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Superlightweights: Braves 19, Coal City 0
It was a great day to be a part of the Braves. Brennan Pekelder started off with his first of three kick offs that could not be returned by the Miners. The Braves Defense then set the tone by bringing big hits early and often to the Miners and announcing that the Braves were here to play. Following a quick three and out, the Black Offense announced their presence when on the second play from scrimmage, Vincent Bartuch took the ball on a quarterback keeper for a quick 42 yard touchdown. Jake Faron then punched in the extra point to bring the lead to 7 to 0. From then on, the team never looked back. In the second quarter, Bryson Williams joined the scoring when he ran for a 28 yard touchdown run which brought the lead to 13 to 0. The final touchdown run of 28 yards by Vincent Bartuch was almost a carbon copy of his first of the game. Late in the game, the defense was challenged when the Miners advance the ball to the Braves 1 yard line. Rising to the occasion as they had all day, the defense not only held the Miners but pushed the back to preserve the shutout for this total team victory and defense of the Super Light Weight Super Bowl Championship.

Congratulations to the Miners for a great season:
Your 2011 Super Bowl Champion Chanooka Braves are: (00) Nicolas Robbins, (1) Nathan Berta, (2) Cody Robson, (3) Elijah Lewis, (4) Matthew Plastiak, (5) Jameson Geers, (7) Vince Bartuch, (9) DJ Gressick, (10) Declan Schumacher, (11) Ben Stoner, (12) Ethan Krippel, (15) Nicholas Shannon, (20) Zach Wingerter, (22) Bryson Williams, (23) Duncan Collard, (25) Anthony Garapolo, (27) Sam Bartoli, (28) Ricky Hill, (29) Ethan Simowitz, (33) Nicolas Haase, (34) Casey Swanson, (54) Niko Wilhelm, (55) Jake Faron, (56) James Owen, (77) Brennan Pekelder, (85) Connor Rijkse, (98) Jack McClimon, and (99) Ryan Franzen.

To each of the players each of the coaches would like to extend our thanks for all of your hard work and dedication this season. Without your efforts, this season would not have been possible and the following could not be said. Chanooka Braves: 2011 Super Bowl Champions!

Jr. Varsity: Braves 27, Plano 14
On a cold and blustery day, the JV Braves finished off a perfect 11-0 season and captured the Super Bowl championship. The final score was 27-14, but this game was closer than the final score indicated. The Plano Reapers came to play. After forcing a 3 and out on the first series of the game, the Reapers blocked a low punt to take over in Braves territory. Two plays later the Reapers connected on a 40 yard pass to take a quick 7-0 lead. For most of the first half, the potent Braves offense was held in check - by the Reapers and by the weather. But midway through the second quarter, the offensive line started to click and the Braves started to move the ball. Fullback Drew Turek gained some tough yards on consecutive carriers and QB John Carnagio ran a sweep for 20 yards ˆ a play that the Braves would go back to often in the game with great success. The drive ended when a Carnagio scrambled to keep a play alive and found Nick Airola in the corner of the end zone from 7 yards out. Brennan Loughran added the all important 2 point conversion and the Braves led 8-7 with 7:16 to play in the half. But the lead would not last long. On the ensuing possession, the Reapers broke an 82 yard TD run to quickly regain the lead 14-8. The Reapers defense proceeded to stop the Braves the rest of the half ˆ and the stunned Braves went into the half trailing for the first time all season. The Braves opened the second half with the wind at their back, and were able to take advantage. With 5:58 remaining in the third quarter, Carnagio swept around the left end for a game tying touchdown. This time however, the extra point attempt was blocked, keeping the game tied at 14 heading into the 4th quarter. And the 4th quarter would belong to the Braves. With the wind now at their backs, the Reapers had good field position throughout the fourth quarter, starting all of their drives in Braves territory. The Braves defense came up huge, forcing 3 turnovers in the quarter starting with a Tyler Holcumb interception of a tipped pass with 9 minutes remaining. A few plays later, Carnagio swept around the left side (again!) and outraced the Reaper defense to the end zone for 65 yards and the go-ahead score. The Braves attempted to put the game away by kicking the 2 point conversion into the teeth of the wind, but the wind won the confrontation and Loughran‚s kick came up short. So with 8 minutes remaining, the game was placed in the hands of the Braves defense. And the defense would respond. On the Reapers next possession, Donny Wilhelm chased down a Reaper running back and force a fumble that was recovered by Alec Berens. The Reapers stopped the Braves on a 4th and 1, giving them another chance to tie the game. But with 2:35 to play, Nathan Simowitz recovered a botched snap to stop the Reapers drive. Three plays later on 3rd and 9, the Braves executed a perfect double-counter and Tyler Holcumb burst through a huge hole and went 65 yards for a touchdown. The celebration had begun. Forced to pass on their final possession, the Reapers went backwards. Wilhelm and Zach Kijowski recorded sacks on back to back plays, handing the ball over to the offense. When Carnagio took a knee, the Braves were Super Bowl Champions. A classic game to end a perfect season - Congratulations Braves!

