It seems like just yesterday that Batavia’s Nathan Whitwell was waiting his turn.
“I remember when I was younger, like my freshman [or] sophomore year, watching my brother [Ryan], Jalen Buckley, A.J. Sanders, all those great backs,” Whitwell said. “I just looked up to them. I was like, maybe one day I can be like that.
“And now, senior varsity player, and it’s just a lot of fun being able to play running back like they once did.”
There’s a twist, though. While Batavia has been known for spreading the carries among multiple backs, there’s no question who’s doing the heavy lifting this year.
Despite returning just one full-time starter on offense, the No. 7 Bulldogs started 2-0 with impressive wins over Glenbard West and South Elgin. Whitwell is a big reason why, running 43 times for 301 yards and five touchdowns in those wins. The rest of the team had 17 carries for 40 yards and one score.
This is what coach Dennis Piron expected coming into the season.
“When we talked early on, [I said], ‘You’re going to have to shoulder the load while we develop as a young team,’ ” Piron said. “And young meaning new starters, because we have some seniors, but they’re still first-year starters.”
There was zero doubt in Piron’s mind that Whitwell was up to the task after having 79 carries for 442 yards and nine touchdowns in a complementary role last fall.
“I know how he works,” Piron said of the 5-11, 190-pounder who has run a 10.88 100 meters. “I’ve seen him work in the weight room. I’ve seen him work in our community, a service-oriented young man. And I saw him in track season. He never misses a race, never misses a workout, leads in all the workouts. Does everything that you would ask, runs everything from 55 meters to 400 meters and competes like it’s the last race he’s ever going to run.”
Whitwell also has grown up around Batavia football. His dad, Derrick, is a longtime assistant coach for the Bulldogs.
“Ryan, my brother [now at Indiana Wesleyan], he started doing running back drills in our backyard when he was 8 years old,” Whitwell said. “And I would go out there with him. I really didn’t know what I was doing, but I’d go through the drills with him. . . . That carried into high school and us both playing running back.”
Whitwell has also grown up watching the Bulldogs make deep postseason runs, including state titles in 2013 (Class 6A) and 2017 (Class 7A) along with a 7A runner-up finish two years ago. The 2013 and 2017 games were at Northern Illinois’ Huskie Stadium and felt like home games for Batavia with its large fan base.
“I remember I was with my grandpa at [the 2017] game,” Whitwell said. “I remember the stands for Batavia were just so crowded. It was never quiet. It was always just, boom, boom. Everyone was screaming. And the environment when we went to overtime, then we won that game — it was awesome. I was getting hyped, even as a little kid.”
Now, Whitwell is the guy making the plays on the field and inspiring the next generation of Batavia kids.