Falcons 9U Gold
wins at Bartlett
The Falcons overcame adversity Saturday afternoon after losing star defensive end Jake Haunty to an injury late in the third quarter and later giving up the go-ahead score with less than a minute in the game.
Trailing 19-18 with 35 seconds on the clock, Connor Pauley (151 passing yards, 2 TDs, 1 int.) connected on a deep ball to Cole Sherwood for the winning touchdown. Sherwood finished the day with three TD receptions, including one from running back Luke Schroeder. Bryce Lee also contributed to the scoring effort with a 49-yard touchdown run. Teddy “Terminator” O’Toole, Michael “The Bruiser” Cannizaro, Bennett Wilson and Noah Jones battled in the trenches throughout the game to open holes and passing lanes for the Hinsdale backfield.
Meanwhile, Dan “The Hammer” Campbell led a gritty, hard-hitting defensive unit that never quit while cornerback Brooks Jaqua capped off the defensive effort on the final play of the game with an interception. Other notable performers included Cade Phelan, Keats Caruso, Michael Dombroski, Noah Jones, Parker Brey and Wyland Holmes.
Next game: 11:30 a.m. Sept. 15 @ Bloomingdale (2-0)
10U SILVER
PICKs UP A ‘W’
The 10u Silver Falcons picked up another win this weekend and are now 3-0 on the season. It was a game of defense and stymied offensive drives, but the Falcons did enough to come away 6-0 victors.
On the first offensive play of the game, Clay Parker would scamper 37 YARDS up the right sideline, but the drive would ultimately stall and turn over on downs. The Falcons offense would have fits and starts, which included a 40-yard run from Brody Sobieraj and a 20-yard completion from quarterback Caden Mitchell to tight end Paul Voight. In the fourth quarter, Clay Parker would take the ball on a counter play and carry a would-be tackler into the endzone for the game’s only score.
The Falcons’ offensive line of Dean Windfelder, Max Breton, Bennett Brumley, Arya Vafa and Mike Sandberg did a fantastic job picking up the constant blitzes from the Bloomingdale defense.
The Falcons’ defense was anchored by the play of Kanas Zitkevicius, who had 10 solo tackles from his cornerback position. Grant Garber and Mas Buttita also played from their positions in the secondary. The defensive line was critical in holding Bloomingdale to zero points and got great play from Jack Slavik, Mark Sandberg and Miles Wos.
11U SILVER SHUTS
OUT NAPERVILLE
The 11U Silver Hinsdale Falcons post another impressive victory over a talented Naperville squad with a 19-0 victory at Hinsdale Central Saturday.
It wasn’t until midway through the second quarter that the Falcons scored. Danny McFarland was able to get around the edge to open the scoring for the day. The Falcons would ride that 6-0 lead into halftime.
Both defenses were playing at a high level, but eventually the Naperville Saints were worn down in the second half. The Falcon offense found their groove and put together a couple OF lengthy drives that ended in touchdowns by Jacob Zager and Jack O’Malley.
The Falcon defense might be the best unit on the field. With this shutout, they have now only allowed 2 points through three games.
Quarterback Sawyer Mhyra and tight end Joey Hillegass have found their groove, as they have connected on a several passes the past couple weeks. Notably, on a third-and-13, Mhyra found Hillegass for a big gain to extend the drive that led to the Zager score.
Next up: Tri City Chargers at Hinsdale South at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
11U Gold Wins
contest in OT
In an overtime thriller, the Falcons emerged victorious against Carol Stream, winning 13-12.
Kellen Brown was a beast, with the help of his offensive line led by Matthew Kalish, Ivan Burt, Grant Omiecinski, Mike Adamo and Harrison Kuznia, who ran all over the Panthers’ defense.
The Falcons struck first with a touchdown run from Teddy Ouimette, thanks to key blocks from Soren Carlson, Joshua Castro and Keerthan Tucke.
The defense, anchored by hard-hitting performances from Christian Kirchev, Luke Schremser, Christian Gernot, Luca Striltschuk, Owen Parry and Nate Thangamani, kept the Panthers in check. However, a late score tied the game and sent it to overtime.
