UPDATE: Batavia Bulldogs Participate in National Signing Day

Feb. 1 was a special day for some of top athletes.

Seniors Cole Gardner and Alec Lyons signed National Letters of Intent at the school at about 7 a.m. on Feb. 1 to play football at their chosen universities.

Gardner is headed to Eastern Michigan University and Lyons will go to Indiana State University.

The two seniors were joined by their teammates, including quarterback Noel Gaspari, linebackers Sean Oroni, Austin Lewis and wide receiver Evan Zeddies as they announced they they will continue to play at the next level.

"I barely slept last night," Gardner said after the signing. "Now it's great to know that it's finally all done, and I don't have to worry about it anymore. I just know I'm going to play football at Eastern Michigan, and that's a wonderful feeling."

Batavia Football Head Coach Dennis Piron said a few words, and then the students put pen to paper in a room inside the school. The players' family members, other teammates and coaches attended the event as well.

“This particular season our senior class was one of the strongest ones we’ve ever had,” Piron said. “For a number of them the school doesn’t offer an athletic scholarship, but they were able to get some academic scholarships that rival athletic ones so it’s a combination of athletic prowess and academics that opened up opportunities for them.”

For those who follow sports, the first Wednesday in February is known as National Signing Day. This is the first day high-school seniors can formally commit to play football and other sports such as soccer and track in college.

Gardner will study special education at Eastern Michigan, and Lyons will study sports medicine at Indiana State.

“It’s a great place and I’m so excited,” said Gardner, an academic all-state selection.

BHS Class of 2012 College Football Plans

Here's where the seniors said they were going, or leaning toward, this morning:

How Did Gardner Choose?

Excellent facilities, a great campus and an opportunity to study special education at Eastern Michigan appealed to Gardner.

Gardner, a 6-foot-6, 240-pound tight end, helped Batavia jump from a 2-7 team in 2009 to a 12-1 team last fall. He’ll look for a similar resurgence at Eastern Michigan University, which had its best season in 16 years last year.

“The coaching staff there is unbelievable,” Gardner said. “I love them all. Coach (Ron) English is a great guy with such great character who brings out the best in you. I’ll have a chance to help turn the program around and all the guys are talking about getting back to a championship and doing things there that haven’t been done before.”

How Did Lyons Choose?

Lyons, a 6-foot-2 defensive lineman, chose Indiana State over Western Illinois University.

“It came down to those two schools and I really like Indiana State’s program and the people there," Lyons said. "They have a very good sports medicine program and sports management, which is what I want to get into. I love their facilities, love the campus and everything about it.”

Of course, making the transition from Bulldog to Sycamore might take a little time.

“It feels weird now that I know what I’ll be doing for the next five years of my life,” he said. “I’m so used to waking up and coming here everyday ... I know I’m going to miss it because the high school years are the best and that’s what everybody wants to go back to. It’s my next step now. Pretty soon I’ll be going off to college. That’ll be my new home and it’s an eye-opening experience.”

Power of the Program

The National Letter of Intent event was a fitting one for the Bulldog Football Program, which just came off . The Dogs went 12-1, , winning the Upstate Eight River conference and . The senior class had much to do with their success, but overall the team had:

• 16 all-conference players
• 31 varsity honor roll players
• 27 academic all-conference athletes, including 11 named all-state by the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association.

Gardner had 442 receiving yards, 35 tackles and 7 touchdowns for the season. He also ties 1990s player Jon Cvek for most career sacks at 20.

Lyons had 13 rushing touchdowns and 79 tackles. He also holds the team record for most career solo tackles at 153.

Quarterback Noel Gaspari finished his senior year with 30 touchdown passes, 3,153 passing yards and 191 pass completions. These are all top individual offensive records for the team.

“A lot of families and kids put a lot of emphasis on training kids for athletic scholarships but very few have a chance of getting one,” Piron said. “Alec and Cole have incredible size and strength and you can see they can play, but you can also control so much of what you can do in the classroom. If you are a good high school player and good enough to compete at some level collegiately, and you’re excelling in the classroom, the opportunities really expand. I’m really proud of the bar this group set this year and hope to see the academic strength for years to come.”

Thanks for reading Batavia Patch, and ... Go Bulldogs!