Tri-Cities foes set to square off Saturday
Batavia and St. Charles East are on the upswing
By Chris Walker
Batavia and St. Charles East have enjoyed a great deal of success in recent years.
Neither team got off to a great start this year though, which wasn’t necessarily surprising after the Saints lost nearly 20 seniors from last year’s team while Batavia had to learn how to score without Ian Larson.
Now that it’s mid-September though, both teams are starting to click and the timing couldn’t be better as they meet Saturday in Batavia in a key, early Upstate Eight Conference River Division game that also has rivalry meaning for the Tri-Cities.
“We’re in a good spot right now and have done some nice things,” Bulldogs coach Mark Gianfrancesco said. “We’re starting to build, but we’re still trying to find ourselves too after moving guys to different spots.”
And they’re trying to play more consistently for a full 80 minutes, something that the Saints are also striving for.
“We’re doing the right things and just trying to find consistency,” St. Charles East Paul Jennison said. “When you find yourself losing 19 seniors from last year you have a new roster, but that’s no excuse. We’ve had a high standard for a few years now and we’re working towards it, and I think the guys are buying into it.”
Batavia (4-3-2) had a great bonding experience at the downstate Morton (Ill.) tournament last weekend, collecting wins against Romeoville and Urbana, and losing to eventual champion Edwardsville.
“It really worked out well for us,” Gianfrancesco said. “Our guys played well, and it was tough because we were missing some guys because of the ACT (test on Saturday). And on Friday we had a guy out because of a red card, so we really needed guys to take advantage of their opportunity and by that third game we needed everyone.”
The Bulldogs then fought hard Tuesday to earn a 2-2 draw against Larkin in their conference opener.
St. Charles East has had an extended break. They were scheduled to play at Waubonsie Valley on Thursday, but the game was postponed.
The Saints (3-3-1) last played on Sept. 10, blanking Bartlett, 1-0. The Saints have shutout two-straight opponents and last surrendered a goal on Sept. 4 in a 3-2 loss to Buffalo Grove.
Senior Evan DiLeonardi appears to have his teammates catching up to speed, and they’ll need to be at that level on Saturday.
"This conference is always solid," Jennison said. "Even when you hear teams are having down years, they're always going to be competitive. Because there's so many local rivalries, I don't think there's any game that makes sense on paper. Each time out is going to be a battle, and if you want to win this conference, consistent, well-played soccer is how it will be done."
After the game, Batavia is hosting a huge alumni event, which actually begins with a social gathering on Friday Night. After the Bulldogs play the Saints on Saturday, former Batavia players will show if they still got it – and try not to get hurt - in an alumni game as they relive their glorious athletic years at Batavia.
Gianfrancesco noted that as many as 70 alumni, who live in Illinois and at least seven other states including California, New York and Florida, are set to participate. Last-minute additions over could push the number closer to 100. He even noted that he had one former player now residing in France who had attempted to make it back for the weekend.
The event coincides with the retirement at the end of this school year of former Batavia coach and current teacher Katie Keller.
“We tried to do something last year, but this works out better now with Keller in her last year, and it’s a nice kind of closure,” Gianfrancesco said. “It’s a lot of fun seeing guys you coached who now come back with one- and two-year-old kids, and you can spend a weekend. Plus, the timing’s perfect since it’s Homecoming. Hopefully, it becomes an alumni thing we can do every five years.”
Batavia and St. Charles East are on the upswing
By Chris Walker
Batavia and St. Charles East have enjoyed a great deal of success in recent years.
Neither team got off to a great start this year though, which wasn’t necessarily surprising after the Saints lost nearly 20 seniors from last year’s team while Batavia had to learn how to score without Ian Larson.
Now that it’s mid-September though, both teams are starting to click and the timing couldn’t be better as they meet Saturday in Batavia in a key, early Upstate Eight Conference River Division game that also has rivalry meaning for the Tri-Cities.
“We’re in a good spot right now and have done some nice things,” Bulldogs coach Mark Gianfrancesco said. “We’re starting to build, but we’re still trying to find ourselves too after moving guys to different spots.”
And they’re trying to play more consistently for a full 80 minutes, something that the Saints are also striving for.
“We’re doing the right things and just trying to find consistency,” St. Charles East Paul Jennison said. “When you find yourself losing 19 seniors from last year you have a new roster, but that’s no excuse. We’ve had a high standard for a few years now and we’re working towards it, and I think the guys are buying into it.”
Batavia (4-3-2) had a great bonding experience at the downstate Morton (Ill.) tournament last weekend, collecting wins against Romeoville and Urbana, and losing to eventual champion Edwardsville.
“It really worked out well for us,” Gianfrancesco said. “Our guys played well, and it was tough because we were missing some guys because of the ACT (test on Saturday). And on Friday we had a guy out because of a red card, so we really needed guys to take advantage of their opportunity and by that third game we needed everyone.”
The Bulldogs then fought hard Tuesday to earn a 2-2 draw against Larkin in their conference opener.
St. Charles East has had an extended break. They were scheduled to play at Waubonsie Valley on Thursday, but the game was postponed.
The Saints (3-3-1) last played on Sept. 10, blanking Bartlett, 1-0. The Saints have shutout two-straight opponents and last surrendered a goal on Sept. 4 in a 3-2 loss to Buffalo Grove.
Senior Evan DiLeonardi appears to have his teammates catching up to speed, and they’ll need to be at that level on Saturday.
"This conference is always solid," Jennison said. "Even when you hear teams are having down years, they're always going to be competitive. Because there's so many local rivalries, I don't think there's any game that makes sense on paper. Each time out is going to be a battle, and if you want to win this conference, consistent, well-played soccer is how it will be done."
After the game, Batavia is hosting a huge alumni event, which actually begins with a social gathering on Friday Night. After the Bulldogs play the Saints on Saturday, former Batavia players will show if they still got it – and try not to get hurt - in an alumni game as they relive their glorious athletic years at Batavia.
Gianfrancesco noted that as many as 70 alumni, who live in Illinois and at least seven other states including California, New York and Florida, are set to participate. Last-minute additions over could push the number closer to 100. He even noted that he had one former player now residing in France who had attempted to make it back for the weekend.
The event coincides with the retirement at the end of this school year of former Batavia coach and current teacher Katie Keller.
“We tried to do something last year, but this works out better now with Keller in her last year, and it’s a nice kind of closure,” Gianfrancesco said. “It’s a lot of fun seeing guys you coached who now come back with one- and two-year-old kids, and you can spend a weekend. Plus, the timing’s perfect since it’s Homecoming. Hopefully, it becomes an alumni thing we can do every five years.”