Team at a glance
NICKNAME Bulldogs
COLORS Crimson/Gold
STADIUM Bulldog Stadium, 1200 W. Wilson St., Batavia
ENROLLMENT 1859
CLASS 6A
COACH Mike Gaspari (23 years, 126-102)
2007 RECORD 5-5
CONFERENCE 4-3, 3rd
TOP RETURNERS
Jordan Coffey sr. QB
JR Kabba sr. RB
Ryan Webb sr. TE/LB
Erich Zeddies sr. WR/CB
Phil Livinston sr. OL
Alex Berg sr. OL
Ben Hester sr. OL
Jake Hilliard sr. OL
Sean Boyle sr. WR
Andy Thomas sr. WR
Evan Olexa sr. FB
Mike Greco jr. FB/DL
Mike Thieriluet sr. S
Tyler Linquist sr. WR
Jay Douglas sr. WR
Brandon Moffatt sr. CB
PROMISING NEWCOMERS
Piotor Kaczmara jr. LB
Mark Briden jr. DB
2008 schedule
Aug. 29 at St. Charles East 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 5 West Chicago 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 12 at Glenbard South 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 19 Rochelle 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 26 Kaneland 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 3 at Yorkville 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 10 Sycamore 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 17 at DeKalb 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 24 at Geneva 7:30 p.m.
Games to watch
Aug. 29 at St. Charles East Saints beat Batavia by 23 in last year's season opener.
Sept. 19 vs. Rochelle The visitors are an undeniably unique program.
Oct. 17 at DeKalb Playing on Northern Illinois’ college campus is memorable for all.
Oct. 24 at Geneva The modern-day Hatfields and McCoys.
five-year record
overall conference playoffs
‘07 5-5 4-3 1st Rd.
‘06 12-2 6-1 Finals
'05 9-2 6-1 2nd Rd.
‘04 7-4 3-2 2nd Rd.
‘03 6-4 5-0 2nd Rd.
Philosophical approach
Mike Gaspari has been at the helm of Batavia football for nearly a quarter-century.
The Bulldogs’ head coach and athletic director is not a disciple of Woody Hayes.
“We throw the football at every level,” he said. “We just don‘t start throwing at the varsity level.”
Combined with a stop-the-run-first mentality on defense, the Batavia way to gridiron glory has been well-served in recent years; the Bulldogs’ enter the 2008 campaign with five consecutive playoff appearances, highlighted by their Class 6A state finals appearance two years ago.
Batavia features an array of quick and agile wide receivers whose instinctive collaborative efforts with the signal-caller propel the offense.
“Much of (what we do offensively) is predicated by the quarterback,” Gaspari said. “It is a great asset for our program.”
Impact players
The Bulldogs’ backfield not only bears the distinctive talents of three-year varsity quarterback Jordan Coffey, but a halfback as elusive as he is feared.
“(JR Kabba) is like a Barry Sanders-, Gale Sayers-type player,” Gaspari said. “Every time he touches the ball, he makes the defensive coordinator nervous. He can go the distance at any time.”
Kabba and the Bulldogs’ skill players on the outside are a formidable bunch.
“We’ve got athleticism and speed,” Gaspari said. “Those are things you can’t coach.”
But it is Coffey who will be the center of attention this season as the Bulldogs’ main engineer.
“(Coffey) has a great demeanor as a quarterback,” Gaspari said. “He bounces back real well. He has really made great strides. He is getting better at what the defense gives him.”
In addition to Coffey and Kabba, whom Gaspari called “two of our biggest impact players,” two-way starters Ryan Webb and Erich Zeddies are also decorated senior stalwarts.
“We are very fortunate in our senior class to have some very skilled athletes,” Gaspari said.
The trenches
The exploits of the skill positions are inextricably connected to line play, and Batavia boasts a solid group of returning interior athletes.
Alex Berg, the Bulldogs’ senior center, is the linchpin.
“He is as good as any lineman in the league (Western Sun),” Gaspari said.
Phil Livinston and Sean Boyle are the bookend tackles; Ben Hester and Jake Hilliard man the guard slots.
One of the Bulldogs’ central dilemmas is incorporating the junior class into the meaningful playing time.
“A lot of that has to do with our strong senior class,” Gaspari said. “We’re going to be a very senior-dominated team.”
The Western Sun
In the inaugural season of the new league, three teams were state semifinalists.
“There’s hardly an opponent you can look past,” Gaspari said. “A team like Rochelle presents anyone with problems. They’re just a tough, hard-nosed group of kids. Then you have a team like Kaneland. They have ruined a couple of our perfect seasons in recent years. Geneva is too far down the road for us to think about.”
Batavia opens with non-conference games against St. Charles East and West Chicago.
“No matter who you play in the first game, it’s a big game,” Gaspari said.
Senior Says
Jordan Coffey
What are your primary goals for the season?
"Obviously everyone wants to make the playoffs. I just want the offense to do their job. I think the key this year will be not to give away games like we did last year."
What are the biggest differences between football and baseball?
"They are two completely different things. It’s two completely different sports. With football you have the atmosphere, the camaraderie, the students in the stands. Which one do I plan on playing (in college)? I don’t know. I don’t want to put all my eggs in one basket.”
Other than Geneva, which conference team do you look forward to playing most?
"That’s hard to say. Every game you put on the uniform, you want to win. You always want to beat the teams that beat you the year before.”
By the numbers
1279 The number of all-purpose yards (rushing, receiving, returns) by JR Kabba
906 The combined receiving yardage of Ryan Webb (480) and Erich Zeddies (426)
1979 and 1767 The Bulldogs’ rushing and passing yardage, respectively, last year
109-228-15 Jordan Coffey’s passing numbers as a junior (completions, attempts, touchdowns)
