PANTHERS THWART
11u GOLD falcons
The inaugural match-up between the Hinsdale Falcons 11U Gold and new league participant the Oswego Panthers did not go as planned for the Falcons, who suffered a narrow 14-7 loss.
Still, the Falcons played extremely well in nearly upsetting the unbeaten Panthers. Hinsdale’s offense clicked early with wideouts Evan Bradford and Jameson Hellenga reeling in passes from quarterback Will Lynch on the game’s opening drive, only to fail on fourth down deep in Oswego territory. On the Panthers’ first play from scrimmage, defensive tackle Grant Cook pounced on an Oswego fumble, giving the ball back to the Falcon offense in great field position. But an Oswego interception would end the threat, and the Panthers were able to drive down the field for the first points of the game. A failed extra point left the Falcons down 6-0.
That is the way things would stay for awhile. Falcons defensive end Ethan Tamas forced another Oswego fumble, recovered by linebacker Patrick Connors toward the end of the first half, and the third quarter was all defense highlighted by strong interior tackling by the Falcons’ defensive line. With the score still 6-0 as the fourth quarter started, Connors stepped in front of an Oswego pass attempt and sprinted to paydirt. Connors tacked on the extra point to give Hinsdale an exciting 7-6 lead.
The Panthers offense, however, was able to march down the field and chew up the clock, culminating in a fourth down quarterback sneak from the 1-yard line with just over a minute left. The undaunted and confident Falcons look forward to getting back on the winning track against Downers Grove this Saturday.
VARSITY BLACK FORCES OVERTIME
The Hinsdale Falcons Senior Black team lost a tough game to the Oswego Panthers 20-14 in overtime Sept. 15. The Falcons got on the board first after forcing a Panthers turnover on downs, and Magnus Kumskis capitalized as he took a handoff and found his way into the end zone on a 5-yard run.
Oswego was able to answer right away to take the lead 8-6. A strong kickoff return by Carter Contreras started the next drive but was stalled on the Panthers 30-yard line.
Strong defensive end plays by Talha Khan and Raza Rashid (who were awarded the Hammer for their stellar performances) kept Oswego’s offensive sweep plays in check. Defensive tackles Max Deering, Marco Ivanisevic, Brady Koschik and Mark Ortiz proved to be formidable against the Panthers’ inside runs, with robust linebacker support from Mason Brady and Henry Joyce.
Contreras and Luke Jurack came up with big catches on offense. The defense was able to hold Oswego, which gave the ball back to the Falcons with three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter (score: 14-6).
Quarterback Jett Hilding mixed a number of nice runs and passes, which culminated in Hilding punching it in himself on a 6-yard run with seven seconds left in the game. Kellen Tran then calmly kicked the ball through the uprights, sending the game to overtime at 14-14. Unfortunately, Hinsdale was unable to answer the touchdown scored in overtime by the Panthers.
The team plays its next game at 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22, against Lyons at the LTHS South Campus.
VARSITY RED FACES WHEATON VARSITY
The Varsity Red Team was narrowly defeated by Wheaton Varsity Silver Sept. 15, with a low scoring game of 8-6.
On defense, Zach Kruse (No. 6) and Anthony Tiritilli (No. 9) made key tackles early in the game to keep Wheaton from advancing the ball. Edward Kentra (No. 87), celebrating his 14th birthday, was a beast on the field with two sacks on the quarterback and a tackle in the backfield for losses of big yards to keep Wheaton pushed back. James Claus (No. 45) made some nice tackles to contribute to a defensive display of toughness.
On offense, Kevin Coan (No. 23) served multiple roles as quarterback and kicker for the Falcons. He also scored the only touchdown with an impressive kick-off return for 80 yards to put the Falcons on the board. Tiritilli also came up big with an impressive catch to advance the ball for a first down. And Andrew Lyne (No. 15) ran the ball quickly while evading the defense to gain 15 yards early in the game.
The Red Team coaches awarded the Pancake Award to Kentra and the Hammer Award to Coan.
Both players performed an exceptional game and directly contributed to their team’s driver and determination.
The Varsity Red Team hosts Tri-City Varsity Silver at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, at Hinsdale Central’s Dickinson Field.
