we know will be at home, because we should be one of top four or five seeds. That home game is nice to have - we're going to get to play in Batavia and that's pretty special. The guys earned that. We get a home game Week 1, and if the seeds hold, you could play a number of home games if you can win a little bit."

But Friday night it was all about taking care of the business, and Batavia delivered. Seven backs ran the ball for the Bulldogs, led by senior Zach Garrett, who had 150 yards on 19 carries and a pair of touchdowns, all in the first half. Reserve Reggie Phillips added 62 yards on 9 carries, mostly in the second half, while junior Dana Anderson chipped in 35 yards and a touchdown.

"Our team is clicking a lot and we're going really well," Garrett said. "Our plays are crisp. Our O-line has come together really well."

Garrett asserted himself early, rushing for a 27-yard touchdown on Batavia's second play from scrimmage, with 9:54 left in the first quarter. On the play, he dashed off tackle right and then cut back to the middle and carried a defender in the end zone.

Batavia was just getting started. Quarterback Kyle Niemiec scored on a 1-yard run early in the second quarter, the result of a 7-play, 45-yard drive that saw Garrett gain 33 yards.

After Streamwood's ensuing possession went nowhere, Niemiec piloted the Bulldogs 87 yards in 13 plays, with Anderson scoring on a 13-yard run. The Sabres did nothing in their next drive, and Niemiec did virtually the same thing, going 80 yards in 15 plays covering 4:23, with Garrett scoring on a 2-yard run. Jack Carlson's extra point put Batavia up 28-0 at the half.

Batavia put the game away early in the third quarter with a safety and a 17-yard touchdown pass from Niemiec to Glenn Albanese, all within the first 3:04 of the quarter.

"The game plan is to win, and the conditions were not very conducive to the things we normally like to do, which is open up our offense," said Piron, whose team outgained the Sabres 414-55. "Under really kind of weird weather conditions, I thought we did a nice job. We're healthy, nobody got hurt."

Streamwood ended its season 3-6 under first-year coach Don Guindon, 2-4 in the Upstate Eight River, and held star Batavia receiver Canaan Coffey to just 2 catches for 19 yards. What's the one lesson Guindon learned in his maiden voyage as Sabres' head man?

"It all comes back to the little details of football," he said. "It doesn't change for whatever level we're talking about, it's the small things in the world. We're going to look at that, and look to improve next year."

The Sabres say goodbye to several impact seniors, including Brian "Nino" Adkins, who finished with 1 catch for 27 yards Friday, stalwart defenders Tae Reetz and Jake Painter, and Keegan Cordone, who took over at quarterback for sophomore Brendon Marton in the third quarter and scored the Sabres' only touchdown, on a 16-yard run with 9:17 left in the contest.

"I've been playing with these kids since I was like 8 years old," said Cordone, who finished with 3-for-4 passing for 44 yards. "Hopefully some of these guys go to college and play ball so I can watch them play. It was just a fun four years of playing with them and it was great to end it with them. I wouldn't want to end it with anybody else."