Batavia quarterback Jordan Coffey threw four touchdown passes to Erich Zeddies, three of them in a high-scoring first half, as the Bulldogs slowly took control of Friday’s nonconference contest to beat West Chicago 43-20 in Batavia.

Batavia (1-1) drew first blood on its very first possession as a 37-yard touchdown run by tight end Ryan Webb capped a 7-play, 90-yard drive.

But the Wildcats immediately responded, marching 90 yards in 13 plays with running back Alex Pirela diving in from the 2-yard line to tie the score at 7-7.

It stayed for the remainder of the period, but shaky defensive play on the part of both teams allowed them to combine for 39 second-period points, as Batavia took a 33-20 lead to the locker room.

“They’re a terrific football team,” said West Chicago first-year coach Hal Chiodo. “They do everything well. But our kids hung in there. They never quit, and our preseason conditioning really showed out there. Batavia simply could not wear us out.”

The Wildcats scored twice in the second frame. The first came on a 90-yard kickoff return by wide receiver Edward Miranda and the second on a 62-yard run by running back Chris Jackson.

Meanwhile, the Bulldogs did plenty of damage of their own. Coffey hit Zeddies for a 13-yard touchdown, Kyle Duhig scored on a 17-yard draw on their next possession and Coffey finished off the half with two more touchdown strikes to Zeddies (45 and 14 yards).

Another 14-yard TD pass to Zeddies and a Zeddies 22-yard field goal made it 43-20 at the end of three quarters, when both teams went to their benches.

“This was a good win for us,” said Coffey. “We focused all week on our passing game, and it was really clicking tonight. It’s a good effort for our first home game.”