Suburban Life football notes: Ryan Novak, Riverside-Brookfield make a splash in Sam Styler’s coaching debut

Riverside-Brookfield first-year coach Sam Styler missed out on a football tradition following Friday’s victory over Morton.

The Bulldogs pulled out a 35-28 win to hand Styler his first victory, but he managed to stay dry in the postgame.

But Styler said he was content with the “W.”

“It was a great way to start a season with a win, and certainly better than being on the other end of it,” Styler said. “We knew it would be a tough game, a crosstown rival and all the kids knowing each other from growing up. We knew we would get their best. We came out fast, let them off the hook in the second. The kids wanted to give me a (Gatorade bath), but our trainer knocked down that quick.”

Styler did witness a splash on the field, with senior running back/linebacker Ryan Novak putting on a show. Styler said Novak racked up nearly 115 yards rushing, scored three touchdowns and netted 10 tackles to put together a dominating two-way effort.

“Ryan had a huge game for us,” Styler said. “He was all over the field. He’s a great kid, works his tail off and is always looking to finish runs and punish guys who try and tackle him. He also has one of the best instincts for a linebacker. He can do whatever we ask for him, returning kicks, throwing passes. It’s hard to keep him off the field.”

As one of 16 returning starters from last season’s Class 6A playoff team, Novak said he likes playing both ways. Novak, who finished with 600 all-purpose yards and 52 tackles and 10 rushing touchdowns last season, added he was happy to contribute to the win.

“It felt amazing to get the first win, especially against our crosstown rival,” Novak said. “I love playing both ways. On defense, I love to hit people and make plays, but on offense, I get to run people over and make big plays. I’ve been playing running back and linebacker all of my life.”

The Bulldogs racked up big yards and points in the debut of their new multi-dimensional offense that showcases spreading the ball around and mixing in the run and pass. Junior quarterback Diego Gutierrez had time to throw the ball thanks to all five starters back on the offensive line, Styler said.

Wide receivers Muhammad Salem and Ignace Bielobradek are part of a dynamic offensive attack. Defensively, the Bulldogs are employing a 3-5 formation. They face a tough challenge in Week 2, when they travel to Wauconda. A year ago, in the Battle of the Bullldogs, Wauconda posted a 20-0 win over Riverside-Brookfield in Week 2.

“I really like our new offense,” Novak said. “I also enjoy our new defense. I’m playing outside linebacker, and liking it a lot. It gives me more of a chance to make plays.”

Red Devils take different approach

Hinsdale Central football coach Brian Griffin elected to take a different approach in Friday’s season opener at Naperville Central. A year after quarterback Ben Monahan suffered a season-ending injury during the first quarter of a 14-2 loss to Naperville Central, Griffin entered the summer with a tough question.

Who to start at quarterback?

After Monahan was ruled out for the season last year, Billy Cernugel stepped into the QB1 spot and led the Red Devils to nine straight victories.

Now, with Monahan healthy, Griffin was faced with the tough decision on picking his starter. So what did he do? He played both quarterbacks against the Redhawks’ stingy defense. The two quarterbacks alternated many times on the same drives, even switching off play-to-play in an attempt to move the chains on a consistent basis.

The Red Devils had several issues, from dropped passes, bad snaps and too many costly penalties to suffer a 24-9 loss to the Redhawks.

Both quarterbacks showed off an ability to improvise by running for positive yards, but the Red Devils struggled passing the ball until late in the fourth quarter when they utilized a hurry-up offense. Cernugel, who ran for a four-yard touchdown, completed 8-of-14 passes for 69 yards and rushed for 66 yards. Monahan was 6-of-18 for 48 yards to go with an interception.

The Red Devils have a soft spot in their schedule to work out some kinks, traveling to Proviso East Friday for the second of three straight road games.

“We feel unique that we have two varsity caliber quarterbacks,” Griffin said. “That’s how we practiced. We asked them if they wanted to do series, but they wanted to do it like we practiced. I’ve never had two kids who are so humble and wants what is best for the team at the quarterback position.

“They both can run and throw. They bring little bit different skill sets but they complement each other and work hard and together. We just have to get better. Naperville Central has a great defense and execute really well. I hope we get better.”

Extra points

At first glance, Glenbard West headed into its opener against highly ranked Marist in big trouble due to electric running back Joey Pope being sidelined with an appendectomy. The Hilltoppers like control the tempo and wear down opponents with a punishing running game. Junior Julius Ellens thrust his name into the spotlight with his own electric performance, rushing for 134 yards and two touchdowns and catching three passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns in a 33-31 victory in Chicago…York opened up the season with its own big victory, shutting out Schaumburg 42-0.