Superlightweights: Chanooka 6, Oswego Silver 0
In a battle with the regular season champions and undefeated Oswego Silver Wolves, the Braves Defense again played lights out football leading the way again to a total team victory. The Wolves were never able to get their running game established, and their quarterback was under constant pressure every time a pass was attempted. Casey Swanson, Jameson Geers, Ethan Krippel, Jake Faron, and Elijah Lewis all combined to cause double digit tackles for losses. The lone score of the game came when Ben Stoner broke free for a 52 yard touchdown. Although the Braves were able to move the ball effectively on the ground, the Wolves kept the game close. In the closing seconds, the game was sealed when the Wolves quarterback dropped back to pass and under severe pressure threw a game ending interception to Ben Stoner. Congratulations to the Wolves on a great season a game. The Braves are now looking forward to defending their Super Bowl title in a rematch of the regular season finale against Coal City. Great work team.!

Jr. Varsity: Chanooka 37, Coal City 6
The Junior Varsity Braves advanced to the Super Bowl with a convincing victory. All facets of the Braves team contributed, but the defense was the key in this one. The Braves defense held the Miners in check throughout and came up with 4 big turnovers - fumble recoveries by Nathan Simowitz and Dawson Nelson -and interceptions by Vinnie Lovato and Zach Troutman. The turnovers offset a very uncharcteristic 4 turnovers by the Braves - all of which occurred in the first half. The turnovers kept the Miners in the game, as otherwise the Braves offense marched up and down the field. In and effort to stifle the Braves passing attack, the Miners opted to play 2 deep safties throughout the game. The Braves took full advantage with a running attack that consistently ripped off chunks of yardage. The Braves offensive line - Luke Budde, Donny Wilhelm, Tyler Haase, Matt Spaulding, Zach Kijowski, and Brandon Banks paved the way. On the Braves first series, John Carnagio, Tyler Holcumb, and Jose Rodriguez Jr. set the tone by each breaking off gains of at least 10 yards. Drew Turek finished the drive with a 4 yard TD run. On the Braves second possession, Holcumb broke a couple of long runs and eventually finished the drive with a spinning 4 yard run. The Braves led 15-6 at the half, and the best was yet to come. The Braves marched down the field on their first possession of the third quarter, and Turek scored the TD from 8 yards out through a hole large enough to accomodate Coach Petrovic. On the Miners next possession, the defense forced a punt that Wilhelm blocked and recovered in the end zone, giving the Braves an insurmountable 31-6 lead. The Braves Orange offense finished the scoring in the 4th quarter when Rodriguez shot through a huge hole, broke a tackle and raced 81 yards to paydirt. Brennan Loughran contributed 3 extra points on the afternoon, as the Special Teams units all came up big. Another great job by all Braves - on to the Super Bowl and a rematch with the Plano Reapers.

Superlightweights: Chanooka 20, Somonauk 7
The 1st round of the playoffs started off with a wakeup call delivered by the improving Somonauk team. On the first offensive play of the game, the Nighthawks broke a play to the left side and took it the distance to jump out to an early 7 ˆ 0 lead. From then on, the Braves defense stepped up and shut Somonauk down. The Braves offense then scored 20 unanswered points with two touch downs by Ben Stoner and another by Vincent Bartuch. Leading the way for the defense were Casey Swanson, Jameson Geers, Ben Stoner, and Connor Rijkse. The Nighthawks tried to rally twice with a big run and a big return but were stopped each time with timely tackles from Bryson Williams and Nicholas Shannon. Great team work has lead to a trip to the second round of the playoffs.

