It’s his turn now, and Batavia senior Ben Fiegel appreciates the trust placed in him by the coaching staff.
The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Fiegel played an outside linebacker in the 3-4 alignment last season for the Bulldogs, who advanced to the Class 7A state championship game.
This season?
Fiegel has moved inside for defensive coordinator Matt Holm.
“Middle linebacker with Batavia football is like a sacred position,” Fiegel said. “I’m honored to be playing the ‘Mike’ and being able to call plays for this team.”
Fiegel and 5-11, 195-pound junior RJ Bohr, his inside running mate, have some big shoes to fill with the graduation of Tyler Jansey and Jack Sadowsky, who are now at Wisconsin and Iowa State, respectively.
Sadowsky is expected to start Saturday’s season opener for the Cyclones against Northern Iowa.
Last season, Fiegel had 58 tackles, 46 solo stops and eight tackles for loss with seven sacks. He put in the extra work this summer to take on the added responsibility.
“Not only physically but mentally,” Fiegel said. “I know the playbook like the back of my hand now. Being able to communicate is a huge part of our defense, and I’m the main communicator. We worked on getting the calls in and what checks to make.”
He also landed a Division I scholarship, committing in June to Southern Illinois.
“It was pretty early,” Fiegel said. “But I didn’t want to have to worry about anything other than Batavia football.”
Things went well for Batavia’s defense in a 42-20 season-opening win over Phillips, despite a missed assignment that led to a big scoring run on the first drive.
“What I was most happy with was how we adjusted after that,” Holm said. “Our guy didn’t fill a gap and didn’t realize it was his gap.
“We have stuff to work on. We have some veterans, but we don’t have a ton of experience.”
The Bulldogs led 28-6 by the end of the first half and didn’t allow Phillips a yard in the third quarter before pulling away with another score.
Holm’s defense gave up two late scores but forced six punts, one turnover on downs and two more turnovers on interceptions by Kyle Porter and Mason Kuhn.
Fiegel had a hand in eight tackles, including seven solo stops.
“Of those seven, four were for loss,” Holm said. “It shows he’s getting downhill and making plays. We have the mantra, ‘not one inch,’ and Ben was pretty impressive.
“That was especially true against their tailback. He was a good runner who could put his foot in the ground and change direction.”
It gets even more challenging this week in Friday’s home opener against Class 8A powerhouse Lincoln-Way East, which beat the Bulldogs 31-16 last season in a Week 2 matchup.
“It’s quite a challenge,” Batavia coach Dennis Piron said. “They are really good again with their quarterback back, several linemen and almost the whole defense back, including that whole line.
“They seem to be a state championship-caliber team almost every year. I like these games because it gets our speed and toughness beefed up before we begin conference play.”
Next season, those opening games will feature Class 8A playoff contenders Glenbard West and South Elgin.
Holm looks forward to it, intrigued by the potential of his defense, led by Fiegel.
“He gives us a much taller presence in the center of the field,” Holm said.
On top of that, Fiegel said he’s improving.
“I’ve grown a lot,” Fiegel said. “I’ve gotten more and more comfortable this summer with pass coverage, to the point where I’d say it’s the best part of my game now.”
Holm said he’s been blessed with good linebackers, remembering Michael Jansey (Northwestern) and Luke Weerts (North Dakota State). That duo played together two seasons, including the Class 7A state championship team in 2017.
When it came to moving Fiegel to the middle, Piron was on board with the choice.
“Fiegel fits the mold,” Piron said. “Ben is a wonderful leader, well spoken and all about the Bulldogs. What a great fit.”