9U falcon team shuts out raiders
Some say, “Practice makes perfect.”
These 9U Falcons had a great week of practice, and they were anxious to test out that axiom. The Falcons may not have been perfect, but they all played very well Sunday morning. A complete and total team effort all week resulted in a 27-0 defeat of the visiting Bartlett Raiders.
The Falcons were looking for a fast start and they executed. On the fourth play Nate Morris, enjoying the protection supplied by Max Breton, AJ Siepker and Dean Windfelder, hit Henry Appel in stride for a 55-yard touchdown pass. The next possession took one play for Luke Wanless to bolt 37 yards behind Julian Tabuena and Owen Moon blocks for a score. Jack Slavik caught a Morris pass for the 2-point conversion. The offensive onslaught ended on another Wanless 26-yard TD run as Tate Pitts sealed off the last defender for a 20-0 halftime lead. The scoring was finalized by an Appel 10-yard scamper following a Brody Sobieraj block. A hard-nosed run by John Dunn added the point after for the 27-0 victory.
The only thing crisper than the early morning fall weather was the Falcons defense. Every Falcon player contributed to the relentless and disciplined defense. The Raiders found little headway. Enzo Allegra, Quinn Houser, JP Rago, Grant Garber and Elijah Trombly repeatedly defeated blocks to disrupt the Raider offense. Anything left was quickly handled by the quadrumvirate of Billy Jaqua, Will Jones, Cooper Milburn and Massimo Buttitta.
The stated goal of this team is to get better every week. And every week this team shows up ready to work, learn and improve. Regardless of what this season ultimately brings, each player should feel a sense of pride for what he has accomplished.
FALCONS 11U SILVER BEAT ELMHURST
Hinsdale 11U Silver traveled up the road to Elmhurst to face the Eagles on Saturday for their Week 7 matchup.
The strong sideways wind forced the Falcons to shelve the passing game for most of the first half. Linemen Chase Mitchell, Augie Seraphin, Jacob Tarnowski, Bennett Zeikus and Graham Ellis went to battle in the trenches against the larger Eagles team. A few bruising rushes were not enough to get Hinsdale into the endzone.
Elmhurst was able to break the game open with the first touchdown of the game on a long rush up the sidelines, ending the half 0-7 in favor of the Eagles.
In the second, the Falcons mixed it up with quarterback duo Bruno Hoban and James West. Delays and options put the Eagles on the back foot. Early in the third, Dane Graham took a sweep 50 yards to the house for Hinsdale’s first score of the game. A Logan Sullivan run knotted the score at 7 all.
On defense, playing fast became the strategy of the day. Corners Max Hull and Teddy Sodikoff stifled the Elmhurst passing game, allowing linebackers Finn Caruso, Burke Brotschul, Logan Sullivan and Samir Chandarana to blitz the Eagles into submission. Three straight forced punts helped to give Hinsdale a shot to win the game late.
Back on offense, the Falcons made use of good field position to drive into Eagle territory quickly. A long halfback pass from Sullivan to receiver Yeabsira Diedrich put Hinsdale on the 5-yard line. Two plays later, Dane Graham took the ball back to paydirt on another quick sweep up the left. James West added the extra point on a quarterback keeper, putting Hinsdale up 14-7.
With 1 minute left, Elmhurst’s final pass was knocked down by safety Brayden Merchant for a Falcons victory.
11U Gold D1 EARNS Big WIN
Championship teams focus on getting better every week in every facet of the game to peak at the right time: Playoffs.
The Hinsdale Falcons 11U Gold D1 team (5-1), with an emphatic 22-0 win over Arlington Heights, certainly got better this week and is finding that playoff mode with two weeks left in the regular season. The coaching staff leveraged this team’s immense depth, spreading the ball around to multiple skill-position players resulting in a dynamic offense that was difficult to contain.
