Batavia running back Nathan Whitwell knew what the plan was heading into the second half of Friday’s game against St. Charles North.
With the Bulldogs trailing 14-3, the senior running back was told that the plan for the second half was to pound the rock, from straight drives to outside runs.
And apparently, he was more than okay with that.
Whitwell finished the night with 248 rushing yards and five touchdowns, all coming in the second half, to help the Bulldogs secure a 45-21 victory over St. Charles North on Friday.
“It didn’t even feel real. It was just like ‘How is this happening?’” Whitwell said. “It was crazy, and I’m honestly not sure how it happened.”
Whitwell finished his night with 35 carries for 248 yards – with 163 of those coming in the second half. It’s his fourth consecutive 150+ yard rushing performance and multi-touchdown performance of the season.
“I just think we got out of our heads,” Whitwell said. “We had to get out of our heads and play football like we know how to play. And that’s what really helped us the most.”
Whitwell’s first two scores came in the first six minutes of the half to give Batavia a 17-14 lead, their first of the game. The lead was short-lived though, as North quarterback Ethan Plumb found Keaton Reinke for a 67-yard touchdown to make it 21-17 on the very next play.
But once the final quarter changed, it was all Batavia (4-0, 2-0 DuKane conference). Whitwell’s third score from 25 yards out gave the Bulldogs the lead for good, and added scores from 31 and 12 yards out to get to five on the night.
“He’s just so physically tough, and if he gets that extra yard, he’s just gone,” Batavia coach Dennis Piron Said. “He’s not just a speed back, he’s a power back too. He can get the hard yards, and he can just pop out of a tussle because he just keeps grinding. He doesn’t want to go down, and linemen absolutely love that.”
Piron said that when his team went into the locker room, he went to go talk to the offensive linemen about the first half after having less than 150 yards of offense.
“I wanted them to just go and grind their defense into the ground,” Piron said. “I knew they were capable of doing it, and when they start to do it, they’ll do it from now on. And if we get clicking up front, it’s going to be great, and they did just that. It was really pleasing to see.”
His talk not only helped get the run game going, but the pass game as well. Bodi Anderson finished the game completing 9-of-17 for 128 yards after only completing 1-of-8 in the first half.
North (3-1, 1-1) running back Joell Holloman had both of the North Stars’ touchdowns in the first half, with his first coming on a 15-yard scoop-and-score on a mishandled punt. A 30-yard rush down the middle of the field gave him his second score of the night. He finished with 115 rushing yards on 19 carries.
Reinke finished the night with eight catches for 145 receiving yards and a score.
“It was just a back-and-forth game, but the wheels just kind of came off towards the end, and we’ve got to figure that out and look at the film,” North coach Rob Pomazak said. “We just didn’t execute in the second half. We had a really good game plan. It was just a series of missed executions for us that we’ll have to look at and improve on.”
Batavia’s Xavier Blanquel (99) and Jake Feller (44) sack St. Charles North’s Ethan Plumb (10) for a loss in the 4th quarter of play during a football game at Batavia High School on Friday, Sep 20, 2024.
St. Charles North’s Braden Harms (5) runs a route against Batavia’s Keegan Harp (26) during a football game at Batavia High School on Friday, Sep 20, 2024.
St. Charles North’s Keaton Reinke (6), Aidan McClure (0) and Gunnar Tosaw (7) take the field during a football game against Batavia at Batavia High School on Friday, Sep 20, 2024.
Batavia’s Caleb Peters (17) kicks an extra point against St. Charles North during a football game at Batavia High School on Friday, Sep 20, 2024.
St. Charles North’s Euniel Mondesir (15) runs after the catch against Batavia’s Jacob Jansey (10) during a football game at Batavia High School on Friday, Sep 20, 2024.
St. Charles North’s Luke Epstein (32) celebrates with his team after recovering a fumble against Batavia during a football game at Batavia High School on Friday, Sep 20, 2024.
St. Charles North’s Keaton Reinke (6) runs after the catch for a touchdown against Batavia’s Drew DiBiase (3) during a football game at Batavia High School on Friday, Sep 20, 2024.
Batavia’s Bodi Anderson (4) throws a screen against St. Charles North during a football game at Batavia High School on Friday, Sep 20, 2024.
Batavia’s Brett Berggren (11) runs after the catch against St. Charles North’s Wyatt Brandt (22) during a football game at Batavia High School on Friday, Sep 20, 2024.
St. Charles North’s Ethan Plumb (left) throws a pass while pressured by Batavia’s Jacob Jansey (right) during a football game at Batavia High School on Friday, Sep 20, 2024.
St. Charles North’s Ethan Plumb (10) carries the ball on a keeper against Batavia during a football game at Batavia High School on Friday, Sep 20, 2024.
St. Charles North’s Joell Holloman (8) celebrates with his team after scoring on a fumble recovery against Batavia during a football game at Batavia High School on Friday, Sep 20, 2024.
Batavia’s Jake Feller (44) rushes St. Charles North’s Ethan Plumb (10) during a football game at Batavia High School on Friday, Sep 20, 2024.
St. Charles North’s Keaton Reinke (6) celebrates with Christopher Akpede (18) after scoring a touchdown against Batavia during a football game at Batavia High School on Friday, Sep 20, 2024.