Braeden Novak happens to like his given name, but the Riverside-Brookfield senior quarterback can’t deny the football fit of his nickname.
“Bubba,” he said. “My dad has been calling me that since I was a baby. Personally, I like my first name, but everybody calls me by my nickname. It’s like a bigger guy, it fits my personality.”
Novak indeed brings the attitude of a lineman to the quarterback position. He prefers passing to running, but Novak is also not afraid to put his head down and take the hit when he calls his own number.
“I do feel like I am able to break a lot of tackles,” Novak said. “I’ve been playing quarterback my whole life. You know you will get hit, getting hit is a part of football. I have to stay in and keep driving my legs to get the extra yards. Three extra yards can win you the game.”
Led by its dual-threat quarterback, Riverside-Brookfield (7-1) is riding a seven-game winning streak, the latest a 38-28 win over Glenbard East that clinched at least a share of the Upstate Eight East title.
Novak threw for 183 yards and ran for 133 in that game, including a 69-yard run on the third play. He’s thrown for 1,455 yards and 14 touchdowns with just two interceptions in eight games, He’s also the Bulldogs’ leading rusher with 559 yards and 11 TDs.
“What he is able to do both in the pass game and in the run game is special,” R-B coach Sam Styler said. “He’s a phenomenal leader that our guys rally around. He commands our offense in whatever role we need him to. His ability as a runner keeps a lot of defenses on their toes. When he throws, he’s able to locate and make great reads and progressions.”
Novak, also a standout baseball player, started playing football in the second or third grade. His dad, Jeff, who played football and baseball at Hinsdale South, coached him the first three years.
Novak shared the quarterback job last year with another junior, returning starter Giancarlo Garcia, in helping lead R-B to an 8-2 record, the program’s best season in almost a decade.
Novak took the starting job by Week 7 last year, with Garcia moving to running back. When Garcia did not return this season, Novak knew he’d have to bulk up with an increased running workload. He’s up to 200 pounds from 175 last year.
“People are relying on me a lot more, where last year it was the two of us,” Novak said. “This year the weight is on my back. I have to come through, I know the guys are trusting in me.”
R-B offensive coordinator Brad Vojcak told every ballcarrier before the season they’d have to get an extra 3 yards once they got hit.
It’s a message – not going down at first contact – that Novak took to heart, all the while making strong reads and setting up his blockers well.
“His vision sets him apart, what he is able to see with holes and just how hard he runs,” Styler said. “It’s rare to see a quarterback that likes to finish forward the way he does. He has embraced that. He is always finishing forward, always willing to take the extra yard. It speaks volumes of him as a leader that he is willing to take a hit and fall forward.”
Novak, whose older brother Ryan was a three-time all-conference player at R-B, doesn’t shy away from contact in games. Apparently he doesn’t mind getting his nose dirty in practice drills
either.
“Not at all. He doesn’t shy away from anything,” Styler said. “Any time we do a drill he takes on contact. He wants everything. He is not one that sits out drills tackling or running. We love that about him. He’s tough and durable, the total package.”
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