Batavia 13, Glenbard South 6

If ever there was a definition for finding a way to win, Batavia found it Friday night.

Despite being outgained and outplayed by a gutty Glenbard South team, Batavia carved out an advantage where it mattered most -- on the scoreboard --with a 13-6 victory over South in the Western Sun Conference opener for both teams.

The defensive battle went down to the waning minutes until Brian Krowlikowski's 15-yard TD run with 1:26 left broke a 6-6 deadlock and provided the winning margin for Batavia (2-1, 1-0).

Call it an escape, survival, lucky…but Batavia was glad to tuck it away in the win column.

"When we look back on this game later in the year, it's going to be a huge win," Batavia coach Mike Gaspari said. "It doesn't really matter what we did; the fact that we won the game is what counts."

Glenbard South (2-1, 0-1) mounted 288 yards of offense to Batavia's 142, owned possession of the ball for 34 minutes to Batavia's 14 and held a 16-5 advantage in first downs. Yet, Batavia's defense was impenetrable and limited South to a pair of field goals by Scott Langel.

Langel broke a scoreless tie with 2:04 left before half on a 34-yard field goal. The lead lasted for a matter of seconds. Batavia junior Bai Kabba took in Langel's high-arching kickoff at his own 3-yardline, burst up the middle, then flared down the right sideline for a 97-yard touchdown.

"He's a game-breaker," Gaspari said. "We'll need to find ways to get him the ball offensively."

That's where the Bulldogs struggled most. Gaspari ran a revolving door at quarterback, alternating Jack Creed and Jordan Coffey, sometimes on back-to-back plays. But there was no spark to be found as duo combined for 3-of-11 passing for 37 yards. With the offense sputtering, the game was decided by special teams and defense.

"There was no rhyme or reason to the quarterback substitutions," Gaspari said. "Just trying to give both kids an opportunity to make something happen. Where it goes from here ... I'm not sure."

Glenbard South quarterback Kevin Marshall had his game working. The junior workhorse rushed the ball 29 times for 96 yards and completed 13-of-24 passes to six different receivers for 145 yards.

But both teams squandered opportunities. Batavia punter Jordan Church fumbled the snap from center late in the third to give the Raiders prime position at Batavia's 15. But Church atoned three plays later, stuffing Marshall on a third and one to force South to settle for the field goal which tied the game at 6-6.

Midway through the fourth, Batavia's defense held again, stopping Marshall on consecutive short-yardage sneaks. Then, with four minutes left, Church and Sean O'Brien registered back-to-back sacks, and a high snap from punt formation gave the Bulldogs the ball at Glenbard South's 17-yard line.

Krolikowski (11 rushes, 76 yards) set off the home crowd celebration with a bruising, crashing run into the left corner of the end zone for the decisive TD.

"I was just looking at the pylon and going for it," Krolikowski said. "I don't have great speed, so anytime I go for a 15-yard run, you know I'm probably breaking a few tackles."

It left Glenbard South with little show for a stellar effort on the road.

"I'm proud of the way our kids battled; it was a great effort," Glenbard South coach Dan Starkey said. "We just couldn't put points on the board when we needed to at critical times and, unfortunately, we just made too many mistakes that cost us."