THE SKINNY
Batavia, the largest school in the Class 6A football playoffs, needed only 26 first-half plays from scrimmage to score five times en route to a commanding 35-6 lead at the break.
TURNING POINT
DeKalb (5-5), which scored its only points on the second play from scrimmage, a 69-yard Dre Brown run, muffed back-to-back kickoff returns in the first quarter to give No.9 Bulldogs (9-1) ideal field position following equally poor punts.
THE STAR
Batavia senior back Anthony Scaccia had 254 all-purpose yards and matched a career-high with four rushing touchdowns. Batavia, which had its undefeated season end with a 7A first-round loss to Downers North last year, scored on its opening six possessions.
THE NUMBERS
Scaccia, playing less than 26 minutes, scored on runs of seven, 11, one and 54 yards as Batavia had seven ground scores for the night. Scaccia finished with 184 yards on a mere 14 carries. Fullback Kevin Green added two more scores for Batavia.
QUOTABLE
“I have no words for how I played personally. We had a great week of practice. The offensive line was great tonight. They gave me clear lanes to run the whole game.”–Scaccia