When it comes to inside linebacker Gavin McKelvie, Batavia builds up defense with ‘contain the mustang’ motto

Junior linebacker Gavin McKelvie has excellent speed and athleticism for his position, and those two attributes have been big so far this sesason for Batavia’s defense.

But McKelvie’s impact also goes beyond the numbers for the Bulldogs, according to veteran coach Dennis Piron. It’s one of those intangibles that defensive coordinators like Matt Holm love.

“He flies around the field,” Piron said, noting that Holm uses McKelvie on both the weak side and the strong side in the middle of a 3-4 formation.

That’s a shift from last season, when McKelvie played outside linebacker and started the final eight games after a preseason knee injury sidelined him for Batavia’s first five games.

This year, McKelvie leads the Bulldogs (2-1, 1-0) with 34 total tackles, including 21 solo stops.

“I’m making the calls full time this year,” McKelvie said. “I’ll call blitzes and fronts and then our defensive backs communicate the coverage.

“It’s a lot of fun, especially when you’re winning and then being able to say you were a big part of that win. It’s an amazing feeling, flying around from sideline to sideline.”

Batavia began the nonconference part of the schedule against two traditional powerhouses, beating Maine South 49-35 at home but then dropping a turnover-filled 44-16 setback on the road at Rochester.

The 6-foot-1, 210-pound McKelvie had a hand in a season-high 14 tackles in last week’s 49-21 bounce-back win at Glenbard North in the DuKane Conference opener.

His speed and athleticism drew the attention of college coaches as early as last year but it sometimes may serve him too well, Holm wryly noted, well aware he may be sounding antithetical.

“Gavin’s a very athletic guy with an incredible motor that I’m actually trying to slow down,” Holm said. “I think he could have had 20 tackles on Friday instead of 14.

“He’s got tremendous move and flow but doesn’t realize sometimes he has inside responsibility so he overruns stuff.”

Holm confirmed it happened twice Friday, with Glenbard North’s Angelo Gatses gaining 60 yards on those two plays. The senior running back finished with 174 yards and all three of his team’s touchdowns.

“‘Contain the mustang’ is the term we’re using to try to convince him,” Holm said of McKelvie. “We like speed in that position and we’re doing different things with him because we’ve had the injury bug, so we’re moving people around.

“I’m flopping him weak and strong sides to do different pressure things. He has great speed and tremendous energy. We just have to tone him down a little bit. That’s hard to say because you want that speed, but you want it going in the right direction.”

Defense hasn’t always been the strong suit of McKelvie, who playing several positions including tight end and running back as a freshman before moving over to the other side of the ball.

He’s also the long snapper and plays baseball as a catcher and pitcher, although he may limit his summer baseball going forward.

“I’d love to play college football,” McKelvie said. “That is the goal, and I may stay in the weight room. I’ve always been pretty balanced with the two sports, but since freshman year, I’ve leaned more toward football.”

This past offseason included junior day camp visits at both Iowa and Northwestern.

“I was a little nervous, but it’s a really great experience,” McKelvie said. “Seeing the campus and their type of coaching and that level of training is great. All the camps I attended were fun.”

McKelvie realizes, however, there’s work that remains to be done.

“I’ve got a lot of improvement to make but I think for now, starting off in a new position, I’m doing really well picking everything up and using my athleticism to my advantage,” he said.