By Patrick Z. McGavin- Photos by Jenn-Anne Gledhill
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MOKENA— It was the hit heard everywhere, regardless of your place at the field or in the stands. The moment was so real and visceral it immediately changed the entire context of the larger game.
Welcome to the Jr Celtics, Elliot Roethle. The newcomer charged out of the secondary and unloaded on the receiver that ended their chance to tie the score. The game was never the same.
At Main Park on Sunday, August 25, his bone-crushing tackle late in the second quarter altered the competitive balance in the Pop Warner League game.
“The whole team was hyped up,” Roethle said.
The Jr Celtics 13U erupted for 29 unanswered points during a dominant second half for the season-opening 36-0 victory over the Plainfield Saints Gold.
Roethe had seven tackles, recovered a crucial fumble and scored a rushing touchdown in his deeply impressive debut performance.
“He’s a new part to our team, and he is helping our team a lot,” two-way star Dylan Fox said. “He’s making big hits, and bringing energy to the team. Once that hit happened, it couldn’t be stopped.”
The only downside to the game was a first quarter leg injury suffered by star running back Maddox Sperry. His early runs of 24 and 19 yards appeared to open up the scoring. The offense faltered a bit in his immediate absence.
“He’s a key part of our offense,” Dylan Fox said. “After he went out, it was a little hard to get going. That’s when I decided I wanted to do it for Maddox, I want to win this game for him. He is one of the hardest workers on the team.”
Dylan Fox scored the only first half touchdown on a 28-yard run at the start of the second quarter. His twin brother Tyler Fox scored the conversion run for the 7-0 lead. The bond and competitive dynamic between the twins is a prominent feature of the team.
“After I scored, we went back to the huddle and Ty asked when was it going to be my play, and he scored the conversion,” Dylan Fox said. “We just know where we’re going to be. I expect whenever he gets the ball he is going to make the play.”
The Dylan Fox and Sperry tandem was the centerpiece of the attack a year ago. Dylan Fox combines size, speed and excellent agility. He has come of age. Playing at the highest level of Pop Warner means adjusting to the better athleticism, size and speed of the opposition.
“You have to make faster decisions, and the game is a lot more physical,” Dylan Fox said. “It’s a very physically demanding game. You have to hit the holes low. You have to be smart and follow your holes. You can’t just run anywhere. Kids are a lot faster and bigger, and they have started to develop some real skills. You also have to adapt to that.”
A follow up Jr Celtics drive began with promise before ending on downs late in the second quarter. As much as the team dictated the game, it remained just a one-possession game.
The Saints’ best offensive play of the day, taken with a personal foul against the defense, threatened that lead with a first down at the 18-yard line of the Jr Celtics.
Roethle pressured the quarterback into an incompletion. On second down, he lowered the boom on the Saints’ running back who caught a flare pass in the left flat. The sound was nearly deafening.
“I felt like in the first half our offense was not doing quite as well as we ended up doing in the second half, just because our back got injured,” Roethle said. “I was able to fill in.”
The play foreshadowed the dominance of the Jr Celtics the balance of the game.
Up just 7-0 to start the second half, sparked by its defense, the team erupted for three touchdowns in the first five minutes of the third quarter.
Roethe was the catalyst, recovering a Saints’ fumble on the opening play of the third quarter. On the ensuing play from scrimmage, running back Kelly Slucki burst around the left edge for the 28-yard touchdown run.
“The offensive line did a great job at blocking, and that’s why I was able to get outside the hole,” Slucki said. “I kept moving my feet, and got the touchdown.”
Facing pressure in the pocket, the Saints’ quarterback lofted a ball in coverage that Tyler Fox intercepted and returned for the 39-yard touchdown return. The rout was on.
“We came into the game ready,” Tyler Fox said. “We knew we were going to win. Last year we lost by a touchdown in the fourth quarter, and we weren’t going to let that happen again. It hurt losing one of our key players, but then Elliot came in and he took over and did his job. We came into this game knowing we weren’t going to lose our first game.”
Dylan Fox, linebacker Honor Montelongo and Slucki maintained the elite defensive play with a series of negative yardage plays that provided ideal field position for the offense.
With Sperry out, Roethle showed off his versatility and saw action as a running back. His bruising and charging style was a sharp contrast to the explosive strikes of Dylan Fox and Slucki. He scored on a 10-yard run for the 27-0 lead.
Slucki is another skilled and highly versatile talent who impacted the game from multiple angles. He recorded a safety with a hard rush of the Saints’ quarterback with his sack in the end zone.
“I feel really badly for Maddox, but we had to get Elliot in,” Slucki said. “He did really well at everything he did today. I’m glad we got revenge on the other team.”
Jeremiah Turman ended the scoring with a one-yard plunge in the third quarter.
Quarterback Kalan McCarron ran the offense with efficiency and skill.
“It’s just great knowing I have so many weapons, and I can hand the ball off to anyone, and we have the ability to score touchdowns,” McCarron said.
The Jr Celtics 13U featured many standout contributors in the shutout victory. Those players included John Carter IV, Christopher Gravitt, Tegan Walsh, Michael Fryza, Ademide Bobade, Austin Palacios, Jaxon Chalupa, Christian Flores, Quinton Hoffman, Jack Fletcher, Liam Stanek, Henry Ambrose, Cameron Wade, Blake Roberts, Victor Lapointe, Anthony Aldworth and Henry Rettberg.
The Junior Varsity cheerleaders also performed admirably with skill, passion and precision in support of the team. Their members were Audrey Larson, Grace Corwhurst, Alexis Firlit, Raelynn Anderson, Vivienne Andresen, Riley Hoffman, Elle Dobblehoff, Skyler Guinea, Roe Lubovich, Mia Calleros, Charlotte McDonald, Emma Hamstra, Maleah Capadona, Charlotte Ozinga, and Gianna Kettwig.
