11U SHUTS OUT PANTHERS
The Hinsdale Falcons 11U Gold picked up a much-needed victory Saturday against the Downers Grove Panthers. The final score of 20-0 was indicative of the Falcons’ complete effort on both sides of the ball.
For the team’s veterans, the win avenged two years of losses to the Panthers. Hinsdale struck first as running back Patrick Connors took a handoff from quarterback Will Lynch on the game’s opening possession and sliced through the Downers Grove defense for a long touchdown. Connors would add another touchdown run later in the first quarter to give the Falcons a comfortable 12-0 lead.
As the second quarter began, however, it was Hinsdale’s defense that came up big. With the Panthers knocking on the doorstep, linebacker Wes Novatney pounced on a Downers Grove fumble at the 2-yard line to end the Panthers’ scoring threat.
The second half proved to be just as dominant for the Falcons. With the Panthers lined up to punt in the third quarter, defensive lineman Jeffrey Collier broke through the line to tackle the punter, giving the Falcons outstanding field position. Hinsdale took advantage as Connors scampered 24 yards for the score on the ensuing possession. Wideout Evan Bradford hauled in the two-point conversion to account for the game’s final points. Bradford effectively sealed the game with an interception on the following Panthers series.
The Falcons look to even their record on the season as they travel to Bloomingdale Sunday to take on the undefeated and division-leading Bears.
JV Gold Comeback Falls Short
Palatine won for the 41st time in four years Saturday, but this time it wasn’t easy. The JV Falcons, showing the character that led them to the Super Bowl Championship last year, fought back from a huge deficit to cut the game to 27-20, only to lose 34-20.
Quarterback Riley Contreras found multiple receivers running free throughout the day. Andrew Bjorson’s 50-yard catch and runs (two catches, 80 yards), set up Swimsuit Robinsons’ first career touchdown catch on a bullet pass from Contreras from 15 yards. Later, Jack Lesniewicz (six catches, 30 yards) caught a well thrown pass to set up Ryan Corcoran. Corcoran had an exciting 50-yard run to set up Contreras for the quarterback sneak.
Other stars of the game for the Falcons were Big Mikey Wallace, who recovered a blocked punt, and Emmett Callahan, who led the team in tackles with eight.
The Falcons host the unbeaten Arlington Cowboys at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 29, at Hinsdale Central.
Varsity Black Dominates LFC
The Hinsdale Falcons Senior Black team delivered a dominating performance Sunday vs. the Lyons Tigers, winning 30-0.
The Falcons had a quick start as Carter Contreras intercepted the pass on the opening drive and returned the ball inside the 15-yard line. Hinsdale’s offense took over with quarterback Jett Hilding running the ball in — and a perfect extra point kick by Kellen Tran — to put the Falcons up 8-0.
Lyons regained the ball but was foiled by Scott Cherry and the Falcons’ second interception of the half. Hinsdale’s offense again capitalized, culminating in a 12-yard touchdown pass to Luke Jurack — with another great kick by Tran through the uprights — putting the Falcons up 16-0. Hinsdale regained possession a third time, Hilding found the end zone a second time and Tran kicked an extra point a third time to pump the score to 24-0.
The Falcons offense started with the ball in the second half and put together an extensive drive, largely reliant on runs by running back Magnus Kumskis, who scored the team’s fourth touchdown to extend the lead to 30-0. The Falcons’ ability to effectively run the ball throughout the game was the difference maker as Kumskis and Michael Linn were able to find open holes with strong downfield blocking by receivers Tran, Jurack, Contreras, Liam Lott and Freddy Horton.
Linebacker Mason Brady won the Hammer award for his two fumble recoveries and strong all-around play. Kumskis received the Pancake award for great defensive and offensive plays, including a quarterback sack.
The Falcons next face Wheaton at 10 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 29, at Hinsdale Central.
Varsity Red Faces Tri-City Silver
The Varsity Red Team faced a much bigger and higher ranked Tri-City Varsity Silver team on Saturday. With lots of strength and talent on the other side of the ball, the Falcons struggled to keep up but managed to get one touchdown on the board.
Kevin Coan opened with a nice kick downfield to start Tri-City on their own 25-yard line. Sammy Davino made some nice tackles to prevent first down attempts and ran the ball for 20 yards to achieve a first down early in the game. The first half was a tough run for the Red team, and Tri-City was up 24-0 at the half.
The Falcons were motivated to come back strong and started the third quarter with a touchdown by Coan, making the score 24-6. Anthony Tiritilli made a nice tackle on the kickoff to keep Tri-City from advancing too far and blocked a pass during the drive. But Tri-City proved to be too strong to give the Falcons a chance. Final score: 40-6.
The Hammer award was granted to Tiritilli for his great tackles and intense play. Sammy Davino and Michael Plunkett were given the Pancake award. The coaches selected Plunkett because of his selflessness and willingness to do what was necessary for the team.
The team is determined to secure a win next week when they take on Bartlett Sunday, Sept. 29, at Ruzicka Memorial Park.