Lightweights: Seneca Pride 14, Chanooka 7

Jr. Varsity: Chanooka 40, Somonauk 6
The offense struck early and often as the favored Braves advanced to the second round of the playoffs. On the Braves first play, Tyler Holcumb busted through a hole created by Zach Kijowski and Brandon Banks for a 34 yard gain. On the second play, Johnny Carnagio hit a wide open Tyler Talbot for a 38 yard score. On the Nighthawks ensuing possesion, Holcumb intercepted and errant pass and took it 45 yards for a TD. In the second quarter, Drew Turek rambled in from 45 yards out. Brennan Loghran converted the extra point for a 20-0 halftime lead for Braves. The defense did it's job as well, pitching a first half shut-out as Nathan Simowitz, Donny Wilhelm, and Matt Spaulding, and Holcumb all had tackles for losses. The Braves Orange offense scored 3 times in the second half to put the game away. Jose Rodriguez Jr scored on a 21 yard sweep and dazzlying 65 yard scamper in the third quarter. Hunter Nelson finished the scoring in the 4th quarter with a 58 yard run. The Braves Black & Blue defense held the Nighthawks in check, as Dawson Nelson, Ben Lundberg, Austin Day and Brian Kripple contributed multiple tackles and Nelson recovered a 4th quarter fumble. Great job boys - one more victory to make it to the Super Bowl.

Varsity:

Superlightweights: Coal City 19, Chanooka 13 OT

Lightweights: Chanooka Braves 20, Coal City 0

Jr. Varsity: Braves 30, Coal City 8
The Braves completed a perfect (8-0) regular season with a convicing win over their rival from Coal City. This was a tight game early on, as the Miners controlled the ball and the clock throughout most of the first half. But the Braves defense came up with a couple of big 4th down stops in its own territory to keep the Miners out of the end zone. Meanwhile, the Coal City defense frustrated the potent Braves offense until late in the second quarter, when Johnny Carnagio rolled out to his right, fought off a sack, and hit Tyler Talbot for a 38 yard TD. Talbot was tackled from behind but lunged forward for the last 2 yards to put the Braves on the Board. On the ensuing kick-off, Jose Rodrigues Jr. made a great special teams tackle, chasing down the Miners kick returner at the the Braves 5 yard line to prevent a game tying TD. The second half was all Braves - and it started on the first play from scrimmage when Tyler Holcumb ran through the entire Miner defense for a 70 yard score. On the Braves second possession of the third quarter, the offense executed a perfect screen pass and Nick Airola followed a wall of blockers in from 32 yards out. Holcumb finished the Braves scoring with a 14 yard scamper in the 4th quarter. Great job JV Braves and congratulations on a perfect regular season. Let's keep it going in the playoffs!

Varsity: Braves 34, Coal City 16

Superlightweights: Braves 13, Sandwich 7
In a tight game, the Braves came out on top and celebrated a home coming win. Striking first on a Ben Stoner 35 yard touchdown, the Braves took an early 7-0 lead. In the second quarter, Sandwich evened the score on a long touchdown pass. The rest of the game settled in as a good defensive battle. Jake Faron started as a running back for the first time and had would be tacklers bouncing off of him. James Owen started at center for the first time and kept the Sandwich defenders out of the backfield. Frequently, it took almost the entire Sandwich team to bring down the hard running backs of the Braves. In the third quarter, Vincent Bartuch scored the final points of the game on a quarter back keeper. Casey Swanson had a good defensive day as he was regularly in the Sandwich backfield causing trouble for the Indians. Ben Stoner finished off his football hat trick with an interception at the end of the first half and a fumble recovery in the second half to complement his touchdown. This was a great effort by the entire team with several of the Braves filling in new positions.

