By Pat McGavin-Photos by Jenn-Anne Gledhill
**Additional Photos are available for purchase at justallsports.zenfolio.com/2022pioneers.**
ORLAND PARK—
The most direct of games suddenly felt like a quagmire with both teams seemingly trapped by misfortune and bad luck.
They were avid to make anything possible happen.
The news was there, but none of it really encouraging—just examples of turnovers or most egregiously, a 91-yard touchdown for the home side called back.
Both teams seemed rather too comfortable handing it over to the other side to be effective on its own terms.
It seemed destined to be that kind of day on a windy and blustery late afternoon.
Then Drake Ulaszek saw his opportunity.
“I saw Charlie Enstrom getting ready to launch, and I immediately started running as fast as I could,” he said.
“I heard the other kids behind me. I tried to grab the ball over my shoulder without slowing down.”
Ulaszek broke free in the secondary for the beautiful run and catch.
He ran as if his life depended on it.
Just the outcome of the Orland Park Pioneers Lightweights team hung in the balance.
“I almost dropped it, but I held on and I just started running,” Ulaszek said.
By the time Ulaszek got caught from behind with the illegal horse collar tackle adding 15 yards to the end of the play, the original pass sequence took up 56 yards.
“That play really got the offense going,” Enstrom said.
“On the play, my coach always says after the fake, look for my running back, Nahkati Thompson, in the flat, but I took my three step drop and made the throw to Drake.”
Ulaszek did the rest.
“Drake caught it, and then ran some more, and we got the additional yards on the penalty,” Enstrom said.
Ulaszek’s run and catch sparked the Pioneers’ Lightweights to the 20-0 victory over the Frankfort Square Wildcats in a River Valley Youth League Football game at Sandburg High School on Sunday, October 16.
It was a day of rejuvenation and rebirth.
Ben Snider saw his first action of the season after suffering a broken collarbone during training camp.
If Ulaszek was the catalyst, running back Enzo Angone was the breakout talent.
He scored a rushing touchdown and a punt return score in powering the Pioneers’ attack.
Enzo scored just two plays after the Ulaszek hook up with Enstrom.
His 14-yard blast around the left edge opened the scoring late in the second quarter.
His apparent 91-yard touchdown on a jet sweep was negated by an illegal block moments earlier.
“Everybody kept telling me I could get it back,” Angone said.
“They told me to get back, and be ready to go.”
Ulaszek suffered a hyperextended left knee at the end of the run. He was able to return to action in the second half.
The symbolic importance of his catch could not be overstated.
“After Drake had that long reception, I had the touchdown right after that,” Angone said.
He flashed speed, quickness and excellent balance in the open field.
Despite the long touchdown run called back, Angone showed breathtaking and breakaway speed.
“Usually if I see someone, I try to juke them,” Angone said. “This time I just tried to get to the corner on the first touchdown.”
The opening was eventful without being consequential.
The Pioneers turned the ball over on their first two possessions, altering an interception with a fumble.
Linebacker Nicholas Peisker stripped the ball and recovered a fumble on the Wildcats’ first play from scrimmage—the first of four turnovers.
“Our intensity was great,” Peisker said. “They came out thinking they were going to win the game.
“We forced a fumble on the first drive. Then we forced another fumble on the big drive they had. We had guys flying all over the backfield.”
The telling sequence came late in the second quarter. The Wildcats were pounding at the gate, inside the 10-yard line and effectively moving the ball.
Star Nahkati Thompson made a big sack for a one-yard loss.
On the ensuing play, Angone and Logan Helman crashed the backfield and forced a fumble.
Helman jumped on the recovery. The Wildcats never seriously threatened again.
Angone put the finishing touches on his superb play with a 61-yard punt return touchdown in the closing seconds of the first half.
He ran to daylight, and ostensibly broke the game open.
“I knew we needed the extra points for the team,” Angone said. “I just love getting the ball in space, and moving past all the other players.”
Thompson delivered another jolting two-way performance for the Pioneers.
He rushed for a team-best 59 yards on nine carries.
Thompson also had six tackles, including a sack.
“We just had to fight hard,” Thompson said. “We knew coming into the game, this was going to be a super hard and physical game.”
Despite the ball security issues for the Pioneers, the individual talent transcended, or mitigated, the mistakes and breakdowns.
Angone finished with 40 yards on six carries.
The punt return score was the ideal spark, the equivalent of a wave the rest off the energy and tenacity of the moment.
“At that point of the game, I’d much rather be up two scores,” Thompson said.
Despite the failed conversion attempt, the Pioneers led 13-0 at halftime.
Enstrom ended up completing two passes out of three attempts for 66 yards.
He also recovered a fumble in the third quarter.
Thompson, Angone and Snider collaborated on a 10-play scoring drive that culminated with an eight-yard scoring run by Thompson.
Snider added the conversion.
He had modest statistics with his return, posting 11 yards on six carries.
He gives the team another experienced playmaker and ball handler.
“It felt great to be back,” Snider said.
“Running the ball, feeling it and holding it, were the biggest things I had to get used to again.”
In Fifth Quarter action, running back Anthony Baniewicz had several breakaway runs. Cade Judeh was efficnt and effective playing quarterback.
Finn Redmon also had a nice run. Nick Hertzog anchored the offensive line play.
Defensively Zach Salah, Justin McNamara and Max Streets-Pruitt showed aggression and toughness..
In the Orland Park Pioneers Lightweights’ 20-0 victory, there were many outstanding contributions. Other players who played a role in the shutout were Kristian Willis, Gavin Loman, Carter Bellik, Dylan Butler, Vinny Ficaro, Evan Lavelle, Luke Tonra, Luke Rybak, Carter Peluso, John Werner, Karam Olyyan, Nicholas Mase, Luke Makuch, Moody Abudan, Ryan Marek, Brock Lenzen, Hudson Doftert, Aidan Rios, Qais Naser, Steven Mullins, Ryan Duckhorn, Muhammed Kassem, Andrew Quinn, Erik Baran, Brian Curran, and John Sutter.
The cheerleaders also brought a beautiful energy and grace with their passion and routines.
The cheerleaders were Aubrey Baran, Keira Barrera, Brittney Blazys, Brooke Blazys, Annabelle Briseno, Hayden Campbell, Avery Carroll, Isabella Castillo-Meza, Frankie Ficaro, Emma Golonka, Delaney Grenda, Tessa Heinze, Arabella Hernandez, Bianca Kapusciarz, Brinley Laniosz, Malayna Marable, Gabriella Milosovic, Emily Minard, Eleanor Nothnagel, Emma Overman, Makayla Roman, Emma Ruisz and Kamilla Ulaszek.
