Batavia-Geneva rivalry pits cousin vs. cousin

As if playing against your biggest rival isn't exciting enough, two cousins -- Jake Creed from Batavia and Sean Grady from Geneva -- got the chance to play one another Friday night in the biggest games of the regular season for both players and teams.

Of course one cousin left Friday's huge Western Sun Conference rival game between Batavia and Geneva a lot happier than the other -- Grady, whose Vikings topped the Bulldogs 14-12 on the road in the final regular season football game.

"Oh, it's so much fun," Grady said after the game, which kept Geneva stay undefeated this year at 9-0. "We've been talking since seventh, eighth grade about Batavia/Geneva and when we get to play each other, and we finally got to do it."

Creed is a senior quarterback turned linebacker. Grady is a junior defensive back. With both players on defense, they did not go up against one another personally.

Grady and Creed may have been rivals Friday night, but after every other football game, they call each other and talk about what happened and how they did as individuals.

"We see each other all the time," Creed said. "We are close."

This week, however, was slightly different. Grady and Creed, whose mothers are sisters, didn't speak to each other too much.

This week -- and for the rest of the year, for that matter -- Grady might have a lot more to say, especially since Batavia has beaten the Vikings the past three years.

"We have the bragging rights no matter what," Grady said. "It's a great feeling to be able to say that."

cbolin@dailyherald.com