Batavia has no trouble with Streamwood
Batavia's football team unleashed its spread-the-wealth offensive attack Friday night.
Eight different players found the end zone as the Bulldogs improved to 3-0 with a 56-0 triumph over Streamwood (0-3) in Upstate Eight Conference River Division action at Bulldog Stadium.
"We've got all these guys who deserve opportunities to play," said Batavia coach Dennis Piron. "They run that 3-3 stack (defense) so we wanted to run the ball against a packed box tonight. We worked really hard this week - our offensive line - making sure we had everything accounted for."
Senior Jeremiah Evers got things started for the Bulldogs when he returned the opening kickoff 62 yards to help set up their first score - a 12-yard touchdown run by sophomore Art Taylor for a 7-0 lead just 24 seconds into the contest.
Following a 3-and-out defensive series, Batavia's Jared Martin capped a 4-play, 45-yard drive with a 1-yard TD run to extend the lead to 14-0.
Senior quarterback Riley Cooper (4 of 6, 83 yards) tossed a 7-yard TD pass to tight end Collin Richter and Evers' 1-yard TD run upped the Bulldogs' lead to 28-0 after the first quarter.
Senior speedster Reggie Phillips (3 carries, 79 yards) scored Batavia's fifth touchdown with an electrifying 67-yard run that featured a cut to his left near midfield on his way to the end zone for a 35-0 lead.
"It was mostly because of our offensive line," said Phillips. "I just saw that hole and took off."
Phillips was one of 10 running backs to carry the ball as the Bulldogs finished with 239 rushing yards.
"We have a lot of running backs this year," said Phillips. "We rotated them all really well. We tried to get everybody in and we almost got all of our running backs touchdowns."
Elijah Green added a 2-yard touchdown run and backup quarterback Jack Meyers connected with William Fitch on a 9-yard TD toss as the lead grew to 49-0 by halftime.
"I know Streamwood is struggling a bit right now but we were more worried about ourselves," said Piron. "I don't believe we punted. Every single kid in our program played. We have an 80-person roster so that's not easy to do."
Junior Harrison Liao capped the scoring on an 11-yard TD run - his first varsity career score - with 3:14 remaining.
Junior defensive back Leo Marin provided a pair of bright spots for the Sabres with an interception and fumble recovery.
"There were a lot more positives tonight against an outstanding football team - probably one of the best teams in the state," said Streamwood coach Don Guindon. "The kids didn't quit. I'm extremely proud of their effort."