When it comes to playing in close games during the 2025 season, Batavia hasn’t always had the best of luck.

First, it was allowing a game-winning field goal to fall 31-28 against Glenbard West to open the season.

Then, it was a touchdown and two-point conversion in the final 0.9 seconds in the game to drop a 43-42 contest to St. Charles North.

So when the Bulldogs walked off Burgess Field with a 24-21 victory in overtime over Geneva, it was a welcome sigh of relief to be on the winning side of a tight contest.

“Football really is a game of inches,” Bulldogs quarterback Michael Vander Luitgaren said. “Those first two losses that we’ve had were close games that could have gone either way. It feels good to be on the winning side for once, but I know that we still have a lot to work on as a team, and we’re just gonna get better from this.”

The win was the Bulldogs’ first win in overtime since a 19-13 victory over Hersey in the first round of the Class 7A playoffs back in 2022.

It took the whole lot for Batavia to pull off their 14th win in the past 15 games against their rival, especially from a few players that had been limited by injuries throughout the season. Junior running back Charlie Rosengren, who missed the first three games of the season, had his most productive game yet, rushing for 67 yards and catching two passes for 26 yards and a touchdown.

Also coming up clutch was wide receiver Darin Ashiru. The junior, who’d been playing with an injured rib since Week 1, went for seven receptions, 110 yards and a touchdown in his first game in the rivalry.

“Rosengren, I’m glad he could play first line back off that injury,” Batavia coach Dennis Piron said. “And Ashiru was finally healthy after getting injured back in Week 1. He was finally able to take his flak jacket off, and he was able to stretch his legs and get more mobility. It really changed the game for him.”

The Bulldogs also got aided with some timely defense in the second half. Senior linebacker Tony Minnec had 10 tackles, five of which went for a loss, and three sacks, while senior Nick Jansey finished with six tackles, three of which were behind the line of scrimmage, and 2.5 sacks.

“We played some critical defense when we needed to at times,” Piron said. “It was uneven, but when plays needed to be made, the kids made plays and put pressure on the quarterback, so I was really proud of their effort out there.”

St. Charles North continues historic start to season

St. Charles North has had its fair share of good football teams since their first football season in 2001.

From making eight straight playoffs between 2002-2009, to the Tyler Nubin-led team making it all the way to the Class 7A state title game in 2018.

But after the North Stars defeated crosstown rival St. Charles East for the sixth consecutive season with a 23-14 victory, they achieved something that no other team achieved.

Being 6-0.

“It doesn’t feel like we’re 6-0, but we’ll take it,” North Stars coach Rob Pomazak said. “It’s hard to win high school football games.”

The North Stars have finished with one loss on the regular season five times since the school’s inception, but none of their losses ever came after Week 4. The North Stars will have a chance to run the table with games against Wheaton Warrenville South, Glenbard North and Lake Park to end the season.

“It means a ton,” wide receiver Braden Harms said. “Everyone has worked so hard to get to this moment. Clearly, this team is like no other.”

Kaneland takes down Sycamore for first time in eight years

St. Charles North wasn’t the only team with a big win in Week 6.

Kaneland ended up getting a signature victory in Interstate 8 play, taking down Sycamore 34-14 for its first win against the Spartans since 2018.

“We really wanted to come out here and beat them,” said quarterback Jalen Carter, who threw for 216 yards and rushed for 42 in the win. “We worked as a team and got work done today.”

It was the first time that the Knights had taken down one of the three top teams in the Interstate 8 in Morris, Sycamore and Rochelle since head coach Michael Thorgesen took over in 2023. The last time they had beaten one of those teams came back in 2019 with a 42-14 victory over the Hubs.

“We don’t get to do that much on Sycamore,” Thorgesen said. “They’re always a really well-coached defense. I think our offensive line just put the hammer down in the second half. They just opened up lanes and played courageous.”

The win sets up the Knights comfortably to make it to their eighth consecutive playoff, with a win over either Rochelle, La Salle-Peru or Althoff Catholic over the next three weeks securing the spot.

Aurora Central Catholic in the driver’s seat

It’s been eight years since Aurora Central Catholic last had a winning season.

It’s been a year longer since they’ve made it to the field of 256.

But through six weeks of the 2025 season, both streaks are all but certainly coming to an end.

Following a 41-6 victory over Wisconsin’s Pacelli in Week 6, the Chargers sit at a 5-1 record, their most wins in a season since going 5-4 in 2017, and one more win can lock up their first playoff bid since 2016, when they ended up finishing 9-2 on the season.

A lot of the reason is because of the offense. The Chargers have put up 20 or more points in each game this season, with the team putting up 41 in their past two contests. Senior running back Trey Seifrid has also been a big catalyst, leading the team with 12 rushing scores off of just 54 carries.