It had been a tough couple of weeks for Batavia running back Nathan Whitwell.
Batavia’s Nathan Whitwell holds off a tackle by Wheaton Warrenville South’s Zach Rogers on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024 during a game at Batavia.
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After rushing for over 100 yards in each of the first five weeks, the senior back had been stopped plenty short of the century mark both in Week 6 and Week 7, only managing a combined 88 yards over the two-week span.
But Friday night against Wheaton Warrenville South, Whitwell got the legs churning again.
Whitwell put up 174 rushing yards on 27 attempts and scored four touchdowns to help the Bulldogs to a 35-13 victory over the Tigers.
“That was a great feeling to get back into it and just start rushing the ball again like earlier in the season,” Whitwell said. “It was a great feeling just being able to see some open grass.”
The win moved Batavia to 7-1 on the season and 5-1 in DuKane Conference play. A win next week, as well as a loss from Geneva would give the Bulldogs a share of the conference championship, which would be their fifth in six seasons.
Whitwell’s four touchdowns, which came from 20, 2, 1 and 3 yards out, brought him to 21 total touchdowns on the season, which is the third most rushing touchdowns in a season under coach Dennis Piron. He only trails Anthony Scaccia (28 in 2013) and his brother Ryan Whitwell (22 in 2022).
“When we have to get it done, we’re going to have to count on him,” Piron said. “He’s just a super special football player, and our guys up front did a nice job giving him space.”
Wide receiver Isaiah Brown had the other score on the night for the Bulldogs after catching a 14-yard pass from Bodi Anderson with 1:26 remaining in the first half. He almost had a second in the third quarter on a 66-yard reception, but was ruled out at the 1-yard line before Whitwell punched in the score. Brown finished with 4 catches for 96 yards on the night, while Anderson finished with 132 passing yards.
“He made some big plays for us out there,” Piron said. “Guys are coming on right when they need to. And I think Bodi’s coming around nicely as well. We had a couple plays we maybe should have hit early, but for the most part, he played a fine game.”
Both of WW South’s scores came from the air game. Quarterback Luca Carbonaro found Luke Beres for a 64-yard score midway through the second quarter, and connected with NIU commit Amari Williams for a 38-yard touchdown on their first drive in the third quarter. Carbonaro finished the game completing just 14 of 30 passes for 226 yards, while the rush game was held to just 5 total yards.
“We talked about having a small margin of error and needing to execute in our pass game, especially early on and we just didn’t,” WW South coach Sean Norris said. “We missed some things and didn’t execute. And those are things that you have to do, especially when you play good football teams like Batavia.”
The loss moves the Tigers to 4-4 on the season and almost into a must-win situation for Week 9 if they want to make it into the playoffs. Norris said he knows that his team needs to make sure to get back to what they’ve been effective at to put themselves in a position to succeed and play another week.
“Our kids fought all the way to the end,” Norris said. “Our playoffs start this week. We just have to win next week.”
Wheaton Warrenville South’s Owen Yorke runs the ball as Batavia’s Gavin Pecor tries to get past Wheaton Warrenville South’s Rory Masse on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024 during a game at Batavia.
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Batavia quarterback Body Anderson throws the ball on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024 during a game against Wheaton Warrenville South in Batavia.
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Wheaton Warrenville South’s Brady McClatchy (left) and Batavia’s Josh Kahley (right) go after the loose ball after it was stripped by Batavia on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024 during a game at Batavia.
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Batavia’s Xavier Blanquel tackles Wheaton Warrenville South quarterback Luca Carbonaro on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024 during a game at Batavia.
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Wheaton Warrenville South’s Brody Keith (left) and Luke Beres celebrate Beres’ touchdown on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024 during a game at Batavia.
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