Jr Falcons Super Bowl Champions

October 29, 2019November 4, 2019 Paul Clark

Falcon football is on the rise.

On a cold Saturday night, in monsoon-like conditions on Lake Michigan, the 8th grade Jr Falcons ran wild in the 2nd half, and beat the Racine Park Panthers 16-12, after Collin Meininger‘s 1-yard TD run with 2:30 remaining in the game.

The Jr Falcons had two big first-half runs called back on penalties, and trailed most of the cold night. They went into halftime down 6-0, and knew they were getting the ball to start the 3rd quarter. “He (Central HS head coach Tyson Mengel) grabbed me on the way to the locker room, at halftime, and gave me a couple little things he saw,” said 8th grade coach Jason Koeppel. “We took that insight, did some things with some motion. That made a big difference. And when we got the ball, I knew we were going to have a good chance to score, every time we touched it.”

The teams grinded through the cold and windy 3rd quarter, until Mason Mitacek (#29) split two colliding defenders, and broke free on a 29-yard TD run with 3:03 remaining. K/OG/DT Jacob Ward (#35) then nailed a crucial PAT kick to put the Jr Falcons up 8-6.

Racine Park scored again, late in the 4th quarter, to take a 12-8 lead. There was just over 4 minutes remaining on the clock. It was not looking so great at this point. The 8th grader’s backs were to the wall.

However, the Jr Falcons got good field position on the ensuing kick-off return, and a few plays later, Collin Meininger (#18) busted off a 43-yard run down to the one-yard line. On 1st-and-goal, at the one, Coach Keoppel called the same play, and Meininger charged through the hole for the 1-yard TD run with only 2:30 left in the game. Jacob Ward (#35) would nail another PAT kick to put the Jr Falcons up 16-12.

Ward had one more clutch play in himself, on this cold and windy night, in the championship game. Racine Park wanted a big return, and anticipated a short kick in the monsoon-like wind off Lake Michigan, in a torrential downpour. But they totally underestimated Ward’s leg-power, and he booted the kick, through the heavy wind, and over both of Park’s deep returners. They had to scramble backward, just to cover the ball, back around the 10 yard line. Racine Park now faced a super-long field, and they were mentally deflated by Ward’s surprising power through the heavy Lake Michigan wind.

The defense then came up stout. They forced a 4-and-out. Then Jr Falcon QB, Brock Koeppel (#1), led the offense out for two more final snaps of the season, out of the victory formation. And the game was over. The season was over. The Westosha Jr Falcons won the SEYFA Super Bowl 16-12. They finished with a perfect season at 9-0.

On the O-line of **Chase Roy** (#99), **Jacob Ward** (#35), **Connor Venard** (#45), **Hunter Rebicek** (#64) , and **Devin Steininger** (#56): “Anybody that knows anything about football, knows that if you don’t have the guys up front, working as a team, and as a unit, and being unselfish, then none of it matters. And we have 5 of those kids on this team, that don’t really care about anything, but taking pride in what they were doing up front. And they worked at it every, damned, day. Adam Kimpler (coach) had them hitting the sled every practice, non-stop,” said head coach Jason Koeppel.

Coach Koeppel, on **Mason Mitacek** (#29) and **Collin Meininger** (#18), *“I think Collin and Mason are both exceptional when it comes to being just humble, hard-working, dudes who just want to win.*

**Mason Mitacek** (#29) splits two colliding defenders, and takes off on this 29-yard TD run with 3:03 remaining in the 3rd quarter of the SEYFA 8th grade Super Bowl at Carthage College on Saturday night.

**The Carnage** – This is the sight, back at the line-of-scrimmage, after **Mason Mitacek** crossed the goal line on his 29-yard TD run.

Westosha DT, **Jacob Ward** (#35), tackles this Park runner in the backfield during 4th quarter action in the SEYFA Super Bowl, at Carthage College on Saturday night. The 8th grade Jr Falcons won the championship **16-12**.

**Collin Meininger** (#18) scores the game-winning touchdown in the 2019 SEYFA Super Bowl. The Westosha Jr Falcons won the game 16-12 at Carthage College on Saturday night.

Westosha K/OG/DT, **Jacob Ward** (#35), boots the final two points of the 2019 SEYFA Super Bowl on this PAT kick late in the 4th quarter. His Jr Falcons won the game **16-12,** and finished the season undefeated at 9-0.

Westosha DT, **Hunter Rebicek** (#64), makes a big solo tackle-for loss on 3rd down, late in the 2019 SEYFA Super Bowl. This TFL would set up a 4th-and-a-mile for Racine Park, which would be an incomplete pass = GAME OVER.

Westosha QB, **Brock Koeppel** (#1) takes the final snap of the Super Bowl, and undefeated season. He finished the season with 17 TDs and only 1 INT. “He’s like another coach. He knows everything. He runs the huddle. And he gets treated by me just terribly, most of the time (chuckle). But he’s able to sort of take all the feedback, and kind of keep everyone in line, and make it work.”

Westosha OL coach, **Adam Kimpler**, drops deep on the sideline to get a view of his linemen during the SEYFA Super Bowl at Carthage College. His “Hogs” opened up some big holes in the second half, to win the first ever Super Bowl in Jr Falcon history, **16-12**.

Game Over = Super Bowl Champions – Westosha Football

The last time Westosha football won any championship, it was the high school conference title in 2005. This one is a perfect season, with a Super Bowl win.

Congratulations to all the players, coaches, moms, and dads. And a special congrats to program founder, and servant, Victor Nightingale, who has sacrificed himself to build this program, from absolutely nothing. He’s endured all the hard times and losses, and has transformed it into Super Bowl champions. Congrats to everyone with a hand involved.

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