Defense keys Batavia’s rout of Marmion

Updated: August 27, 2011 12:56AM

When Dennis Piron took over the head coaching reigns at Batavia after longtime coach Mike Gaspari retired, he immediately gave his defensive coordinator position to Matt Holm.

In Piron’s debut as Bulldogs coach Friday, a 36-7 pounding of Marmion, that decision paid immediate dividends.

The Bulldogs forced six first-half turnovers in building a 36-point lead. Jon Gray had two of Batavia’s four interceptions and Austin Higgins’ 35-yard interception return for a touchdown in the second quarter gave Batavia a 24-0 lead. Higgins also had two sacks in the win.

“The smartest move Mike made in retiring was knowing that I would make Matt the defensive coordinator and replace myself,” Piron said. “Boy oh boy, is Matt Holm good. He’s such an intense guy. We are a fast defense. It’s tough to run against us and when you throw the ball, there are guys everywhere. It’s a tough scheme.”

Batavia was sharp at times offensively under Gaspari, in his first game as offensive coordinator. From the press box, he called the shots for his son, quarterback Noel Gaspari, and company.

Noel Gaspari was only 12-of-26 for 186 yards and two interceptions, but he mixed in two key touchdowns, a 39-yarder to Gray in the first quarter and a six-yarder to Evan Zeddies that gave Batavia a 30-0 halftime lead.

“It was better, because he can see much more up there,” Noel Gaspari said of his dad’s perch in the press box. “It worked all night tonight.”

But defense and special teams were the story. Batavia kicker Brandon Clabough was a big contributor with three field goals, the longest coming from 39 yards. Marmion had four different players attempt passes, and they accounted for as many completions (four) as interceptions.

The only mishap Batavia had on defense all night was Garret Becker’s 77-yard touchdown run when the game was already out of hand in the fourth quarter.

“Our defense was ridiculous,” Noel Gaspari said. “Defense wins championships, and they played great.”

Batavia played without two-way star Cole Gardner, who was medically cleared Friday but was unable to go on his recovering knee. Piron says he is week-to-week.

“We’ll build him back in slowly,” Piron said. “It’s nice to get this win without him. With him in the mix, think about our defensive front there.”

With the game in hand by the half, Piron, a Batavia graduate who bleeds red and yellow, was able to enjoy his first win as head coach at the school he loves.

“That was fun,” Piron said. “It was awesome. I’m so happy. I haven’t bragged too much about us, but I think we’re really good. I hope that this is just the beginning.”

© 2012 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be copied or distributed without permission. For more information about reprints and permissions, visit www.suntimesreprints.com. To order a reprint of this article, click here.