They could feel the need — the need for speed.
That’s what Batavia coach Dennis Piron, offensive coordinator Sean Anderson and junior quarterback Ryan Boe all had four weeks into the season for the Bulldogs.
Maverick from “Top Gun” wasn’t available, but Piron, Anderson and Boe did have a collective answer for what has turned into a three-game winning streak.
Welcome back, Drew Gerke.
“Watch out world,” Piron said after Batavia’s 35-6 victory over Glenbard North in Week 5. “That’s a normal type of game for him. He’s that type of player.”
A senior who had been expected to be the team’s top wide receiver after catching 23 passes for 296 yards in 2021, Gerke was limited by an injury early this season.
He broke a bone in his right hand, hitting it on another player’s knee during a blocking drill two days before the season opener.
But in the past two games, Gerke had three catches for 144 yards and two touchdowns against Glenbard North and three catches for 71 yards and one TD in a 35-0 win over Wheaton Warrenville South.
In between, Gerke had the cast removed.
There’s a bit of irony to it as Piron, who’s also Batavia’s boys track coach, had tried for two years to get Gerke out for that sport.
“Honestly, I don’t even like running that much,” said Gerke, who’s averaging a team-high 25.6 yards on 10 receptions. “I just love playing football. Sure enough, he convinced me to do track last year. I think it paid off well.”
I’ll say.
Gerke ran legs for relays that took first and second place for a Class 3A state championship team in the spring. He was a member of another relay that had first-place potential before a dropped baton in the preliminary.
“He was a good runner last fall,” Piron said of Gerke. “But by the end of track season, I thought, ‘Man, all of a sudden, I’m looking at one of the best sprinters in the area.'”
Of course, there’s fast and then there’s what coaches like to call “football fast.” Gerke, who has played football since the second grade, is a little bit of both.
“The more I watch him do stuff in practice, the more I’m like, ‘It’s so effortless,'” Piron said. “He’s such a comfortable runner.
“Guarding him, you have to feel like you’re working your butt off, and he seems to be going so effortlessly. I can’t think of many guys who have that push and that acceleration.”
Gerke was introduced to the sport by neighbors, joining a local travel team after his family moved here from Indiana.
“It’s just what I do, honestly,” Gerke said of football. “It’s hard to explain. I have so much love for the sport.”
Boe, meanwhile, loves the connection he has developed with Gerke.
“It’s definitely grown a lot over summer camp,” Boe said. “We did a lot of work and took extra time outside, too, working on our throws and routes.
“He’s definitely a deep threat, but really a threat anywhere, especially now that he has that cast off.”
Anderson also has seen the growth.
“Gerke is an explosive player and stretches defenses,” he said. “It’s something we were missing that we’re really excited to have back now.
“In the summer, their timing was awesome, and it was good for Boe’s confidence and mentality. Drew’s a security blanket for Boe. He knows Gerke will find a way to get in open space.”
In the end, Gerke’s injury could be a blessing in disguise.
“I want to be a No. 1 receiver and Boe’s No. 1 target,” Gerke said. “I believe it was the plan. Me being out on offense opened up opportunities for other players and allowed Boe to make more connections.”
Gerke’s expanded role at cornerback also gives a boost to the defense.
“I’m a deep threat on offense and there to make big plays,” Gerke said. “I’m just trying to do my part on defense.”
It figures to be plenty.
