One more fantastic finish in Kaneland-Batavia rivalry
If Kaneland-Batavia games have taught us anything through the years, it's to expect thrills, stars, fourth-quarter drama, surprise performances and at least a little bit of controversy.
So why should the final one be any different?
It certainly wasn't Friday night in Maple Park, where Knights quarterback Joe Camiliere scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns, the second with 2:07 remaining, to give Kaneland a 21-17 come-from-behind win.
Kaneland (4-1, 3-0) maintained its share of the Western Sun Conference lead with Geneva, while Batavia (1-4, 0-3) is now in must-win mode if it wants to keep its six-year playoff streak alive. The Bulldogs lost in near identical fashion to a game two weeks ago against Glenbard South.
The game also was similar to the last seven games between these two rivals, which always seem to go down to the final drive and lately seem to end with Kaneland on top. Other than last year's 31-21 Batavia win, the Knights have owned the series recently, 5-1 in the last six and even handing Batavia its only regular season loss in 2006 when the Bulldogs finished second in Class 6A.
"I really thought we were going to turn the tables tonight," Batavia coach Mike Gaspari said.
With the Western Sun breaking up after this year, this is it for what's been a great rivalry. Here's a closer look at the final one.
The fourth-quarter drama: Kaneland outscored Batavia 15-3 in the final 12 minutes, scoring on both of its drives to offset Mike Clopton's go-ahead 32-yard field goal with 3:41 remaining.
After Camiliere's 2-yard score capped a quick 6-play, 65-yard scoring drive, with the junior finding Taylor Andrews and Ryley Bailey on crossing patterns to get the Knights marching, the Bulldogs had one last chance.
Kaneland's defense held Batavia on four plays, the final two sacks by Blake Serpa and Tyler Callaghan.
"They were a great team, it was a great battle," Camiliere said. "You've got to win those close ones and that's what we did today."
The controversy: On the Knights' game-winning drive, Camiliere connected with Bailey on a 15-yard gain to the Batavia 31, where a host of Bulldogs stood him up and Sam Shump ripped the ball loose, with Cole Gardner recovering.
Officials huddled and allowed Kaneland to keep possession, ruling Bailey's forward progress had been stopped before the ball came out.
"As I've always said, there are numerous plays throughout the game that can make a difference and I can cite several others," Gaspari said. "You give their kids credit for making plays throughout the game."
The stars: Camiliere shook off a slow start to complete 13 of 21 passes for 181 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 2 scores.
"Joe is a real mature kid," Kaneland coach Tom Fedderly said. "When things got down a little bit we just kept our composure and kept playing and finally started executing and were able to move the ball."
The surprises: Kaneland fumbled the ball five times, most of them on shotgun snaps that either went over Camiliere's head or through his hands on a drizzly night. Camiliere wound up with losses of 17, 17, 15 and 16 yards on four of the plays, a total of 65 negative yards that held Kaneland's total rushing yards to 48.
Yet the Knights managed to recover all five of their fumbles.
"The ball got slick, hands get slick, towels get slick," Camiliere said. "We overcame it."
The teams combined for only one turnover, Shump's third-quarter interception that led to Braden Hartmann's 1-yard touchdown plunge.
Fedderly pointed to Serpa's play on both sides of the ball as a pleasant surprise. He caught four passes and led the Knights in rushing while making several big plays on defense.
"We've been waiting for Blake to come out and have one of those games and he picked the right time to do it," Fedderly said. "Offensively and defensively he had a big game."
Batavia, which has struggled at times offensively, put together a 12-play, 94-yard drive to take a 7-6 halftime lead. Sophomore Danny Seiton, who rushed for 95 yards on 17 carries, capped it with a 26-yard score.
"The 95-yard drive for us was a huge thing to build on," Gaspari said. "And I thought we played well defensively except for the last couple possessions."
The thrills: Bailey provided the first one, taking a shuffle pass from Camiliere, eluding seemingly half of Batavia's would-be tacklers before finding daylight on a 46-yard touchdown reception on Kaneland's first drive. He finished with 100 yards receiving despite leaving the game for a series in the third quarter with a leg cramp.
Batavia quarterback Noel Gaspari made his own highlight reel play in the third quarter, reversing field for a 12-yard scramble on a third down play, setting up first and goal at the 1. Gardner delivered a crushing blindside block on the play.
Thrills, stars, drama, a game decided in the final minute - just what everyone expects when Kaneland plays Batavia.
And what everyone will miss.
"We wish those guys good luck," Fedderly said. "There's always a great atmosphere here. We have a lot of respect for Batavia. It's always been a big rivalry and it's always been a close game."