Football Game Preview: Wheaton North Falcons vs. Batavia Bulldogs + Official Tickets

The Wheaton North Falcons will head out on the road to square off against the Batavia Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Wheaton North is coming into the matchup on a three-game losing streak.

It was a classic North v. South duel when Wheaton North challenged Wheaton-Warrenville South on Friday. The Falcons took a 14-0 bruising from the Tigers. The game marked the first time this year in which the Falcons were not able to get on the board.

Meanwhile, it may have taken overtime to finish the job, but Batavia ultimately got the result they hoped for on Friday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 24-21 win over Geneva. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Bulldogs have posted since October 25, 2024.

Batavia's win came from a few key players Wheaton North will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Michael Vander Luitgaren, who threw for 233 yards and two touchdowns, and also punched in one score on the ground. 110 of Vander Luitgaren's passing yards were hauled in by 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 didn't let Ben Peterson, get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for six sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Nick Jansey and Minnec, who racked up 4.5 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.

Batavia's record now sits at 4-2. As for Wheaton North, their loss dropped their record down to 2-4.

Wheaton North was dealt a bruising 41-0 defeat at the hands of Batavia in their previous matchup back in September of 2024. Can the Falcons avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.