By Pat McGavin-Photos by Renee Kaspar
**Additional Photos are available for purchase at justallsports.zenfolio.com/2022pioneers.**
CHICAGO—
“When Pride Still Mattered,” is the name of an acclaimed biography of the legendary Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi.
It also summarized the effort, discipline and tenacity of the Orland Park Pioneers Varsity.
The team was dealing with a skeleton program after many of its top players were out of town on a special class trip.
The idea of the next man up never seemed so accurate or telling.
“We didn’t have our key players, and we didn’t come out as strong as normally do,” Brody Wantroba said.
“Fortunately, we got our blocks down, and our defense played great.”
Players out of the limelight used the platform to show what they were capable of.
The secondary and role players seized the spotlight in the Pioneers’ 14-6 victory over the Chicago Blitz in a River Valley Youth League Football game at St. Rita on Sunday, October 9.
Two-way stars Sean Ruisz, Quinn Durkin and defensive stalwarts such as Kendall McDowell, Nolan Rodriguez and Jake Tomczak were unavailable.
Jordan Masino, a superb running back and linebacker, is also recovering from a foot injury.
In short, the Pioneers were missing a lot of firepower on both sides of the ball.
Orland Park found a way to make everything work.
Two Fifth Quarter standouts, quarterback Taylor McDoniel and running back Jad Jaber, took on the challenge.
“The biggest adjustment I had to make, I’d say, was taking the hits from much bigger people,” McDoniel said.
“You also have less time when you’re trying to throw, but out did a great job today.”
The Pioneers had the ball the entire first quarter, running 11 plays from scrimmage in moving from their 38-yard line to the nine-yard line of the Blitz.
A penalty and an errant handoff stymied the drive. The lesson was unmistakable.
“We didn’t score on that first drive, but it was the execution that was working,” coach Todd Shelton said.
“Our first half talk was really about how well we did. We executed, and we moved the ball down the field.”
Jaber flashed tremendous promise in his amplified role as the lead ball carrier.
He ran for 13 yards on first carry. He also broke an 11-yard scamper.
“In the Fifth Quarter games, I have time to react,” he said. “The biggest difference today was the guys you’re up against are a lot quicker and bigger.
“They can read the plays so much faster, so you have to make really fast decisions.”
Adam Danko and Kirk Keegan made the first significant stand for the Pioneers’ defense.
On the first play by the Blitz, they knifed through for a stop of no gain.
A narrative line was set up the rest of the game.
“Their offense was a bit wild and sloppy, and that allowed us to get in and make big plays for loss,” Danko said.
“Our linebackers showed us what we had to do, and where to go, and our defensive line just took over from there.”
Danko and defensive lineman Luke Kruszynski collaborated on the first game-altering action.
Danko chased the Blitz quarterback in the shadow of the end zone for a 13-yard loss. He jarred the ball loose.
Kruszynski made the recovery on the one-yard line.
“On the strip fumble, I was running to sack the quarterback, and he lost it, and we jumped on it right away,” he said.
“I just saw that he rolled out and was going backwards, and I just immediately jumped out and ran after it.”
Jaber scored on the ensuing play for the opening touchdown.
McDoniel executed a deft roll out and found Toddy Shelton in the left corner on a pass for the conversion point.
Barret Siegel is one of the most experienced players. He took center stage in the game.
He played all over the filed, roving the defensive backfield as a deep safety and all-purpose threat as a receiver and runner.
He had multiple carries on reverses as the Pioneers had to alter their normal game plan with Ruisz not playing.
“It was a big jump going to running back, and seeing a lot of targets in the reverses,” Siegel said.
“Their defense liked to get up in our face, and we were able to get more first downs that way.”
The Pioneers also demonstrated cool savvy and resilience after a potentially nightmarish sequence at the end of the first half.
With the Pioneers inside the red zone and looking to expand their lead, a pass by McDoniel hung up in the air.
A Blitz defensive back made a quick jump and returned the resulting interception 92 yards for the touchdown.
Nolan Torgerson preserved the Pioneers’ lead by knifting through and sacking the Blitz quarterback on the conversion attempt.
Despite the huge momentum swing, the Pioneers maintained their composure.
“I think in some other times we might have taken what happened there harder, and we might not have bounced back,” McDoniel said.
“We did a good job of coming together, and scoring at the end.”
Neither team secured a first down in the third quarter as the defenses dominated.
The game became more tactical and strategic.
“They had some good hitters on defense, and that caused some fumbles and some plays that lost yardage,” Siegel said.
He was the difference maker in the second half.
Siegel recorded an interception on the opening play of the third quarter after an attempted onside kick failed to go the requisite 10 yards.
He also made a monster hit on a third-down pass attempt that dislodged the ball from the receiver on what was otherwise a first down.
Logan Kondziolka and Henry Selof also made strong plays for the secondary in the second half.
The Blitz never seriously threatened or created a dangerous offensive possession.
“This game showed that we have some good players who are able to step up, and play the positions and fill in for some guys who were out today,” Siegel said.
Siegel, Jaber and Wantroba helped put the game away.
Siegel broke out reverses of 11 and 10 yards. Jaber got loose around the left edge for 15 yards.
Wantroba took a quick inside half off 14 yards for the insurance touchdown with 6:28 remaining.
Siegel made a great circus catch from McDoniel for the conversion.
“I can’t do anything without my line,” Wantroba said. “It was wide open, and our offensive line did really well.”
Danko, Wantroba and Will Beeler shut the door on the final drive by the Blitz.
It was a total team effort.
“Hats off to the kids,” Todd Shelton said. “As long as they listen in practice and come out and do their jobs, the sky’s the limit.
“We have athletes up and down on this team. If one guy goes down, we have plenty of guys who can come back in.”
The Orland Park Pioneers Varsity relied on depth, mental toughness and fortitude despite the short-handed roster.
Other players who participated in the 14-6 victory included Jake Drew, Devin Stefanos, Zayne Salah, Ethan Krueger, Cash Phillips, Carson Conrad, Egan Kelly, Chase Czerwonka, Othman Mizyed, Adam Hoak, Briggs Corona, Jack Clifton, Mohammad Ghadban, Ibrahim Jaffal, Shafik Yasin, Rami Agha, David Klimaszka, Cade Koehler, Jax Arocho, Blake Wagner, Rocco McCarthy, Jake Buechele, and Stephen Caxton-Idowu.
Many of the normal varsity cheerleaders were also taking part in the school trip. A smaller, improvised group stepped up to fill in the void. Those cheerleaders included Kiera Ulaszek, Chloe Havens, Mia Franzese, Fiona Sejud, Rain Murphy, and Anna Woloszyk.
