Quarterback Braylon Bower provides just what Huntley’s offense needs

HUNTLEY – Huntley quarterback Braylon Bower has not simply been on point this season, he’s been on fire.

With the Red Raiders searching to branch out offensively and add dimensions other than pounding defenses with big running back Haiden Janke, Bower has been their man.

The 6-foot, 170-pound junior is completing 77.4% of his passes and has thrown for 10 touchdowns with only two interceptions. Bower is a significant reason why Huntley’s offense is tough to deal with and why the Raiders already have playoff eligibility for the eighth time in the past nine seasons.

“It feels really good, but we still have a lot more stuff to do and a lot more games to play, especially in the playoffs,” Bower said. “This team is really good, we all have a really good connection, the chemistry is all there. If anything goes wrong, we’re there to help each other.”

Huntley (5-1, 5-1 Fox Valley Conference) plays at Cary-Grove (5-1, 5-1) at 1 p.m. Saturday in a game that can decide sole possession of second place in the FVC.

Bower’s efficiency, for a first-year varsity player, has been remarkable. He was perfect in two games – 11 for 11 against Jacobs and 9 for 9 against Hampshire.

Bower’s passing ability is precisely what Huntley was looking to complement Janke, a 210-pound bruiser who leads the area with 14 rushing touchdowns.

Huntley coach Mike Naymola felt a more diverse offense was critical to his team’s success.

“Braylon’s progression as a quarterback and his understanding of the offense is really what’s made us more diverse, because he’s been able to run with the ball and throw the ball with a high efficiency rate, which is what we want to do,” Naymola said. “It keeps defenses from locking in on one person. He just keeps getting better at it.”

Naymola said a key has been Bower figuring out before the snap who his receiver is and getting the ball away quickly and accurately.

“I don’t know if it’s anything we’ve done. He’s done a nice job of finding the open guys,” Naymola said. “Most of our completions are on plays that are not super long in developing. It’s him capitalizing on pre-snap reads. It’s loosened up defenses and allowed us to make some plays downfield, which is what was missing from our offense last year.”

Bower has thrown for 824 yards and already has more completions than the Raiders had last season. He hit wide receiver Jacob Witt for nine receptions, 123 yards and two touchdowns in last week’s 54-43 win over Crystal Lake South.

“Braylon has definitely opened up the offense more than last year,” Witt said. “He’s throwing perfect balls a lot. It’s nice as a receiver to get that all the time. It’s all about timing with the receivers. He has good timing.”

Bower works with Throw It Deep Academy in the offseason, with coach Daniel Santacaterina and owner Jeff Christensen. He also played with Witt, Colin Hochmuth and Noah VanDeVoorde in Top Gun 7-on-7 competitions, which helped develop their on-field rapport.

Bower also showed he can throw the deep ball when he connected with Witt for a 41-yard strike against Jacobs, then hit Zack Garifo for a 68-yard score the next week against Prairie Ridge.

In one stretch in those games, he threw 20 passes without an incompletion.

“I feel like [the coaches] have done a really good job teaching me and getting me prepared for Friday night,” Bower said. “It feels good knowing we can do both, knowing we can run the ball and throw the ball. We’ll be a lot better team doing both.”

Bower gives credit to his linemen – Cam Mueller, Vinny Tiberi, Jack Crudele, Adam Tramuta and Kelly Gassner – for providing solid protection.

“I’ve improved by staying back in the pocket and trusting my offensive line a lot more than I did last year [with the sophomore team],” Bower said. “Last year, I was more of a scrambler and didn’t have that much trust. Now I trust my line more to block for me.”

Janke carried the ball 278 times last season for 1,430 yards and 10 touchdowns. Only Prairie Ridge quarterback Tyler Vasey, who played in 14 games for a Class 6A state runner-up team and set the IHSA season rushing record at 3,887 yards, had more carries among local teams.

Janke has 656 yards on 98 carries but more touchdowns already than last season. He is averaging 12 fewer carries per game but is not complaining about a reduced workload.

“Braylon is a big part of the team,” Janke said. “He’s good with his legs, and he’s smart with his decisions. His throwing game is perfect. He throws a nice ball. He knows when to throw it, and I’m very happy with how far he has come.

“It’s how much he works. He works every day of practice with the wide receivers, always throwing and knowing how the routes work.”

Janke feels the lower number of carries helps him be more efficient later in games.

“I feel like I’m getting the ball less, but I can make bigger plays,” Janke said. “Like this last game, those big touchdowns, and helping out the team. Last year I was running the ball and getting 3 yards. This year I can get more runs of 8 yards.”

Janke was still fresh enough to rip off a 66-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter against South. His average yards per carry is up to 6.7 from 5.1 last season.

Bower’s older brother Boston is a defensive lineman at NCAA Division III Carthage. His older sister Briana is a softball pitcher at Illinois. He grew up playing running back, wide receiver and safety with the Huntley Mustangs before switching to quarterback in eighth grade.

“It was hard for me having played other positions and transferring over to quarterback,” Bower said. “Watching other quarterbacks and going to training and getting used to doing it. It’s a pretty hard position.

“We’re at a pretty good spot. We still have things to work on.”