The Falcons started the onslaught immediately with a 60-yard airstrike from Dillon Phelan to Kellan Goodwin on the first play of the game. The defense got to work quickly as well, forcing a three-and-out on the Cowboys first drive. The offense got right back to work with a 55-yard, six-play scoring drive highlighted by great runs from Jaxon Uthe and Michael Kipnis, culminating in an 8-yard strike from Phelan to Charlie Lynch. The Falcons led 14-0 at the end of the first quarter.
The defense continued to suffocate the Cowboys with great play upfront from Grant Wanless, Torsten Wood, Angel Roman and Brock Bradley. The Falcon offense let the big boys — led by Sal Calandriello, Sullivan Camp, Oliver Johnson, Connor Gaylord and Ben Kurinsky — pave the way on the next drive. A deadly combination of running and passing took the Falcons down the field, ending in a slashing Uthe touchdown run. The Falcons led 22-0 at the half and called off the dogs in the second half to keep future schematic advantages off the game film. The defense completed the shutout with continued strong play from Shane Behar, Dominic Cresap, Grant Kirchheimer and Leo Crooks.
The stifling defense and diverse playmaking have put the league on notice that the Falcons mean business the rest of the way.
11U GOLD D2 SHINE IN LOSS
The Falcons traveled to rival Downers Grove on Sunday ready to turn the season around. These Falcons have had a few very close losses in a row but have been playing strong football of late.
The Falcons came out strong on their opening drive led by Brady Madden at quarterback and explosive plays by Spencer Marnell, Matt Wiskowski and Grayson Danek. The offense had the Panthers scrambling all over the field trying to contain until Madden dropped one in the bucket to Marnell for a 40-yard touchdown.
The Falcons defense stepped up and stopped the Panthers on their next drive before the team went back to business on offense, again driving the field. Passes to Danek and runs by Gavin Schuler put the Falcons in position for another score — that is until the refs began to slow down the momentum with some very odd calls.
The Falcons offensive line was dominant all day, led by Rayan Sheik, Dom Angelettti, Alex Vivanco, Ryan Sweitan and Mossimo Burdi. The Falcons accounted for more than 165 yards through the air and 115 on the ground. This offense was humming all game. Madden had another beautiful touchdown pass to Marnell and Danek added another TD on a bruising run from the 5-yard line.
The defense was stout all game, led by Nick Carbonara, Johnny Trombly, Lucas Herrick, Wiskowski, Luke Lieberenz, Kaine Ortega and Ryan Piecikowski. Unfortunately they gave up a couple of long 75-yard plays plus a kickoff return to the 4-yard line that made the effort come up short.
The final score was 25-20. These Falcons continue to show real moxie out there and they aren’t done fighting this season.
The Falcons next game is Saturday at 1 p.m. against Plainfield.
JV GD2 Falcons Fight the Eagles
The undefeated Glen Ellyn Eagles visited Dickinson Field for the Falcons’ final home game of the season. All week long, the coaches had heard “I wanna hit somebody, coach” from a zealous Will Smith.
His inspiring message helped him and his fellow linemen play at their highest level all season. The formidable front on both offense and defense was led by Chase Hellenga, Alex Schaeffer, Bryce Springsteen Kinder, Noah Natarelli, Luke “Wheels” Altemose and Smith. The collective unit disrupted Glen Ellyn’s passing game while providing firm protection for their own.
On their first possession, the Eagles moved the ball down the short field, but not before some impressive sacks and tackle-for-losses from Smith and Kinder. However, an early score for the Eagles gave them the 7-0 lead.
Quarterback Benjamin Allanson and running back Michael Garber fought for the hard yards on the ground with the help of fullback Clayton Tims and tight ends Knox Apple and Cole Prasse. Excellent pass protection from the boys up front helped the Falcons put together a great drive just before the half. A few receptions from Apple and Jake Wolowick got the boys to the redzone, resulting in a Wolowick touchdown.
The Eagle sweep proved difficult to stop, and the Falcons would lose to the Eagles 26-6. Despite the score, valiant and remarkable efforts from the entire line — Tims, Garber, Prasse, Wolowick and many others — showed through four quarters of football.