Lightweights: Braves 12, Sandwich 0

Jr. Varsity: Braves 27, Sandwich 14
The Braves jumped out to a quick lead and led the game throughout to improve to 7-0 on the season. On the opening drive, Matt Spaulding, Zach Kijowski, and Donny Wilhelm opened a hole for Drew Turek who beat the Sandwich defense down the side line for a 55 yard gain to the Indians 6 yard line. Turek finished the drive on the next play for the game's first score. On the second possesion, the Braves converted on 2 big fourth downs to keep a long drive alive. Turek made a leaping grab of a Johnny Carnagio pass for the Braves second score. The play of the game was made by the defense in the 2nd quarter. The Indians moved the ball down the field to the Braves 2 yard line and were threating to cut the Braves lead in half when a Zach Troutman hit caused a fumble that was recovered by Nathan Simowitz. The Braves offense took over and immediately moved the ball the other direction. Turek broke another long run - this one from 65 yards - to complete a 98 yard drive that gave the Braves a 19-0 halftime advantage. The Braves Orange offense did a great job controlling the clock in the second half. The offensive line - James Lang, Jack Sullivan, Eric Cox, Tyler Haase, Brian O"Donnell and Evan Segura opened holes for Brandon Banks and Jose Rodriguez Jr., allowing the Braves to run down the clock. Midway through the 4th quarter, Tyler Holcumb finished the Braves scoring with 70 yard TD run. The Braves attempt to finish the regular season with a perfect record when they face Coal City next week.

Varsity: Braves 29, Sandwich 6

Bye week

Superlightweights: Oswego White 12, Braves 7
In a closely played game, the Braves came up one drive short. After allowing the Panthers to score on the opening drive, the Braves took their first possession down the field. After recovering a fumble, Vincent Bartuch broke through the middle of the line for a 31 yard touchdown giving the Braves a 7 to 6 lead. On the subsequent kick-off, the Panthers broke a big return that lead to another touchdown just after the start of the second quarter. The Braves defense picked up their play keeping the Panthers scoreless the rest of the game. The offense mounted a couple of drives, but multiple fumbles cut short each drive that was mounted. At the end of the game, the Braves undefeated run had come to an end, but the team will be focused on the next two games as they try to earn a bye for the first round of the playoffs.

Lightweights: Braves 21, Oswego White 0
Congratulations to the Orange offense on scoring their first touch down. Great Job ! Special teams with a great turn over for the offense that played great. The defense came to play, with great pursuit and no points allowed.

Jr. Varsity: Braves 39, Oswego White 24
A high scoring game featured long scoring plays by both teams, but in the end it was the Braves offense that was a little more explosive. The Braves, who led throughout the contest, started the scoring midway through the 1st quarter on a 33 yard scoring strike from Johnny Carnagio to Tyler Talbot. In the second quarter, Carnagio made a spectacular 40 yard run for a score, lowering his head a bowling over the last 2 Oswego White defenders. In the second half, the Braves running backs took over. Nick Airola started the second half barrage with a 15 yard TD run. Drew Turek busted through the Oswego line, broke several tackles and raced to the outside for a 65 yard score. Tyler Holcomb finished the scoring midway through the 4th quarter with a 59 yard scamper. The defense gave up a few long plays, but held Oswego in check for much of the game. Airola made a key interception to stop a drive early in the 1st quarter. Isaiah Hill also came up with an interception. Special Teams were a critical in the outcome. Brennan Loughran kicked 4 extra points, thanks to some quality snaps by Tyler Haase. Meanwhile, Oswego missed all 4 of their extra points, 2 of which were blocked by Brian Kripple and Tyler Holcumb. In the end, the Braves outslugged a worthy opponent to stay perfect on the season.

Varsity: Braves 18, Oswego White 12

Superlightweights: Braves 27, Plano 6
The team put forth great effort, had a complete game, and brought home another victory. The Orange Offense took the field first and held their own. Great work. The three headed monster of the Black offense came in during the second quarter and picked up where the Orange Offense left off. Each of the starting running backs had a run for more than 50 yards. Ricky Hill was the first with a 61 yard run for the first touchdown. Bryson Williams took another for 58 yards that set up a short touchdown by Ben Stoner. Stoner picked up two long runs of 56 yards and 60 yards for two more touchdowns. The defense played tough all day, was regularly in Plano‚s backfield, and did not allow Plano to get anything going until the final quarter.

