Football Preview: Wheaton North Falcons vs. Batavia Bulldogs
The Wheaton North Falcons will challenge the Batavia Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Wheaton North took a loss when they played away from home two weeks ago, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They walked away with a 27-19 win over St. Charles East. The contest marked the Falcons' most dominant victory of the season so far.
Meanwhile, Batavia put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They were the clear victor by a 45-21 margin over St. Charles North. Considering the Bulldogs have won three matchups by more than 23 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
It was another big night for Nathan Whitwell, who rushed for 264 yards and five touchdowns. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in rushing yards.
Another reason for the win was Batavia's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for four sacks. Leading the way was Malachi Smith with two. He also set a new season high mark in total tackles with six. Chase Osborne was another major factor on D, making 15 total tackles (2.0 for loss) and defending a pass.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Batavia was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 294 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 162 rushing yards in three consecutive matches.
Wheaton North's win bumped their record up to 3-1. As for Batavia, their victory was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 4-0.
Wheaton North came up short against Batavia when the teams last played back in September of 2023, falling 23-17. Will Wheaton North have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other football content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
