Rosengren gets his turn and scores 3 TDs as Batavia downs Lincoln-Way Central
Senior running back Charlie Rosengren has embraced his role this year for Batavia.
Rosengren realized that things were going to be different than in the past, especially since the Bulldogs were boasting Division I recruits at quarterback, wide receiver and tight end.
it’s easy to see why things changed. However …
“When teams focus on them, we know what we have,” Rosengren said. “Any of us can take advantage of that when they focus on them. That’s when we can pop our stuff, too.”
Rosengren popped off some big plays Friday night. He scored on TD runs of 31 and 17 yards for host Batavia in a 39-10 win over Lincoln-Way Central in a Class 7A first-round playoff game.
While also catching a 32-yard TD pass, Rosengren ran for 55 yards on nine carries to pace Batavia (8-2). Wyoming recruit Michael Vander Luitgaren completed 18 of 24 passes for 217 yards and two TDs and also gained 63 yards and two TDs on 12 carries.
Western Michigan commit Darin Ashiru caught seven passes for 70 yards and a TD, while Northern Illinois recruit Brennon Zeng added six catches for 76 yards for the Bulldogs, who will play Brother Rice (7-2) or St. Charles North (6-4) in next weekend’s second round.
Parker Hovanec rushed for 59 yards and a TD to lead Lincoln-Way Central (6-5).
The Bulldogs, meanwhile, have thrown the football more times than they have run it this season. That meant a change in mindset for Rosengren and the rest of the running backs.
“It’s been different,” Rosengren said. “Being able to pass protect and create huge plays is our main goal. Protect the quarterback and get them the ball and then take our turn as well.”
Vander Luitgaren certainly doesn’t take Rosengren — who committed to DePauw earlier this week — for granted.
“We came into the year knowing that our offense was going to be different with the talent at the wide receiver and tight end positions,” Vander Luitgaren said. “These running backs definitely took on a different role and stepped up.
“(Rosengren) is a great player. People might think we have these three D-I receivers who are amazing players and overlook the other guys. They’re not seeing that these guys are ballers too.”
Rosengren was stuffed for no gain on his first three carries Friday.
Vander Luitgaren pointed out that watching film while the defense was on the field led to Rosengren’s 31-yard TD run to start the scoring with 4:24 left in the first quarter.
“Seeing Charlie get into the end zone three times was great,” Vander Luitgaren said. “It was great to see him get that confidence.”
Rosengren knew it was only going to be a matter of time before he broke one, too.
“It was awesome to get it started,” he said. “One run is all it takes to get the momentum going. We did that and we started rolling.”
Batavia coach Dennis Piron knows this season’s offense looks different than in past years, but he also believes he didn’t have this type of talent on the outside or under center. And still?
“It was nice to see him bust a couple and do a really good job of making some things work,” Piron said of Rosengren. “Teams know what we’re going to do so they show us different looks and do some different things.”
Even so, Rosengren remains happy about being able to contribute what he can because, ultimately, the goal is a state championship.
Some weeks that means blocking to keep Vander Luitgaren upright to throw the ball downfield. And on Friday night, it meant scoring three TDs.
“Coming out here and being able to put up multiple scores and getting a win with the team is super fun,” Rosengren said. “It’s really awesome out here. There’s nothing better.”