By Ed Muniz-Photos by Kathy Jones
**Additional Photos are available for purchase at justallsports.zenfolio.com/2022pioneers.**
The Last game of the River Valley Youth Football League Super Bowl Championships featured a rematch of a previous meeting during the season.
The hard running, smash-you-in-the-face style of the Mt Greenwood Colts would take on the Speed and Tenacity of the unbeaten Orland Park Pioneers.
Previously, the muscles of the Colts didn’t stack up against the speedy running game and air attack of the Pioneers which resulted in a 30-12 win for the Pioneers.
This group of Pioneers entered this Championship having won 21-games in a row.
The Colts semi-final game saw them dismantle the previously unbeaten Frankfort Falcons; thus, their confidence was at a high entering this game.
What they didn’t realize was just how determined and skilled these Pioneers under the tutelage of Todd Shelton and Chris Stefanos are.
No other team matched their scoring output or their defensive stinginess. Before you blinked, the Pioneers were up 10 and never looked back, going on to display a swarming defense and the ability to score at will, with their highest output of the year, in their 43-6 Championship dispatching.
“After two consecutive Championship losses of 2-points each game at this level, it feels great to bring home the Varsity Trophy,’ said Pioneer President Jenny Czerwonka. “This team is very talented and I’m proud of all of them and thankful to them all.”
“There’s no better way to go out with these kids and what they’ve done previously,” said Todd Shelton.
“For our program and the parents, everyone one of them is unbelievable. I’m just really blessed to have these families and these kids all these years.”
“This group is special, they’re tight, they know each other, they play well together, I call them the Wolf Pack, they know each ones move, everybody knows how to play and its unbelievable to watch. Our team continuity and gel are too easy, they’ve made it easy on us coaches.”
This team of Pioneers score a lot and create separation from their opponent while maintaining that as well, each game you see big plays via runs and passes, you get Quinn Durkin running and scoring nearly as often as he wants from anywhere on the field.
You have a field general that is so much like a coach, its easy to understand why the offense works so well with Sean Ruisz at Quarterback.
Sean throws the ball, but Barret Sigel and Jake Tomczak, Brody Wantroba, Jake Drew and Durkin are making the receptions. Some easy and some quite difficult. You have to be in awe at the efforts and receptions the Pioneers receiving core makes.
The offensive line play started at center where Jake Buechele was stellar all year. Jack Clifton and Keegan Kirk were to each side of Buechele and beyond them was Briggs Corona and Toddy Shelton. The Offensive backfield often credited the offensive line for their successes.
The depth of the Pioneer offense and defense is comforting to have, with Coach Shelton recognizing that throughout the season.
The offense is thrilling to watch but the Pioneers aren’t just about the offense. This is a well-balanced team. They are dominant defensively as they are offensively.
Coach Stefanos’ starting defense allowed just two scores against them all season and one was in the title game. The defensive line play of Briggs Corona, Keegan Kirk, and Adam Danko proved too much for many of their opponents.
The Pioneer linebackers used speed, often closing minute openings quickly. It was difficult for teams to get to the second level,but when they did, Linebackers Wantroba, Durkin, Shelton, Luke Kruszynski and Kendall McDowell were there to greet them with a stop.
The outside was covered well by the athleticism of Sigel and Tomczak who both would close in on the opponent and limit their gains.
Both were good pass defenders, occasionally beaten but Ruisz as safety didn’t give opponents many successes.
The Championship season played out as the Pioneers expected with one exception, the Colts second play to start the game went 48-yards up the middle for the opening score.
“When they scored right away, I was like this is gonna be a good game, but I knew we would come back, first time that’s happen to us so we talked and knew we would have to battle,” said Rusiz
“I was really shocked when they scored right away on us. I thought we were a little scared at the beginning because we didn’t expect it, but as the game went on, we gained more confidence,” said Linebacker Toddy Shelton.
Trailing 6-0 just 52-second in, the Pioneers regrouped quickly and went on a 12-play drive that culminated with Ruisz connecting with Wantroba on the 20-yard touchdown pass.
Clifton added the conversion-kick which gave the Pioneers an 8-6 lead. The Pioneers never trailed again and didn’t allow another score.
During their opening drive, Ruisz was active both running the ball and throwing it. Passes to Durkin, Tomczak and Wantroba moved the ball quickly. His runs along with runs by Durkin, soon had the Pioneers just 20-yards out.
Mistakes hurt the Colts in their first game against the Pioneers. Two plays into the ensuing drive, after reaching the Pioneer 16-yard-line on a 39-yard run, they once again fumble the ball.
