Catch Batavia’s Jalen Buckley if you can, but be forewarned.
Once you do, it’s still tough to bring him down.
That’s especially true when the senior running back has extra motivation like he did against Wheaton North. The battle between two ranked teams lived up to its billing, and then some.
In the end, the 6-foot, 205-pound Buckley proved to be the difference Friday night as the host Bulldogs rallied for a 23-20 DuKane Conference victory in overtime.
Buckley started the comeback from a 17-7 deficit in the third quarter by bolting 82 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the fourth.
He then clinched the win for Batavia (3-0, 1-0) with a 3-yard TD dive in OT after the defense held Wheaton North (2-1, 0-1) to just a field goal.
“He’s a stud,” Batavia coach Dennis Piron said of Buckley. “He runs so hard and his legs are like tree trunks. I wouldn’t want to tackle him.”
Buckley was distraught, however, after losing a fumble on the first play from scrimmage. That gave the visiting Falcons a short field for their first score.
It came on a 1-yard TD dive by Brayton Maske, who set up the score with a 19-yard run from the Batavia 20.
“Jalen came to the sideline yelling, ‘What did I do?'” Piron said. “We said, ‘Hang in there.'”
Good advice.
Still, Wheaton North led 10-7 at halftime courtesy of Kyle Kopel’s 21-yard field goal. AJ Sanders accounted for Batavia’s score, catching an 8-yard TD pass from sophomore quarterback Ryan Boe.
The Falcons then drove 68 yards on the first possession of the second half, building the 17-7 lead on a 20-yard TD run from Maske, who finished with 81 yards on 19 carries.
“I knew we had to get some points on the board and had to get them on there fast,” Buckley said. “I followed my lead blocking of my line. All I had to do is run hard, run fast and get into the end zone.”
Buckley said Jacob Hohmann added a key block on the play.
The defense held before the Bulldogs marched from their 19 to the Falcons’ 10.
Boe connected with wideout Drew Gerke on a 15-yard pass on fourth-and-3 from the 50.
“Every day in practice, Boe is getting better and better,” Batavia offensive coordinator Sean Anderson said. “Any indecisiveness he had early on he’s learning from.
“It’s going to be nice to see where he’s at by midseason and the end of the season.”
Boe completed 12 of 20 passes for 134 yards. Buckley was held to 10 yards in the first half but finished with 191 yards on 24 carries.
Linebacker Tyler Jansey felt Buckley’s TD burst to open the fourth provided a key turning point.
“That big run set the momentum for everything and really fired us up,” Jansey said. “And our defense was making big stops.”
Sophomore kicker Patrick McNamara lined a 27-yard field goal that barely made it over the crossbar with 1:42 remaining to force the 17-17 tie.
Again, the defense stopped Wheaton North, this time on the final drive at the Batavia 35 to bring on the OT.
“The field goal was lucky,” Piron said. “It was a bit of a miss-hold, but he put a good leg into it. The kid works very, very hard.”
Batavia’s defense was stout once more, pushing the Falcons back a yard on three plays in the OT, forcing Kopel’s 28-yard field goal.
“I was pretty confident,” said Anderson, who the play-calling for Batavia’s offense. “We had a number of inside the 10 plays ready to go, but you don’t have to get too creative when you’ve got Jansey blocking and Jalen running.”
Buckley followed Jansey on first down and spun out of two tackles, moving a pile of defenders to the 2-yard line on first down. He lost a yard on second down, barreling in for the TD on third down.
“That first down play was insane,” Boe said. “I have no idea how he does that. He just powers through everybody.
“It’s really nice to have him there. You know when you hand it to him, you’re guaranteed yards.”