Lightweights: Plano 13, Braves 0

Jr. Varsity: Braves 12, Plano 7
This was a great battle between 2 unbeaten teams -and the outcome would not be determined until the final minute. The Braves controlled the action throughout the first half, driving the ball deep into Plano territory on 3 occasions. But the Reapers defense kept the Braves out of the endzone, coming up with 2 turnovers and 2 big fourth down stops. In the meantime, the Braves defense was dominant and accounted for all of the first half scoring with 2 safeties. Donny Wilhelm and Tyler Holcumb made the tackles for the safeties. The Reaper offense got untracked in the third quarter, and a long drive resulted in a touchdown and a 7-4 lead. The Braves responded with a long TD drive of their own that featured tough runs by Drew Turek, Johnny Carnagio and Tyler Holcumb. Holcumb finished the drive with a 12 yard run that put the Braves up 12 - 7 with aobut 7 minutes to go. After a Reaper 3 and out, the Braves went on another long drive but were once again turned back by a Reaper defensive stand. The Reapers regained the ball at their own 10 yard line and 1:26 remaining in the game. On second down, the Reapers broke loose for a long run. Vinnie Lovato and Isaiah Hill saved the touchdown by forcing the play out of bounds at the Braves 40 yard line. On the next play, a Reaper receiver got behind the Braves defense but Jake Ryan made a leaping interception to seal the victory. A great game by both teams - the Braves survive to improve to 5-0 on the season.

Varsity: Plano 32, Braves 20

Superlightweights: Braves 17, Oswego Orange 7
The defense came to play today. The defensive team was in control for the full game. They kept the Orange Panther‚s offense off the score board, and scored two safeties for the Braves. The offense responded well to the coaches challenges during half time. Two long touchdown runs by Bryson Williams and Ricky Hill sealed the game. The Orange team was able to get some good game action as well as showing what they could do in the 5th quarter when they generated two long touchdown runs of their own.

Lightweights: Oswego Orange 32, Braves 20
A tough day for the Braves, The Braves Defense could not stop the Orange attack, The offense played great putting up 20 points and special teams creating one turn over. Great play by Oswego Orange.

Jr. Varsity: Braves 28, Oswego Orange 0
In a game shorted to 2 quarters by the weather, the Braves still managed to pull away as offense scored on its first 3 possessions. Johnny Carnagio complete all of his pass attempts, which included a 21 yard TD to Brennan Loughran on the opening drive, and a 10 yard TD to Tyler Talbot on the second possesion. On the Braves 3rd series, Tyler Holcomb scampered around right end for a 26 yard TD and a 22-0 Brave lead at the end of the 1st quarter. On the final series of the 2nd quarter, Jose Rodriguez Jr. blasted through a huge hole created by Tyler Haase, Alec Berens and Evan Segura and scored from 51 yards out. In the meantime, the defense was stuffing the Orange the entire half. The Orange failed to get a first down on their 5 possesions - 2 of which ended with turnovers. Isaiah Hill intercepted a 1st quarter pass and a hard tackle by Holcumb led to a fumble that was recovered by Hunter Nelson. Anthony Bartoli and Berens contributed tackles for losses. The Braves special teams contributed with a punt block by Nick Airola and great kick-off coverage by Zack Troutman, who twice buried the Orange deep in their own territory with textbook open field tackles. Great job by all JV Braves, who improve to 4-0 on the season.

Varsity: Oswego Orange 28, Braves 6

Superlightweights: Braves 13, Seneca 0
It was a great day for our defense. The boys took a stand and never let Seneca get anything going. Ethan Krippel led the way by constantly being in the backfield and caused three fumbles. Ben Stoner scored both touchdowns for the team the second of which was setup by a good punt and coverage to pin Seneca deep in their own end. The Orange Offense caught Seneca's defense off guard twice to help turn a drive around.

Lightweights: Braves 13, Seneca 7
With 41 seconds left in the game. The Braves offense punched it in the Seneca end zone to win the game. The drive started on the Braves 9 yard line with 2:02 on the clock, using all of our time outs. The offense got it done. The defense holding Seneca to only 7 points plus 2 interceptions sealed the deal. Special teams played great, holding field position when needed. Great game.

