Batavia continues unbeaten run

Updated: September 30, 2011 10:55PM

Batavia remained unbeaten on the season and took control of the Upstate Eight River division race by winning 46-34 in a wild, back-and-forth affair at Burgess Field in Geneva Friday night.

The contest featured scores in all three phases of the game, successful and botched fake punt attempts, field goals and point after’s as No. 17 Batavia snapped a five-game losing streak to its longtime rival.

Primarily a passing team heading in, the Bulldogs (6-0, 3-0) turned to their ground game in the win, rushing for 263 yards and five touchdowns. Going forward, it’s element to the offense that will need to shoulder more of a load as senior quarterback Noel Gaspari was injured on a third quarter with a shoulder injury.

“(Running) kind of was the game plan,” Batavia running back Alec Lyons said. “We didn’t know what the weather would be like. Running the ball ended up making the game. Getting the ball is obviously special and blocking is just as special and we all made it work as a team.”

The Bulldogs, who had never trailed in its previous five games, were tested early and often by the Vikings (5-1, 3-1) who went up by scores of 7-0. 14-6 and 20-17. But each time the Bulldogs responded with scoring drive of their own.

The clincher came early in the fourth after Gaspari was injured after a Geneva score had made it 32-27. Backup Dan Albrecht handed off four straight times to Alex Moore and Dom Guzaldo, who picked up 39 yards on the ground culminating in a four-yard score by Guzaldo to make it 39-27 Batavia.

Northern Illinois University-bound Geneva quarterback Matt Williams tried to rally the Vikings, scoring on a 13-yard run late in the fourth to make it 39-34, but the Bulldogs marched it 65 yards on the ground to score yet again, on a 1-yard Alec Lyons plunge.

Parker Woodworth ran 20 times for 131 yards for the Vikings while Williams was held to just 9 of 20 passing for 65 yards.

Before his injury, Gaspari was 10 of 15 for 171 yards for Batavia. Guzaldo (92 yards, three touchdown), Lyons (40 yards, two touchdown) and M oore (81 yards) led the Bulldogs rushing attack.

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