What’s in a name?
For senior inside linebacker Nick Jansey, it has meant plenty that he has had to live up to as the youngest of four brothers who have played for Batavia’s powerhouse football program.
It’s very good company too, but this Jansey — who is in his third year on the varsity for the Bulldogs — has been up to the task. This season, he ranks as the team’s second-leading tackler.
“I haven’t had much recruiting interest yet,” Nick said. “I’m uncommitted, waiting to see what comes to me. I’m sending out a highlight reel and we’ll see what happens from there.”
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Jansey did his part again Friday night, contributing a fumble recovery to go with 1 1/2 sacks while being involved in numerous tackles as Batavia clinched a share of the DuKane Conference title with a 45-12 win at Wheaton Warrenville South.
It was a team effort for the Bulldogs (7-2, 6-1) as the offense — powered by junior quarterback Michael Vander Luitgaren and senior wide receiver Brett Berggren — scored on seven straight possessions to begin the game against the Tigers (6-3, 5-2).
Batavia tied with St. Charles North (8-1, 6-1), a 36-16 winner Friday over Lake Park, for the conference title. Last year, the Bulldogs and North Stars tied Geneva for top honors.
“We’re clicking,” Batavia coach Dennis Piron said. “We’ve got some nice things happening. We’re healthy. Berggren looks great along with our other receivers and our committee of running backs.
“We did a few things that helped us out on defense.”
That defense is headlined by Nick Jansey. He pointed out right away, “Yeah, I’m the fourth Jansey brother to play here.” He has a twin sister, Samantha, who plays basketball for Batavia.
Michael, the oldest brother, played at Northwestern and is a financial planner. Tyler is in his fourth year at Wisconsin, recently moving from linebacker to fullback. Jacob is training to be a firefighter.
And if Batavia defensive coordinator Matt Holm had his way?
“I told his parents they could start over again and they didn’t really appreciate that,” Holm said. “It’s been a dynasty. We’ve been lucky enough to have been around for several lines of brothers.”
Jansey has been complemented by three senior standouts in offensive linemen Ryan Myers and Steven Bannos and running back Preston Brummel, all three of whom take snaps on defense, too.
Offensively on Friday night, Vander Luitgaren completed 15 of 17 passes for 183 yards, with touchdowns of 12 yards to Berggren and 27 yards to Darin Ashiru.
Berggren was a beast, catching five passes for 77 yards. He also had three carries for 90 yards, breaking off TD runs of 5 and 67 yards. Ashiru added eight receptions for 94 yards.
Batavia’s defense also stepped up big, stopping the Tigers on their first possession and recovering fumbles on back-to-back possessions in the third quarter to insulate Batavia’s 17-6 halftime lead.
Senior running back Owen Yorke was the Bulldogs’ focus. The elusive 6-0, 200-pound Yorke had topped 100 yards rushing in every other game, including 200-plus in his last two games.
With Jansey making a difference, Yorke was held to 78 yards on 12 carries. Senior quarterback Justin Miller also threw for 71 yards and accounted for a pair of TDs.
“We just came out with a really good game plan,” Jansey said. “We were right for the run. We knew they had a good back, they’re 80% run, and we had to stop it.”
Jansey and junior linebacker Jack Brown teamed up on a sack of Miller in the second quarter and Jansey added a solo sack in the fourth. The priority remained stopping Yorke.
“You give him space, he’s a problem,” Holm said. “We felt like we could contain his inside runs and we did a good job with it
“He’s got a great jump cut and speed to go with it, a Barry Sanders-type thing when he can go.”
Jansey said Myers and Bannos being added to the defensive line helped. Bannos forced a fumble that Jansey recovered. Senior defensive tackle Gavin Pecor recovered one on a botched handoff.
“We’re coming together,” Jansey said. “Hopefully, there’s a lot more to go.”
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