In the extra period, the Panthers struck first, but the Falcons defense came up huge when Rohn Ramani and Marcello Salamone made a game-saving tackle. The Falcons’ offense needed to answer, and on third down Ben Murphy found Bo Cuculich in the back of the end zone for the tying touchdown. With momentum on their side, Ouimette sealed the victory on a jet sweep, finding the corner pylon for the winning score. The Falcons players erupted in celebration piling on top of one another to mark an exhilarating win.
JV D2 Falcons
drop to 2-1
In a two-hour 48-minute highly-spirited contest, Hinsdale lost its first game of the season by a single score.
The Falcons put together an impressive fourth quarter drive, with the leadership of quarterback Brady Madden. Madden connected on two perfectly thrown deep balls to Leo Yanklowitz and Bennett Shepherd, but the Falcons would be denied the endzone in the final minutes. Madden could not be reached for comment but was heard after the game giving praise to linemen Rayan Sheikh, Dominic Angeletti, Patrick Anderson and Will Doyle, who dealt with a vicious Lombard defensive line all night.
After eight shutout quarters of football, the Falcon defense gave up the first touchdown of the season to Lombard late in the first quarter and the team faced its first deficit of the season, down 7-0. But the offense answered with a ferocious touchdown run from Grayson Danek and a second powerful 30-yard run from Shane Behar to take a 14-7 lead before the half.
Giancarlo Turano III was at the peak of his game, with multiple open field tackles and dominant pass coverage for nearly every defensive snap. But, despite an incredible effort from the defense, the second half was all Lombard and their two unanswered touchdowns, which dropped the Falcons to 2-1.
JV Gold D1
Wins a Thriller
The JV Gold Falcons improved to 2-0 with a hard-fought, last-second win over Bloomingdale 12-6.
The defense landed the first punch, with Jaxon Uthe recovering a Bloomingdale fumble on the first series. The Falcon offense took advantage of the field position with a solid drive behind steady line play from Sal Calandriello, Leo Crooks, Connor Gaylord, Grant Wanless and Oliver Johnson. The drive was kept alive with a fourth down pass from Dillon Phelan to Kellan Goodwin. Michael Kipnis then scored on a 5-yard run, making it 6-0.
The rest of the game was a defensive fight with great play from Sullivan Camp, Dom Cresap, Grant Kirchheimer, Brock Bradley, Logan Sullivan and Angel Roman. Torsten Wood had a fierce blocked punt on special teams. With the score deadlocked 6-6 and time running out, the Falcon offense was led down the field by Charlie Lynch for a chance at the win. With four seconds remaining, fourth and goal from the 12, Kipnis scampered around the left end and seemingly dove through three defenders to hit the pylon and seal the Hinsdale victory.
VARSITY SILVER
WINS ON THE ROAD
Varsity Silver came home from Bartlett on Saturday with a scrappy 12-6 win.
The Falcons opened the game with a long drive capped by a 30-yard play-action pass from quarterback Jake Knapp to newly minted tight end Brit Read. But Bartlett scored on a long run on their first possession, the first points given up by the Falcons’ defensive unit this season.
Halftime saw a 6-6 stalemate, but after a fourth down conversion by Ali Memon, the Falcons scored a late third quarter touchdown on 25-yard pass from Knapp to wide receiver Axl Holmes. An assist was given to defensive coordinator Coach Prasse for an outstanding idea on the play call. The Falcons’ defense was stout into the finish, highlighted by safety Benji Allanson stripping a Bartlett running back and defensive tackle Bryce Kinder consistently pressuring the quarter on Bartlett’s final drive.
The Falcons are at home this Sunday for a 2:30 p.m. battle against Oak Park.
Varsity Gold
Falls to Panthers
Varsity Gold faced the Downers Grove Panthers for their home opener.
A few offensive and special teams mistakes opened the door for the Panthers to develop an early 16 point lead. The Falcons struggled offensively, but dual threat punter Bear Kumskis booted it 55 years. Coverage from Matthew Stone helped pin the panthers on their 10-yard line. The field position allowed quarterback Keaton Cassell to score with the shifty sneak. The PAT from kicker Collin Perry was good.
Tackling and coverage efforts from Jack Gray and Chase “Ankle Shark” Morris led the Falcon defense. Defensive linemen Brock Willits and Landon Ronaldson also made nice plays, blocking a Panther field goal attempt and coming up with a fumble recovery. However, the Panthers would run away with it in the second half. The Falcons lost 36-8.
