Football Recap: Michael Vander Luitgaren Key Part of Team Effort in Bulldogs Win

Bulldogs

Lowest Scoring Games

10/03/25 @ Geneva	24-21
08/29/25 vs Glenbard West	28-31
09/05/25 @ South Elgin	35-3

Batavia took a 23-point loss the last time they faced off against Geneva, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. The Bulldogs came out on top in a nail-biter against the Vikings on Friday, sneaking past 24-21. The 24-point effort marked the Bulldogs' lowest-scoring game of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.

Batavia's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Michael Vander Luitgaren led the charge by throwing for 233 yards and two touchdowns, while also punching in one TD on the ground. A healthy portion of Vander Luitgaren's aerial production (110 yards to be exact) went to Darin Ashiru, who also brought in a receiving touchdown.

Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something Batavia proved: they limited Geneva to a paltry 1.1 yards per carry. The team can thank Tony Minnec for the heroic effort on defense: he. Batavia's ground attack was stronger, having averaged 4.4.

Batavia's defense also made the game a nightmare for Ben Peterson, racking up seven sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Minnec and Nick Jansey, who racked up 5.5 sacks between them. Minnec is also crushing it when it comes to total tackles: he's made at least five every time he's taken the field this season.

Several Vikings players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Peterson, who threw for 346 yards and a pair of touchdowns while picking up 15.0 yards per attempt, and also punched in one rushing score. Peterson's passing game has become a key predictor of Geneva's success: the team is 2-1 when his passer rating is 100 or higher, but only 1-2 otherwise. Bennett Konkey also helped out as he racked up 159 receiving yards.

Batavia's record now sits at 4-2. As for Geneva, their defeat ended a five-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 3-3.

We've got plenty of inter-conference action coming up soon. Batavia is set to take on their familiar foe Wheaton North at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Meanwhile, Geneva will square off against rival Glenbard North at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.