Batavia vs. Geneva Friday: Here's The Pregame Rundown

10:50 p.m. Friday, Sept 30 FINAL SCORE—Batavia won 46-34. For our full postgame report, click  or .

9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30 UPDATE—Batavia leads 17-14 at the half. For our full halftime report, click .

The following story is courtesy of CN100 Game of the Week, written by CN100 correspondent Paul Johnson.

No matter what the records are, the old guard of football fans in Batavia and Geneva, where the schools have been butting heads for over 90 years, always shows up for the annual battle between the two teams.

But as has been the case many times over the past decade, the game holds more meaning than just bragging rights. The two teams both show up at Burgess Field for the Upstate Eight River battle in Geneva at 5-0 for Friday’s 7:30 p.m. showdown.

“We’ve had a few big ones over the years, but this one does seem to match up well,” Geneva coach Rob Wicinski said. “It’s a rivalry that you just can’t create. We’ve been playing for over 90 years and there are only a few games difference. People get excited about it in the community. It’s exciting for both schools.”

Geneva Giants

Geneva’s transformation into an elite program under Wicinski after decades in the doldrums continues this season. It will be the eighth straight time the Vikings have appeared in the playoffs for a program that has gone a remarkable 13-0 all-time in first-round playoff games.

The Vikings have had a pipeline to Wicinski’s alma mater, Northern Illinois, in recent years, including current starting linebacker Pat Schiller, and quarterback Matt Williams will be the next one in that line. He gets things going offensively for the explosive Vikings, who have through five weeks.

Receivers Ben Rogers and Tyler Hickey, along with tight end Connor Einck, have been Williams’ top targets in the passing game. Parker Woodworth has carried the load in the backfield.

“The wheel rolls around Matt,” Wicinski said. “He’s the hub of our offense. We’ve been fairly consistent. On offense, we just need to clean up our assignments. I can’t complain. We seem to be making the normal progress that most of our teams make. We’re still not playing our best.”

Big-Time Batavia

Longtime assistant and Batavia graduate Dennis Piron from , who is the Bulldogs’ offensive coordinator this season. After two shaky seasons in a row, Batavia, who has reached the playoffs in seven of the past eight years, appears to have its swagger back behind senior quarterback Noel Gaspari and a dominant defense.

“They’re much improved from last year,” Wicinski said. “Their defense, the offenses they face are on their heels. They can’t stop the rush. Some way, you have to get them off your back.”

The Bulldogs have allowed only 39 points this season, and their early-season schedule included a and a led by Air Force-bound quarterback A.J. Bilyeu.

“We’ve had some former players that have come back and watched us play and people are genuinely impressed with this team this year, the speed and tenacity of the defense,” Piron said. “I’m so happy with the direction we’re going that I don’t want to talk too much about it. I’m having as much fun as I’ve ever had coaching.”

For the latest updates during and after tonight's big matchup, please visit batavia.patch.com and geneva.patch.com.

You can also follow the Batavia Patch Facebook page, or the Geneva Patch Facebook page. Or follow both! 

BATV's Live Stream of the Game

The following information is courtesy of Batavia Access Television.

Go to batv.us at 7 p.m. on Friday night, and you should see the live stream activated on the home page. BATV says the stream might get a little weak, but if it cuts out they will work on restoring it immediately. 

For iPhone and Android users:

• Go to your respective app area on your phone and search for the “Ustream” app. For the iPhone, this is the App Store. For Android devices, this is the Market.
• Once installed, search for "batv." A couple BATV channels should appear.
• Click the one that says “Batavia Live @ Geneva.”

Tonight's Batavia-Geneva game will be rebroadcast at noon on Saturday and 7 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 3. The game will also be available throughout Chicagoland with Comcast Digital Cable On Demand.