By Bobby Narang- Photos by Jenn-Anne Gledhill
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MOKENA— Something had to change for the Jr. Celtics 10U Division 3 program. The Jr. Celtics entered the Sunday morning game with three losses in three games.
Coach Dennis said he noticed something different in his players leading up to Sunday’s battle against the Oriole Park Falcons.
Maybe it the conditions. As the first of four games for the Jr. Celtics football program, the 10U team had the luxury of playing in ideal conditions – hot but no rain – compared to the other games later than day.
Or it was the attitude, for the Jr. Celtics immediately came out during the pregame with a focused and determined look to get their first win of the season.
“I think we had a little spark this week,” Jr. Celtics coach Mike Denton said. “The boys were fighting and we tried kids at new positions and I think it worked out well for us. We were hoping the team would play well and get a win today. We were happy with our practices leading up to today’s game.”
Led by a strong coaching effort by Dennis and his assistants, the Jr. Celtics picked up their first victory of the season, scoring 13 points in the first quarter on the way to a 20-7 triumph over the Falcons.
“It was right place and the right time for us today,” Dennis said “It definitely feels good to get one. It was a heck of a game for the boys. They all fought today, through injuries and sickness and it was a really good resilient game for them today.”
The Jr. Celtics showed they were all business from the opening kickoff, scoring a touchdown on the first drive of the game. After two short runs, Austin Boyer launched a 45-yard touchdown pass to Keaton Kastys for a 7-0 lead with 6:24 left in the first quarter.
“The linemen put in a lot of work so I knew the defense couldn’t get through, so I chucked it as far as I could,” Boyer said of his first TD pass.
Fast and durable, Kastys is one of the top offensive players for the Jr. Celtics. He showed his worth to the program throughout Sunday’s game, including on the highlight-reel TD grab.
“I just knew I could get open because Austin made a great throw and I was able to catch the ball,” Kastys said. “I knew I was faster and they couldn’t catch me. They didn’t see that play coming. We definitely punched them in the mouth at the beginning of the game. We were tough on defense and the linemen made great holes for us and helped us score the touchdowns and get a lot of yards.”
On the Falcons first drive, the Jr. Celtics invaded the backfield several times. Finnian McDonnell and Boyer both ended the drive, combining for sacks on the last two plays of the possession. The Jr. Celtics went immediately to work, when Kastys played quarterback and raced along the sidelines for a 40-yard TD run for a 13-0 edge with 1:57 remaining in the first quarter.
The Jr. Celtics defense went back to work thanks to three stellar plays by Boyer who closed out the drive with consecutive pass deflections. Bass was a constant presence in the backfield for the visiting team, blowing up plays with his speed, moves and power. The Falcons couldn’t stop Bass no matter how many players they tried to block him with throughout the game.
“At first, they were singling teaming me, so it was easy,” Bass said. “Then they double-teamed me, but it was still easy. It was little harder when they triple-teamed me. The defense did good and everyone played well today to help the team get a win.”
The Jr. Celtics closed out the half with two more possessions but couldn’t add to their lead. The Falcons came out aggressive to open the third quarter, generating a six-play drive that ended via downs. Bass had a key play in the drive, stopping a reverse play with a tackle behind the line of scrimmage.
The Jr. Celtics broke open the game with a long drive that extended 13 plays and covered 80 yards. The Boyer-to-Kastys connection was the key moment of the possession, as Kastys hauled in a long bomb before getting tackled at the Falcons’ 25-yard line. The Jr. Celtics converted a fourth down play to keep the drive alive on the 10th play. Boyer tossed a 7-yard TD pass to Elijah Bogle to close out the memorable possession for a 20-0 lead with 5:42 left in the fourth quarter.
Denton said Bass and Kastys both played another solid game for his team.
“Henry Bass set the tone and he’s been a monster for us all year,” Denton said. “The middle of our defensive line has been nonstop and it was great to see him get out there and he deserves it. He’s been working hard all season. Keaton is one of our offensive motors. He sets the tone and he knows it. He’s been playing with this organization long enough to know it that he sets the tone and when he’s playing well, the rest of his teammates follow.”
The Falcons spoiled the shutout bid, scoring a touchdown on their second-to-last drive of the game via long run. Even so, the Jr. Celtics limited big plays all day long until finally allowing the late TD. The visiting team couldn’t build any long drives all game.
Jr. Celtics defensive end Zachary Bal-Denton said it was complete victory by the entire team including, from the offense, defense and special team.
“It was great, and my teammates all worked hard, and we showed the other team our potential,” Bal-Denton said. “We contained them on defense and they were undefeated. The offense was phenomenal and the O-line gets all the credit. Without them, we would not have scored all these touchdowns and great blocks.”
The Jr. Celtics entire team relished the victory and played a part in winning the first game of the season, including Ahmad Awad, Zakai Obeng, Cesar Kanu, Angelo Cameo, William Dybas, Aiden Cesek, Max Sharpe, Jackson Aldworth, Jesus Delgado, Calogero DiNaso, Lorenzo Aldworth, Alexander Wallace, Grayson Tadin, Leo Blythe, James Preston, Chase Eddington, Elijah Bogle, Porter Ronk, Owen Brennan and Henry Richardson.