Jr. Varsity: Braves 33, Seneca 6
The Braves looked sharp on both sides of the ball in improving their record to 3-0. The offense clicked from the first drive of the game, which culminated in a 23 yard TD pass from Johnny Carnagio to Tyler Talbot. Before the half was over, the Braves had scored twice more on a 32 yd pass from Carnagio to Dakota Kotowski and a 75 yard scamper by Nick Airola. The defense forced two first half fumbles - Donny Wilhelm and Austin Day forced fumbles that were recovered by Nathan Simowitz and Jake Brozovich. Tackles for losses were made by Wilhelm, Jake Ryan, Brandon Banks and Ben Lundberg as the defense stuffed the Pride for the entire half. Vinny Lovato scored on a 20 yard run in the third quarter. Zach Gessner scored on an 18 yd scramble to cap the scoring in the 4th quarter getting a great block from Tyler Talbot along the way. A great game by all Braves - who look to stay perfect next week in the home opener.

Varsity: Braves 19, Seneca 41

Superlightweights: Braves 22, Morris Chiefs 6
Great effort by the boys against an improving Chiefs team. An early touchdowns by Ben Stoner set the tone for the game. The Orange Offense came in to keep things going after an early fumble recovery and a good 4th down stand by the Black Defense. After a slight weather delay, the second half started with a long kick return by Zach Wingerter that was set up by a key block by Duncan Collard. Ben Stoner tacked on another touchdown later in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter the game was sealed when Jameson Geers, Ethan Krippel, and Jake Farron teamed up for a safety, and Vincent Bartuch scored the final touchdown on an improvised play. Great work and a great team effort.

Lightweights: Braves 32, Morris 20
After getting rained out on Saturday. The Braves LW squad came to play on Sunday, with the defense causing three turn overs and the offense taking advantage, scoring on all three turn overs. Special teams played great getting positive yardage. Morris played very hard coming on strong at the end, A good game played by both teams.

Jr. Varsity: Braves 34, Morris 0
The Braves were sharp on both sides of the ball throughout the contest. The defense limited the Chiefs to just 2 first downs, and the Chiefs did not cross the Braves 30 yard line the entire game. Donny Wilhelm, Brian Kripple, Brendan Purrachio, Anthony Bartoli and Dawson Nelson all had tackles for losses, and Jose Rodriguez Jr. returned a 2nd Quarter interception 45 yards for a touchdown. The Offense moved the ball efficiently throughout the game. The scoring started early with a 15 yard TD pass from John Carnagio to Tyler Talbot. Drew Turek bulled his way to a 55 yard score and Nick Airola finished the scoring with a 28 yard run in the fourth quarter. The Braves special teams also contributed to the scoring - Isaiah Hill returned a 1st quarter punt 45 yards for a score and Brennan Loghran was successful on 2 extra point kicks.

Varsity: Braves 40, Morris 0
All Braves boys had a good game.

Superlightweights: Chanooka 27, Somonauk 13

Lightweights: Chanooka 26, Somanuk 0
The Chanooka Braves Offense, Defense and Special Teams came to play. The Defense shut down Somanuk,s offense. Giving the Braves great field position and scorning opportunities. Special teams held there own,gaining positive yards on every play.

Jr. Varsity: Chanooka 33, Somonauk 6
The Braves controlled the action from the opening kick-off, which was returned 65 yards by the Braves' Drew Turek down to the Somonauk 4 yard line. On the first play from scrimmage, Jose Rodriguez Jr took the ball into the endzone for the first of 6 Braves touchdowns. The offensive line - including Luke Budde, Donny Wilhelm, Matt Spaulding, Zack Kijowski, Brandon Banks, Evan Segura, Brian O'Donnell, Sean Walsh, Tyler Haase, and Alec Berens, opened huge holes for Braves running backs all day long. Touchdown runs came from Nick Airola from 6 yards out, Isaiah Hill from 4 yards out, and Tyler Holcumb - once from 8 yards and once from 58 yards. The prettiest scoring play came in the second quarter on a 20 yard pass from QB Zach Gessner to Dakota Kotowski. All Braves played will in a solid opening day victory.

Varsity: Chanooka Braves 33, Somenauk 6
Great opener boys. 33 to 6 win over Somenauk.