8U Falcons fall against Wheaton
The 8U Falcons experienced their first loss of the season in a hard-fought battle against Wheaton 8U Blue Sunday morning. The Falcons were moving the ball smoothly down the field during the first possession of the game; however, the drive was cut short by a turnover. Wheaton capitalized on it when they converted on fourth and 10 by taking a reverse into the endzone for a 7-0 lead. Unfortunately, the Falcons turned the ball over deep in their own territory on the ensuing play, and Wheaton was again able to punch the ball into the endzone for a 13-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The talented Falcons’ offense fought back on the following possession, when Connor Pauley connected with his favorite target, Cole Sherwood, for a 70-yard touchdown making the score 13-7. Sherwood would finish the day with two touchdowns along with several impressive tackles from his position at corner.
The defense, led by hard-hitting linebackers Daniel Campbell and RT Kouba, along with disruptive defensive lineman Keats Caruso, battled to get the Falcons the ball back with less than two minutes left in the first half. The Falcons took several shots downfield, but failed to connect, leaving the door open for a last-second play by Wheaton. Wheaton was once again able to execute a reverse that stunned the Falcons, resulting in a 19-6 lead at the half, which proved too much for the Falcons to recover in the second half.
Other notable performers in the game included Teddy O’Toole on both the offensive and defensive line; Wyland Holmes, who filled in at middle linebacker in addition to his role at center; Broderick Slavik at safety and Raj Chandarana on the defensive line.
The final score was 25-12.
The 8U Falcons face Plainfield at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
9U Gold SHUTS OUT LFC TIGERS
On sun splashed balmy Saturday afternoon, the Falcons battled the LFC Tigers in a tightly contested affair. Effort, assignment and technique were the focus all week, and at kickoff it was time to E.A.T! The teams battled hard during the first half.
The defense, led by JP Rago, Billy Jaqua, Cooper Milburn, John Dunn and Elijah Trombly, kept the Tigers at bay and off-balance. The offense struggled to find their groove against an equally as tough Tiger defense. The first half ended with the score knotted up at 0-0.
The defense stonewalled the Tigers on their first second-half possession. This time the Falcons offense would not be denied. Tough runs by Owen Moon and Billy Jaqua behind great blocks by AJ Siepker, Enzo Allegra, Max Breton, Dean Winfelder, Brody Sobieraj and Jack Slavik set up the first score. Nate Morris fired a pass to Henry Appel, who followed the block by Julian Tabuena for a 11-yard touchdown reception. Jaqua plowed into the end zone behind Appel and Allegra for the extra point and a 7-0 lead.
The defense came back out and slammed the door shut on the Tigers. Quinn Houser, Grant Garber and Will Jones combined on tackles for loss. Massimo Buttitta and Kanas Zitkevicius cleaned up what was left of the Tigers. The Falcon offense came back out and was determined to tack on another score. A hard-nosed drive was capped off by a 6-yard TD run by Luke Wanless behind a key Tate Pitts block. The defense closed out the game and preserved the third win for the Falcons, 13-0.
It was a total team effort for these nubile Falcons.
“Congrats, but there is work to do, coach Adam Houser told his team. “ See you at practice and let’s get better!”
11U D1 GOLD COMES UP SHORT
The Falcons tried their best to defend their home turf but came up short against the 3-0 Park Ridge Falcons.
The Hinsdale Falcons’ defense was challenged by a strong offensive line and big arm of the Park Ridge quarterback. The defense brought lots of pressure and really contained the high-powered offense. Sacks by Bennett Shepherd, Jack O’Toole and Brady Madden helped to keep the offense pass attack in check. The defensive backfield of Giancarlo Turano, Nick Carbonara, Ryan Pieczkowski and Johnny Trombly were stellar in pass defense. If not for one long pass play with 12 seconds in the half, the defensive pass coverage would have been perfect.
