Connor Reid welcomes the pressure.
There’s no secret Benet will go as far as its vastly talented defense will take it.
For the senior strong safety and the rest of the unit led by co-defensive coordinators Jeff Hembrough and John Nestor, motivation has been clear.
DeKalb.
“That’s our goal,” Reid said. “Our motto this year is ‘one more.’ So we’ve been trying to reiterate that every week. We have to take each game one at a time, but we want that one more game to get to the state championship.”
A year after falling one game shy of the program’s first state title game appearance since 1984, Benet (9-3) sits in that same position come Saturday.
And Saturday’s opposition at Benedictine University – fourth-seeded Batavia (11-1) has the full attention of the 17th-seeded Redwings.
“Overall, they’re just a solid team,” Benet coach Pat New said of Batavia. “They’re well-coached, a lot of talent. I think protecting the football is going to be key. Limiting their big plays.
“They have a couple big-time players we’ll have to limit – a really big receiver/tight end. So that’ll be a great challenge for us. That’s for sure.”
Quarterback Riley Cooper leads a Bulldog offensive attack that averages 28.9 points a game.
Batavia’s lone loss came in the regular-season finale to St. Charles North – a 35-28 defeat.
Since then, it has dispatched a pair of DVC teams – Glenbard North and Wheaton North – on the way to its third state semifinal since 2011.
“What I’d say is that we’re a formation-based set and we do kind of a lot of the same things out of different formations,” Bulldogs coach Dennis Piron said. “I think we’ve got some players who at times are pretty special in the receiving area. I think our run game has been solid.
The task awaiting Benet means stopping a receiver corps that features four Batavia players with at least 354 receiving yards.
Cooper has thrown for 1,885 yards and 24 touchdowns while three Bulldogs – Artavion Taylor, Reggie Phillips and Jeremiah Evers – have rushed for at least 315 yards.
Reid’s nine interceptions have sparked a Redwing defense that features playmakers all over the place.
Linebackers Devin Petersen, Mike Wymer and Connor Burke stiffen up a tough front seven while Ben Cooney and Billy Lawler have been solid at corner.
“(The Bulldogs) pass a lot more than most of the teams that we’ve played,” Cooney said. “They’ve got some big receivers. We played Viator and they have some big receivers. But I think (the Bulldogs) are different from most of the teams we’ve played, just from a passing standpoint and the types of receivers they have.
“I think we’re playing well enough right now that we can be up for any challenge, if we play how we know we can. So whether teams like to run or pass, I think we have a great chance of stopping it.”
Off throwing a pair of TD passes in their win over Lincoln-Way Central, Redwing sophomore quarterback Colin Gillespie’s eyes will be wide open.
Eight forced turnovers by the Batavia defense in last week’s victory over Lincoln-Way West suggests as much.
“I think I just have to be more conservative with my throwing, not throwing into double, triple coverage,” Gillespie said. “And still keeping with my reads and trying to make the right reads and not really knowing what I’m going to do before the snap. Actually trust my reads and go off of that.”
In seven starts since taking over for Matt Boyle, he has racked up 1,098 total yards and 13 touchdowns – seven coming on the ground.
His varsity career just starting, he’s well aware of the opportunity looming Saturday.
“It’d be a dream come true because I remember growing up watching my brothers play Benet football,” Gillespie said. “And my older brother (Ryan) was on the 2012 semifinal team. It’s just kind of weird to see me, like our team. We’re actually here. We have a shot. We have a great shot to make it to the state finals.”
