10U GOLD BEATS OSWEGO PANTHERS
The 10U Gold Falcons battled their rivals, the Oswego Panthers all day on Dickinson field. It was an epic struggle up and down the field.
The Falcons opened up the scoring on a three play, 60-yard drive highlighted by two fantastic Charles Calhoun runs, with the second one resulting in a 25-yard touchdown. The Panthers scored on their first possession at the end of the second half and got the extra point to take the lead 7-6.
On the very last possession the Falcons put together an amazing 60-yard touchdown drive. Once again, Calhoun did the heavy lifting and ran 50 yards untouched into the end zone, bobbing and weaving through the Oswego defenders and scoring with 14 seconds left on the clock to bring the score to 12-7 Falcons. Jupiter Pohlenz threw a nice two point conversion pass to Brian O’Malley to end the scoring at 14-7.
The Falcons are now 5-1. Next up: Glen Ellyn.
11U SILVER DEFENSE FIGHTS HARD
This weekend the Falcons 11U Silver continued to show improvement but fell short of victory in a hard-fought defensive battle that ended with only 6 points on the board.
The Falcons held the mighty Plainfield Raiders to a 0-0 tie until the third quarter. The defense played inspired football, led by the powerful defensive line. Charlie Hoyt, Liam Joyce, Tommy Willet, Corbin Camp and Logan Barrios stymied the running attack all day. The linebacking corps of Owen Joyce, Michael McGowan, Luke Melillo and Luke Keiner put immense pressure on the quarterback all game. McGowan ended with three sacks and Owen Joyce had countless tackles and an impressive interception to give the Falcons a last shot to tie the game.
The offense controlled the ball and consistently moved the ball all day against a very strong Raider defense. Alec Allegra is showing he has the arm and leadership to move this team as the playoffs approach. McGowan, Owen Joyce and Ben Tiritilli are gelling as a back field and are a force to reckon with. The true standout for the Falcons was Timas Marchertas, who had five pass receptions and showed a real connection with Allegra.
Final score: 6-0 Raiders.
Don’t sleep on these Falcons. Their next game is Saturday against Oswego.
11U GOLD TEAM FALLS TO BEARS
In a weather-rescheduled game Tuesday night, the Bloomingdale Bears eked out an 18-13 win against the visiting Hinsdale Falcons 11U Gold.
The game marked the second time in three weeks that the Falcons battled an unbeaten team, took a one point lead into the fourth quarter and lost in heartbreaking fashion late.
In a back-and-forth contest, Hinsdale immediately found itself down 6-0 after a Bears tailback darted for a touchdown on the first play of the game. Following an exchange of possessions, the Falcons evened things up as quarterback Will Lynch connected with Patrick Connors on a nifty 15-yard touchdown pass. Bloomingdale answered with a quick score to retake the lead at 12-6. But Connors snagged the ensuing kickoff and knifed through the Bears’ coverage to the end zone. After tacking on the extra point, the Falcons had a 13-12 lead. The ensuing Bloomingdale drive was thwarted by a Wes Novatney fumble recovery and the Falcons’ offense, despite moving the ball against a stout Bears defense, stalled on a long drive just before halftime.
Midway through the third quarter, Bloomingdale was able to retake the lead after taking advantage of a short field. It was all the Bears would need. Given two more opportunities, the Falcons threatened but were unable to capitalize.
The hard-nosed Falcons are playing at a high level and were commended by its opponent on a well-played game. With two regular season games left, Hinsdale looks to win out and be a force in the league playoffs.
VARSITY BLACK DEFEATS WHEATON
The Hinsdale Falcons Senior Black team won a hard-fought game against the Wheaton Rams 36-16.
The Falcons got on the board first after a grinding, opening drive capped by a touchdown reception by Carter Contreras and successful two-point kick by Kellen Tran. Tran intercepted a Rams pass and returned to inside the Rams 20-yard line to set up the second Falcon touchdown by Contreras. Meanwhile, the defensive line clogged the middle, repeatedly shutting down the Rams’ run plans. Mason Brady roamed the sidelines, tracking down runners and tackling for very short gains. Mark Ortiz harassed and sacked the quarterback multiple times. An interception by Luke Jurack stopped a Rams drive before the half. Then, after a Rams turnover on downs, Magnus Kumskis ran freely and capped a quick drive with a touchdown run. After Tran’s successful two point kick, the Falcons led at the half 22-0.
Wheaton came out prepared and energized for the second half. A long run by the Rams running back led to a touchdown and successful two point conversion. The Falcons offense answered with strong running by Kumskis, who scored another touchdown for the Falcons. Tran continued his kicking success with another two-point conversion. Max Deering and Talha Khan made plays to shut down the Rams running attack. And despite wet conditions and some hard hits, Jett Hilding managed a very efficient offense with good throughs and timely sweep pitches to the running backs for big gains.
Wheaton did not give up and scored another touchdown to make it 30-14. After Wheaton forced Hinsdale to punt, the Rams got the ball back in the fourth quarter and were threatening another scoring drive when Tran got another interception to tip the game in the Falcons’ favor. Luke Jurack then capped it off with a dynamic touchdown run.
Final score: Falcons 36, Rams 16.
VARSITY RED PROVES VICTORIOUS
Edward Kentra set the tone of the game with a sack on the first series of the game. After a Falcons drive stalled, the Bartlett Raiders struck first with a long touchdown run to make it 6-0.
Sammy Davino ran back the kickoff into Raiders territory, shaking off tacklers. The Falcons answered by putting together a long play drive that ended with a Kevin Coan touchdown run. The offensive line of Kentra, Jack Costello, Michael Plunkett, Mustafa Rashin and James Clark held their blocks to create running room. The Raiders tried to answer with a good drive but were stalled by a fumble recovered by Adam Ortiz. Another Rams drive was slowed by another Kentra sack. The Falcons’ special teams took over the game with two straight blocked punts, led by Zack Kruse and Sammy Davino. Although the Falcons had great field position multiple times in the second quarter, the Raiders defense prevented them from capitalizing. The game was tied at 6 at the half.
Zack Kruse showed high energy and made plays all over the field. Misha Antipov made tackles by being in the right place at the right time, as well as running hard on offense for big yardage. Andrew Lyne absorbed a big hit while advancing the ball but kept playing and grinding. The Falcons put a great drive together toward the end of the third quarter, alternating runs off of left and right tackle and keeping the Raiders defense off balance. The drive was capped by another Coan touchdown run. Most of the Falcons fans felt that another score would be necessary to win the game based upon how hard the Raiders were playing.
The Raiders threatened in the fourth quarter twice. First, they ran the ball all the way to the Falcons’ 1-yard line with first and goal. But the Falcons defense showed deep resolve, led by the defensive line of Ortiz, Rashid, Costello and Kentra, and linebackers Noah McCurry, Zack Kruse and Kevin Coan. A goal line stand ended with the Raiders getting sacked on fourth down. Another Raiders drive was also stopped in the red zone with an interception by Lyne at the goal line. The final Raiders drive was terminated by an interception by Antipov.
Final score: Falcons 12, Raiders 6.