The Falcons’ offense was able to move the ball around the field with strong quarterback play by Brady Madden and Spencer Marnell. They spread the ball to multiple receivers including Colin Boots, Bennett Shepherd and Leo Yanklowiz. The ground game had some strong moments as well, led by Matt Wiskowski, Gavin Schuler and Luke Lieberenz. Unfortunately the Falcons’ offense wasn’t able to break through to the goal line. These guys were always one block away from taking it to the house!
The offensive line seems to be gelling as a unit with strong performances by Dom Angeletti, Alex Vivanco, Ryan Swieton, Rayan Sheikh, Jackson Rediger, O’Toole and Massimo Burdi.
The Falcons continue to be competitive against all opponents. You can see that the future is bright for this gritty squad. In the end the Falcons lost the contest 15-0.
The Falcons next challenge is against the Palatine Panthers this Saturday at OST field in Palatine at 4 p.m. Go Falcons!
11U D2 GOLD BEATS THE BEST
As the saying goes, to be the best you must beat the best. Well, if true, the Hinsdale Falcons 11U Gold (D2) are the “best” in the early stages of the season after a 16-14 road win over the defending champion Lemont Hornets. The Falcons still have a ton to prove, but their 2-0 start to the season has been ideal.
Hinsdale started the game with an impressive play-action 35-yard bomb from Dillon Phelan (5/8, 61 yards) to Kellan Goodwin, but ultimately there were no points on the drive. Lemont then marched down to score, making it 8-0.
The Falcons tied the game with a punishing drive of their own, culminating in a Michael Kipnis (29 carries, 126 yards, 2 TDs) touchdown run and a 2-point conversion to Charlie Lynch. The ensuing Hornet drive was snuffed out by a Phelan interception, making it 8-8 at halftime.
To start the third, the defense imposed their will immediately with big tackles by Jaxon Uthe, Shane Behar and Connor Gaylord to force a turnover on downs. The offense got to work with another emphatic drive, running the ball behind pancake blocks from Grant Wanless and Leo Crooks. The Falcons scored on a beautiful option play to Kipnis and converted the 2-pointer to lead 16-8.
The fourth quarter was a grudge match with the teams trading defensive stops until Lemont found the endzone with three minutes left, but a huge Lynch tackle denied the Hornets the conversion and Hinsdale led 16-14. The Falcon offense bled some clock but the defense had to make one last stand to secure the victory. Sacks by Torsten Wood and Oliver Johnson and a final tackle by Grant Kirchheimer ended the Hornets two-year winning streak and put the Falcons in the league lead.
JV GOLD Team Battles Bartlett
The Falcons faced the Bartlett Raiders at home for their third match of the season. A strong week of practice had Hinsdale ready to battle for four quarters of football.
Hinsdale won the toss and elected to defer. Great kick coverage from Kellen Miller set up the defense with good field position. Bartlett’s run attack came out swinging, but the Falcon defense, led by linebackers Jake Knapp, Cole Prasse and Clayton Tims, stayed strong. An early fumble recovered by Tims fired up the team as Hinsdale’s offense took the field.
The Falcons’ offensive Line of Willy “Little Guy” Smith, Alex “The Scrapper” Schaeffer, Chase Hellenga, Luke Altemose and Bryce Kinder did an incredible job holding their own against the Bartlett behemoths. Tough runs from Michael Garber helped advance the ball. The Falcons were unable to convert on their first drive and turned it over on downs.
The Raiders were able to drive the short field for the score, taking the early lead 8-0. Despite the deficit, the Falcons were more determined than ever. A great kick return from Knapp let the Raiders know who came to play.
Through the remainder of the game, the Falcons fought as hard as they have all season. Garber continued to lead the ground game behind pancakes from Smith and Altemose, while quarterback Benjamin Allanson delivered good passes to Knox Apple and Knapp. Defensively, a fumble recovery from Giuseppe Salamone and strong tackles from Tims and Prasse kept Bartlett out of the endzone after their first score.
Despite a remarkable effort, the Falcons were unable to reach the endzone, ultimately losing 8-0. Hinsdale battled, showed toughness and resilience and will build on these traits moving forward.
