5 Takeaways: Batavia vs Maine South Scrimmage

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Friday night we started off the high school season in Illinois with a week 0 scrimmage between perennial powerhouse programs Batavia and Maine South who both will have chances to make deep runs in November.  Check out our 5 Takeaways from the game which featured two of the top QBs in the state's 2027 class.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Star 2027s Show Flashes</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The marquee prospects in this game were a pair of 2027 QBs in Batavia's [player_tooltip player_id='1598818' first='Michael' last='Vander Luitgaren'] and Maine South's [player_tooltip player_id='342339' first='Jameson' last='Purcell'].&nbsp; Vander Luitgaren shared snaps last year for a team that made it to the state title game which is where he broke out in a loss.&nbsp; He showed dynamic playmaking and accuracy.&nbsp; In limited snaps on Friday we saw a lot of the same.&nbsp; Was able to fit the ball in tight spaces throwing with timing and anticipation.&nbsp; Quick release and pinpoint accuracy.&nbsp; Going to be a QB that continues to gain momentum on the recruiting trail.&nbsp; Purcell is a southpaw that has already committed to Indiana.&nbsp; Reminds us a lot of former college star Matt Leinhart.&nbsp; Quick release and does a nice job of getting the ball out of his hands quickly to his weapons.&nbsp; Showed nice touch during warm ups on the deep ball, but couldn't quite connect on it in the game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Batavia Defense Shines as 2028 EDGE Emerges</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Liked what we saw out of the Batavia defense.&nbsp; Physical unit that has toughness.&nbsp; The prospect that jumped off the field to us was 6'1” 205 pound EDGE/outside linebacker Gavin McKelvie.&nbsp; He was constantly making plays off the end getting sacks and forcing errant passes.&nbsp; One to watch down the line!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Big Bodies Up Front for Batavia</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Batavia kept the pocket clean for the majority of the time Vander Luitgaren was in there.&nbsp; Princeton commit [player_tooltip player_id='1120487' first='Ryan' last='Myers'] is a load at left tackle.&nbsp; Great frame and plays with a strong base.&nbsp; Liked him a lot in pass pro along with opening up some holes in the run game.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Slippery Weapon on Perimeter</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Each team had a shifty pass catcher that can do some damage.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='1120450' first='Darin' last='Ashiru'] is a 2027 wide receiver that has been on our radar.&nbsp; Smaller guy, but the quickness really shows off the line and he can find holes in the defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Couple Playmakers on Maine South Defense</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1651580' first='Jake' last='Cantal'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1585334' first='Santino' last='Bernabei'] are the vocal leaders on the defensive unit for Maine South.&nbsp; Cantal is a linebacker that has solid size at 6'0” 210 pounds and can run.&nbsp; Bernabei did a nice job on the back end in the secondary making a couple plays on the ball.&nbsp; Both are deserving of looks at the next level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->