Huntley QB Braylon Bower plays well through loss of his father last summer

HUNTLEY – Before each game, Huntley quarterback Braylon Bower puts an L on his right cheek and a B on his left in eye black.

Before his first snap in each game, he looks up and points to the sky to his late father Lysle, who died at age 50 in July.

“Doing that helps me calm down and everything, knowing that he’s there to watch me,” Bower said. “It calms my nerves down and washes everything away.”

Football has provided a welcome outlet for the Bower family in the months after Lysle, a huge Huntley supporter whose death shocked the community, passed.

Boston Bower, a 2022 Huntley graduate, is playing defensive lineman at NCAA Division III Carthage College while Braylon, a junior, has helped the No. 8-seeded Red Raiders (9-1) to the second round of the Class 8A playoffs where they face No. 24 St. Ignatius (7-3) at 7 p.m. Friday in Chicago.

“I know he would be proud and really impressed with this team,” said Braylon Bower, a junior. “What he would mainly say to me is the job is not finished yet. We still have more games to play. He’d be really proud right now.”

Lysle and Liana Bower have two daughters, Briana and Brooklyn, along with their two sons. Briana, the oldest, pitches at Illinois and led the Red Raiders to the 2019 Class 3A softball state championship. Brooklyn is in sixth grade and following Briana’s footsteps as a softball player.

Lysle played football and basketball, wrestled and competed in track while growing up in Batavia. He played football and competed in track and field at D-III North Park University.

Huntley quarterback Sam Deligio lost his mother Terri before the last regular-season game of 2022 after a long bout with cancer. Now, for a second season, a Raiders quarterback is dealing with losing a parent.

“His dad was unbelievably supportive to all his kids, a positive influence in their lives, for sure,” Huntley football coach Mike Naymola said. “He was very involved in the community and youth coaching. You never saw him not smiling when he was around the football field and watching his kids.

“Braylon is dealing with an unbelievable tragedy as well as any kid would. At first, he was quiet just trying to be strong for his mom, who was broken. We could tell he was hurting, but being around football has helped him cope. I know he plays for his father’s memory now.”

Huntley beat Niles West 26-14 on Friday and Wolves coach Nick Torresso even knew about what Braylon Bower has gone through this season.

“I have a lot of admiration for their quarterback,” Torresso said. “My dad passed when I was very young, and I’ve been following this kid for a while, it’s admirable what he’s doing.”

Liana Bower is there for all of Braylon’s games and is proud of how her son has played to help the Raiders reach this point.

“Without his dad here, he’s been able to overcome,” she said. “(Lysle) also coached the boys in football. (Me) being there is one thing, but being able to talk to him like his dad did is completely different and (Braylon) doesn’t have that. So, he’s dealing with it very well. The adversity he has overcome has been huge.

“We always knew that each one of our kids was blessed with athleticism. We knew he could do it, he just needed to prove it and be given the opportunity. From our standpoint, we’re not surprised, we’re happy he can show people what he can do.”

Bower has completed 74.5% of his passes for 1,274 yards with 14 touchdowns and two interceptions. He has rushed for 629 yards and five TDs.

Being consumed with football since August has helped.

“We’re all hanging in there. Football has been occupying our time a lot, and I really haven’t had a moment yet to process everything,” Braylon Bower said. “I’d say football is at the right spot for us so we don’t think about everything right now.

“There’s a lot of things I can remember about my dad. His funny side. Not a lot of people saw his funny side besides my siblings and my mom. His positivity, he was always there and he was always pushing me and my siblings to be the best that we can be, and to be better human beings.”

Liana Bower said Briana has taken the loss extremely hard. Lysle taught Briana how to pitch and she was a four-year starter at Huntley before heading to Mississippi State, then to Illinois.

Lysle Bower was also going to teach Brooklyn to pitch, but hip problems limited his mobility. The plan was he would resume it this fall after a hip replacement, his seventh hip surgery, in July.

“It’s been a little rough because he knew more about the pitching aspect than I do,” Liana said. “He taught my oldest and was going to teach my youngest. We have to see if (Brooklyn’s) heart is in it to pitch and have Briana teach her or if she wants to play another position.”

Naymola believes his quarterback, and the other siblings, are doing their father proud.

“They are an incredibly close family,” Naymola said. “(Lysle) was the heart and soul of it. All the kids have rallied around their mom to move forward with their lives with pride and courage as their dad would want.”