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Cary-Grove's option trips up Batavia

It's one thing to know what's coming. It's another entirely to stop it.

That was the position Batavia found itself in Saturday in the Class 7A quarterfinals against Cary-Grove's triple option.

Batavia knew it was coming.

Stopping it proved the difference between moving on to the 7A semifinals next week and a shot at Glenbard West and what became a season-ending, 42-21 loss.

"They are just really fast and physical and it's hard to replicate how fast they were on scout team," said senior linebacker Colin Thurston, one of Batavia's captains. "They are a great team."

The Bulldogs certainly were prepared for the option, especially Tyler Pennington up the middle.

All that attention left openings elsewhere, and the Trojans capitalized, especially Ryan Magel on sweeps to the edge.

"They were running the sweep and it's hard to go away from 39 (Pennington) and protect the sweep because then they are just going to run him at us," Thurston said. "Because of how good he (Pennington) was we had to have a lot of people on him. We paid a lot of attention to him and they had other players and those players stepped up."

"That was our execution of our triple option," Trojans coach Brad Seaburg said. "The blocking on the perimeter was outstanding and Magel just finished it off. We work on it all year. I thought our guys blocked real well. They were very physical up front. They were putting 9, 10 guys in the box. It's very tough to run the ball."

Magel's first big play came late in the first half, a 44-yard touchdown run on 4th down that turned what would have been a 7-6 Batavia halftime lead into a 14-7 Cary-Grove advantage.

Magel added 6- and 31-yard touchdown runs in the second half, finishing with 122 yards rushing on just 9 carries.

"We just didn't match up on the outside," Batavia defensive coordinator Matt Holm said. "We felt good against Pennington but that's a total football team. When you have triple option with all three options being strong, you are a pretty darn good team."

Cary-Grove (11-1) certainly is, the Trojans becoming a thorn in the side of the Tri-Cities schools the past two years knocking out St. Charles North and Geneva in last year's playoffs and now the Bulldogs this season.

Batavia finished 10-2, its only other loss to 8A quarterfinalist Naperville Central.

The Bulldogs beat teams like Oswego, South Elgin, Geneva and Simeon, but it turned out the toughest challenge was the Trojans' triple option.

Time and time again in the second half Batavia needed a stop. Each possession the Trojans were able to keep the chains moving, the clock running and put more points on the scoreboard - all while throwing just 1 pass.

"They have a guy in that backfield, Pennington, it's like tackling a rhinoceros," Batavia coach Dennis Piron said. "You have to deal with that first and foremost. We did a pretty good job on him for the most part, but you have to use so many of your resources to do that, that everything else tends to come open. It's tough to defend."

The fact Batavia outgained Cary-Grove 382-320 or had 22 first downs to 11 didn't matter with all the big plays by Magel and company. Piron wasn't pleased with four personal foul penalties on the Trojans.

"I'll be honest, I felt it wasn't very clean, I'm just going to say it," Piron said. "I wasn't happy with that part of the game."

Batavia's senior class leaves after four years of steady improvement. As freshmen they had a so-so record, but by the time they walked off the field for the final time Saturday they had carried on a Batavia tradition that now includes five straight conference championships.

The Bulldogs will try to extend that next fall, welcoming a sophomore team that went 8-1.

But before looking too far ahead, Piron made sure to give his seniors their proper due.

"I thought we battled to the end," Piron said. "You are never ready for this day. It's especially tough on these seniors. When it comes to an end you are never prepared. They have been able to maintain an awfully high level of football for awhile. We're all disappointed in the outcome but I'm sure not disappointed in our season or our success. I truly believe we can play with anybody in the state of Illinois right now and I'm just disappointed that this one got away from us.

"I don't have to worry about respect. It comes, it's just given. It's the easiest place to be a head coach. The families who raise their kids here, the boys we get to work with, are the finest kids anywhere in the country. I'm lucky."

Follow John on Twitter @jlemonDH

Images: Batavia vs. Cary-Grove, football

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