Bulldogs don’t seem to be cooling down
Batavia’s offense formidable, even minus top receiver
It’s a wonder that Batavia rising senior quarterback Micah Coffey can even remember where he needs to be on a given day. The rare three-sport athlete seems to bounce seamlessly from playing summer baseball to basketball camp to football camp, making for an extremely busy summer.
‘‘My mom is great at putting the schedule together,’’ he conceded.
Last month, Coffey’s schedule had him leading the Bulldogs’ football team into the Red Grange Classic 7-on-7 tournament at Wheaton Warrenville South. Batavia played well against some of the state’s best teams, starting the 24-team event 6-0 before bowing out. Rain wiped out the first day of the competition for the Bulldogs, forcing them to play all of their pool-play games and the championship bracket in one day under a blistering sun.
‘‘I think we can beat anybody here if it’s an even playing field,” Batavia coach Dennis Piron said. ‘‘We had a great day. I just think the weather and conditions got the better of us and we were tired down the stretch. I’m pleased with our kids.’’
The beginning of Piron’s tenure couldn’t have been much more successful, with Batavia going 9-0 in the regular season the last two years, the first two times that has happened in program history. Piron’s career record is 21-2. And the signs point to another season of big success.
Coffey will be a premier quarterback; his talents were on display early and often at Wheaton South. Anthony Scaccia is one of the west suburbs’ top running backs, and Anthony Thielk is an explosive player on both sides of the ball.
‘‘We have a ton back,’’ Piron said. ‘‘We’re pretty optimistic.’’
The biggest question surrounding the team at Wheaton South was how to replace the production of one of the area’s best receivers, Zach Strittmatter, who graduated and headed to Washington Univer- sity in St. Louis after picking up 798 receiving yards a year ago.
Scaccia is a big part of the passing game in addition to his rushing duties. Zach Moffatt and Rourke Mullins were two of the bright spots at receiver at Wheaton South. Coffey knows it will be a team effort.
‘‘Last year, we had the super- star,’’ Coffey said. ‘‘This year, I feel like we’ll have a more balanced attack. I think it will be really good for us to be able to spread the ball around, although you can never replace a guy like Zach. My relationship with the receivers is really getting closer. It’s really starting to come together.’’
In addition to opening eyes in the passing drills, the Bulldogs’ linemen won the linemen challenge at Wheaton South, further adding to the good vibes in summer camp.
‘‘I am very excited about where we’re headed,’’ Piron said. ‘‘We have a real nice team, I think. It should be a lot of fun.’’