NORMAL – Batavia hasn’t been shy on sharing time at the quarterback position between junior Bodi Anderson and sophomore Michael Vander Luitgaren throughout the playoffs.
But with Batavia getting its first shot on offense in the Class 7A title game against Mount Carmel already down 14-0, the Bulldogs decided to focus their game plan on the sophomore, who only began getting reasonable varsity minutes during their Week 9 game against Glenbard North.
Unlike the previous five games, however, Vander Luitgaren came onto the field with a little addition to his jersey.
“We finally put his name on his jersey,” Batavia coach Dennis Piron said. “The problem is it’s so long that it needs to be double stacked. We don’t know how to fix that. We’ll figure that out next year.”
Double stacked or not, the sophomore made sure his name would be remembered. Vander Luitgaren ended up throwing for 390 yards and three touchdowns in a 55-38 loss to Mt. Carmel.
Vander Luitgaren ended up breaking the 7A title game record for most passing yards by a quarterback. The previous record was set by Mount Carmel’s Blainey Dowling, when he threw for 322 yards against the Bulldogs in 2022.
“It’s really a good feeling,” the sophomore said. “I’m just looking forward to trying to break more records, but mainly my goal is to get back here.”
Vander Luitgaren broke the record with 2:55 left in the game. On a fourth-and-22, the sophomore found junior wide receiver Brett Berggren for a 45-yard touchdown to make it 55-28. On the play after the Bulldogs recovered an onside kick, the two connected again, this time from 49 yards out, to bring it to 55-34.
“The focus for us was to never give up and keep fighting for our team, even if we were down a good amount,” said Berggren, who finished with eight receptions for 191 yards and three touchdowns. “You never know what’s going to happen, so I was just motivated to help my team out.”
Vander Luitgaren got the majority of snaps over Anderson for the third time in five playoff games this season, this time with the sophomore throwing 47 passes compared to the junior’s one pass for nine yards.
But even with the lopsided stats, Vander Luitgaren said that there was no one who helped him more in the game than the junior quarterback.
“Bodi is just a great person,” Vander Luitgaren said. “Every drive he comes up to me and tries to help me out. I think he’s the main reason that I’ve been doing all this. The competitive side of both of us in practice has just been outstanding. We’re both just trying to go throw for throw and make each other better.”
While the sophomore will exit his first state title game with his name in the record books, Vander Luitgaren said that he’s exiting Hancock Stadium with more motivation than ever.
“It’s a great thing to have it, but the more motivating thing that happened was the loss,” Vander Luitgaren said. “I feel like it’s going to drive me even more over these next two years to get back to this stage. It’s a great statement to have that happen, but I’m focused on the next two years and winning two straight championships.”
Batavia’s Michael Vander Luitgaren throws over Mt. Carmel’s Braeden Jones during their Class 7A state championship game Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Hancock Stadium at Illinois State University in Normal.
Batavia’s Michael VanderLuitgaren gets rid of the ball ahead of the pressure of Mt. Carmel’s Caleb Tucker during their Class 7A state championship game Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Hancock Stadium at Illinois State University in Normal.
Batavia’s Michael Vander Luitgaren throws over Mt. Carmel’s Braeden Jones during their Class 7A state championship game Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Hancock Stadium at Illinois State University in Normal.
Batavia’s Michael Vander runs away from the pressure of Mt. Carmel’s Caleb Tucker during their Class 7A state championship game Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Hancock Stadium at Illinois State University in Normal.