November 17, 2009
By KEN RYAN kryan@pioneerlocal.com
YOUTH FOOTBALL -- The Hinsdale Falcons varsity
football team may not have reached its ultimate goal, but losing
in the Bill George Youth Football League Super Bowl is certainly
nothing to be ashamed about.
The Falcons lost to the Lombard Falcons 14-6 Sunday at
Benedictine University in Lisle.
"The season was fantastic," Hinsdale coach CJ Marino said.
"Every practice the guys came out and worked hard and every game
they fought hard. We were undefeated until our only loss came in
the big game."
Hinsdale (10-1) beat Lombard 22-8 earlier in the season, but the
rematch didn't go as well.
Hinsdale took a 6-0 lead when Chase Hamilton, who is also the
team's quarterback, intercepted a pass and returned it 30 yards
for a touchdown.
Lombard scored on a 20-yard pass play in the second quarter to
even the score at 6-6 by halftime.
Hinsdale threatened on its first drive of the third quarter,
marching down to the Lombard 2-yard line, but a penalty backed
the Falcons up and Lombard came up with a defensive stand to
prevent a score.
The momentum of the game changed in the fourth quarter when Jack
Liljeberg appeared to force an incomplete pass by batting the
ball down, but the officials ruled the play was a fumble and a
Lombard player picked the ball up and ran 50 yards to set up the
go-ahead touchdown soon after.
"That changed the game," Marino said. "There are usually three
or four plays that can change a game and that was one of them."
Hinsdale's offense this season was led by Hamilton, tailback
Vince Zenner and fullbacks Shelby Parsons and Brian Allen.
"We liked to play smashmouth football and run between the
tackles as hard as possible," Marino said. "Our offensive line
was fabulous all year."
Matt Rafferty played up a level as a 12-year-old and emerged as
a standout cornerback on defense.
Hinsdale also received key contributions throughout the season
from Robert Benline, Danny Cooney, Jeremy Drexler, Amaan Fazal,
Damian Hanson, Max Hartzman, Geno Napolitano, Max Peters, Matt
Pena, Ryan Scales and Tanner Smolen.
"It was a great group of guys and they are going to make
Hinsdale Central very proud in a few years," said Marino, who
was assisted by coaches Ted Parsons and Brian Rafferty. "I'm
very proud of these boys. They had an absolute will to win and I
was amazed at how hard they worked at practices no matter how
hard we pushed them."
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