UPDATE: Bulldogs Improve to 6-0 With Road Win Over Geneva

Batavia’s varsity football team on Friday emerged victorious during its annual neighborhood rivalry with Geneva.

However, the euphoria displayed by the student section after the Bulldogs’ wild 46-34 victory over the Vikings Friday night at Burgess Field was much more reserved from the coaching staff, due to an to Senior Quarterback Noel Gaspari.

Gaspari, a third-year varsity starter, suffered the injury to his non-throwing (left) shoulder after rushing for 6 yards and a first down with the Bulldogs clinging to a 32-27 lead.

“I landed on my shoulder weird,” said Gaspari, who completed 10-of-16 passes for 152 yards before being sidelined. “I guess I either broke my collarbone or separated my shoulder.

“I’m hoping it’s a separated shoulder and I’ll try to be back for next week,”  Gaspari said.

Success in Second Half

In his absence, junior Dan Albrecht entered the game and the Bulldogs played smash-mouth football the rest of the way.

Senior Running Back Dom Guzaldo’s 4-yard touchdown run—his third of the game—gave Batavia (6-0, 3-0) a 39-27 lead with 10:51 remaining.

After the Vikings narrowed the lead to 39-34 on a 13-yard touchdown run by quarterback Matt Williams with 4:33 left, Batavia chewed up some more clock, marching 65 yards in seven plays before fullback Alec Lyons’ 2-yard touchdown run made it 46-34 with 1:42 remaining.

“Our kids rose to the occasion,” said Batavia Coach Dennis Piron. “They were without their leader (Gaspari) and said, ‘we’re going to smash them.’ We hadn’t done that all year.”

Stepping Up

Despite a win that puts Batavia atop the Upstate Eight Conference River Division standings, most of the post-game attention centered on Gaspari’s injury.

“It’s hard to be too excited,” said Piron, who is off to a 6-0 mark in his first year as head coach. “I’m really worried about Noel and his shoulder. He’s the heart of our team in a lot of ways, and he’s our trigger man.

“I’m very proud of what we were able to accomplish without Noel,” added Piron. “Hopefully it’s not that big of a deal and he’ll be OK because that’s just too big of a price to pay even as great as this victory was for our program tonight. We can’t be without Noel for the rest of the year.”

Guzaldo, who was held to minus-2 yards rushing in the first half, finished with 91 of the Bulldogs’ 245 second-half rushing yards.

“We had to step up when it counted when Noel went down,” Guzaldo said. “Our offensive line stepped up and we got the job done.”

Senior Defensive Lineman Austin Lewis added a first-half touchdown for the Bulldogs with a from center.

Batavia returns home to face Elgin on Oct. 7.

For more photos and game coverage, go to batavia.patch.com/sports.

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