9U SILVER wins nail-biter
The 9U Silver Hinsdale Falcons soared to victory with a nail-biting 19-14 win against Lyons.
On their offensive first play, Henry Gastevski took the ball and dashed down the field, scoring a stunning touchdown.
Birthday boy Aydin Memon decided to celebrate in style with a touchdown run. Offensive linemen Duke Maggio, Rocco Maggio, Lino Hernandez, Vincent Levato and Theo Siepker cleared the way. And just when Lyons thought they had a chance, the Falcons struck again with a dazzling punt return.
On the defensive side, the Falcons were hard-hitting and relentless. The formidable D-line of Chris Pontikis, Colin Fisher, Dylan Boche, Liam Warden and Raj Chandarana fought to hold on to the lead. Linebackers SJ Groetsema, Charlie Hillegass, Broderick Slavik, Memon, Gastevski and corners Robbie Knight, Max Petersen, Oliver Gandy and Grant Woertz flew around the field making tackles and stopping the strong aerial attack of Lyons. The game was decided with a crucial stop on 4th-and-12 with one minute left.
The Falcons wrap up their regular season this weekend with their playoff hopes in the balance against Tri City.
9U Falcons Take down Plainfield
The Falcons 9U Gold won 28-6 over Plainfield.
Cade Phelan got things going when he took a pass from Connor Pauley 30 yards to the endzone on the Falcons’ first offensive series. On the ensuing series, defensive end RT Kouba jumped a swing route for a 35-yard pick 6! Rounding out the scoring effort, Cole Sherwood returned a punt for a touchdown and fullback Dan Campbell had a 35-yard touchdown run.
On defense, the Falcons were seen swarming the field all afternoon. Amazingly, the Falcons intercepted six Plainfield passes. In addition to Kouba, Parker Brey intercepted two passes while Cole Sherwood, Campbell and Luke Schroeder all recorded interceptions of their own. Schroeder also had a strong afternoon at quarterback, where he completed passes to Brooks Jaqua and Connor Pauley. Other notable performers on defense included Michael Dombroski, Keats Carus and Noah Jones, who each had several hard-nosed tackles. Finally, Wyland Holmes, Teddy O’Toole, Michael Cannizzaro, and Bennett Wilson continued to be forces on both sides of the line.
Next game: Sunday vs. Palatine (6-2) at 10 a.m. @ Hinsdale Central High School
10U GOLD EARNS ANOTHER SHUT OUT
On an idyllic Sunday, the Falcons were eager to take on Downers Grove. Injured captains Tate Pitts, Billy Jaqua and Owen Moon had a good feeling going into this game. These tough Falcons did not disappoint.
The offense took its first possession and went on an 11-play 54-yard scoring drive. Elijah Trombley and Luke Wanless pounded away behind blocks by Enzo Allegra, Jonathan Meyer, AJ Siepker and JP Rago. A 4th-and-goal touchdown pass from Nate Morris to Will Jones capped off the drive. Wanless fought his way in for the point after.
The defense got the ball back quickly. This time the offense only took two plays to score, as John Hooper sprinted in from 40 yards out for a TD. Trombley powered in the PAT to make it 14-0. The defense posted its second straight shutout with Quinn Houser, Danny O’Malley and John Dunn stifling the run game. Henry Appel, Cooper Milburn and Morris were be on point all day in defending the passing game.
The Falcons closed out the scoring on a nine-play 44-yard drive with Morris scampering in for the TD and 20-0 victory.
11U SILVER GROUNDS EAGLES
The Elmhurst Eagles came to Dickinson Field with hopes of soaring into the playoffs, but after a 30-7 Falcon win, the Eagles are on the outside looking in.
The Falcons sank their talons into Elmhurst early and often by scoring on four drives in the first half. Touchdowns were scored by Jacob Zager, who had two, and Killian Byrne and Frankie Levato, each with one.
All four drives were long, ate up a lot of yards and consumed a lot of play clock.
The swarming defense prevented the Eagles from soaring as they rarely were able to get started. More times than not, the Falcons had several defenders in on the tackle. Luke Hanson might have had the tackle of the day as he fought through a stiff arm of the Elmhurst running back to drop him for a 5-yard loss. That was the kind of day the Eagles had running against the tough Falcon defense.
The offense, content with the score, played ball control in the second half to secure the win.
Next up: Home Sunday vs. Tri City Chargers.
11U Gold Team Cruises to win
The 11U Gold showcased its dominance with a 29-0 victory over Lombard.
From the opening drive, the Falcon’s offensive line, led by Mikey Adamo, Matthew Kalish, Grant Omiecinski and Joshua Castro, controlled the game, opening holes for the running backs all afternoon.
Teddy Ouimette dazzled with two long touchdown runs, while Kellen Brown added a 40-yard touchdown run of his own. Ben Murphy connected with Soren Carlson for a nice 2-point conversion, as he “mossed” his defender in the corner of the end zone, while Luke Schremser bulldozed his way into the end zone for an extra point of his own.
Murphy also connected on a couple long passes to Bo Cuculich and Keerthan Tucke. The final blow came when Marcello Salamone rumbled for a 35-yard touchdown run, followed by a beautifully thrown 2-point pass from Rohn Ramani to Christan Gernot, sealing the victory.
The Falcon’s defense was just as dominant, led by Ivan Burt, Nate Thangamani, Christian Kirchev and Owen Parry. The unit only allowed one first down all game, capping off an impressive shutout performance.
Next up: Oswego before heading into the playoffs.
JV SILVER Team battles palatine
This Sunday JV Silver “kicked off” with a bang when Chase Mitchell returned the opening kickoff for a 60-yard touchdown with a key block by Gavin Schuler. Running backs Faiz Moosani and Miles Williams carried for 35 and 15 yards respectively. Williams inched the Falcons closer to the endzone, and quarterback Moosani throws a 4-yard touchdown to Brayden Merchant. Moosani scored the extra point.
The defense warded off Palatine’s extra points, and JJ Natarelli continued his streak of fumble recoveries with two clutch takeaways. After running for half the field, Mitchell caught a 15-yarder from quarterback Bruno Hoban. Hoban rushed 15 yards, bringing the Falcons in the redzone before the end of the half
Key plays in the second half by Falcons’ defenders Schuler, Mitchell, Burke Brotschul and Samir Chandarana, along with a QB sack by Mitchell, pushed Palatine backward. Nick Rachford caught an 18-yard stunner and Schuler snatched a 4-yard pass from Hoban. James West gained yardage after kickoff, Merchant swept left, and Moosani and Bruno pushed their way forward. Following a valiant effort, the game ended on the goal line with a near win. Falcons 13, Palatine 18.
Come support the JV team as they look to wrap up the season with a win at Oak Park next week.
JV Gold D1 is still Undefeated
Under the beautiful Fall sky and foliage, the JV Gold Falcons pulled off an incredible last-second win, 8-6, over Downers Grove to improve to 6-0 and secure the top playoff seed.
The Falcons came into the game knowing there was a target on their backs, but they answered the challenge. The injury-depleted Hinsdale offense struggled to find their footing early, but the defense continued its physical dominance with steady play from Charlie Lynch, Angel Roman and Jaxon Uthe. The teams went into halftime without a point scored.
The Downers offense was in the midst of a game-changing third quarter drive when Sal Caliendriello got his big paw on a pass, tipping it to a diving Brock Bradley for the interception. Finally, with less than a minute to go and the game scoreless, Dillon Phelan found Bradley for a tremendous catch in the endzone. Logan Sullivan hauled in the conversion and Hinsdale led 8-0. Downers was able to score quickly, but Michael Kipnis and the Falcon defense stuffed the conversion try. Hinsdale finishes the regular season next week against Naperville.
VARSITY SILVER WINS BIG
Varsity Silver capped off its regular season with a 38-6 victory at Downers Grove.
The Falcons got off to a quick start after a Cole Prasse 15-yard rushing touchdown on the first offensive series. The defense then took its turn, with a Michael Garber pick six and Prasse took a handoff from the Downers Grove quarterback as he was stood up by Alex Schaeffer for another touchdown. Ali Memon then had a bruising TD sweep to the left to add to the Falcons lead. Later in the first half, Giuseppe Salamone rushed for the first touchdown of his Falcons career.
Hunter Gatewood and Preston Brey ran hard for the Falcons in the second half. Felix Michelini was perfect on his extra points, albeit to the dismay of the owners of the cars parked in the lot behind the goal post. The entire Falcons offensive line contributed during the game: Michelini, Ben McLaughlin, Noah Natarelli, Lino Hernandez, Leo Rivera, Chase Hellenga, Brit Read, Alex Schaeffer and guest Clayton Tims. Defensively, Hernandez recorded his first sack of the year and Nick Ludden made a fine debut at safety.
The Falcons have a bye week before the playoffs.