Toddy Shelton delivered a hard tackle that jarred the ball lose from the Colts runner which was recovered by McDowell.
The Pioneers run game hit its stride, moving the ball towards the Colts end-zone.
Runs by Durkin, Wantroba and Ruisz set up their next score.
Ruisz found Wantroba again, this time from 29-yards out connecting for their second touchdown. Again, Clifton added the Kick which gave the Pioneers a 16-6 lead as the first quarter expired.
The Pioneers’ defense was again being tested, The Colts drove to the Pioneer 7-yard-line before McDowell snuffed out another promising drive by the Colts. Sigel, Ruisz, Durkin and Danko also grabbed tackles.
Durkin took the next handoff from his own seven and raced for 43-yards. Ruisz added 13 more yards via a run then found Tomczak for 12-yards. Followed by Ruisz connecting with Sigel for 23 more yards, finally, Wantroba added the one-yard plunge for the Pioneers third score and his third touchdown of the game, upping the lead to 22-6.
“I think this is probably the best game I’ve ever played,” said Wantroba
The Colts went from bad to worse three plays after the kickoff. Another fumble loss was recovered by Kruszynski.
The Pioneers closed off the first half unable to score again with the limited time.
On three of the first four carries of the second half, Durkin added 5, 19 and a 22-yard touchdown romp.
Ruisz also added 25-yards on one of his runs.
Clifton again added the conversion-kick which had the Pioneer lead up to 30-6.
The Colts were futile in their offensive efforts. On the following first down, they fumbled but regain possession after losing 15-yards, then threw an interception which was returned 11-yards by Tomczak.
Three plays later, Ruisz found Durkin on the 21-yard touchdown pass, elevating the Pioneer lead to 36-6.
With the big lead, the Pioneers went to backups in the fourth quarter as did the Colts.
Twice running-back touchdowns, Jad Jaber broke free and scored on spectacular moves. Unfortunately, the first 46-yard touchdown was called back due to a penalty.
Jaber took the next hand off and this time went 64-yards. Similar how Jim Thorpe did at Carlisle School returning two straight kickoffs against Army after a penalty.
Carson Conrad ran in the extra-point for the 43-6 lead that soon ended the game and gave this Pioneer group of players their 22 straight win and the 2022 RVYFL Varsity Championship
Wantroba was the offensive star scoring three touchdowns on passes. A feat he had never done before.
“This is the first year I’ve caught passes and scored touchdowns, I love it, but there’s always improvement so this is probably a 9 out of 10 type game for me. Sean (Ruisz) threw me some really good balls and I couldn’t do it without the O-Line giving him time.”
“We were coming out to smack them in the mouth just because this is our last game in our Pioneers Career,” said Wantroba.
Sean Ruisz showed why he is being looked at by many high schools. His play in this game showed all his skills, Running, Passing and tackling, he brought his “Top Game” in this Championship.
“My offenseive line and my route runners were able to get there when I put the ball in the air and the time I was given to do that,” said the Star Quarterback.
“The Coaches throughout the year also made me a better Quarterback. We saw film on these guys so today I scanned the field looking for the right guy and I thank my O-Line for giving me the time to scan the whole field.”
One of the most under-rated players on the Pioneers is Toddy Shelton. He is unheralded and doesn’t mind it. He continues to do his job on the offensive line and as a Linebacker. One thing he does well is be around the ball defensively and block for his backfield offensively.
“Football is my favorite sports. I thought we did well handling the ball and draining the clock and staying in the game,” said Toddy.
“There’s a lot of arguing back and forth between the teams during the game, we did well not focusing on that but playing our game. We don’t get bother by much, that’s how we play.”
Jaber Highlighted the Fifth Quarter play. His 23-yard touchdown run was extremely fun to watch. The Run saw him zig-zag through the entire Colts defense that seem to last 30-seconds.
Asked if his running success and elusiveness is easy for him, he chuckled and said “Yes”.
“I try not to get tackled; I don’t like to be hit and tackled,” said Jaber. “I thought our win was an all-team effort and everyone doing their job, otherwise we wouldn’t have done as well as we did.”
Carson Conrad, Taylor McDoniel and Zayne Salah added to the rushing efforts.
Defensively, Shafik Yasin, Cash Phillips, Henry Selof, Stephen Caxton-Idowu and Will Beeler each had tackles but both Egan Kelly and David Klimaszka led the Pioneers in tackles.
Other Pioneers giving there all during the Championship season are Devin Stefanos, Logan Kondziolka, Ethan Krueger, Nolan Rodriguez, Jordan Masino, Chase Czerwonka, Othman Mizyed, Adam Hoak, Mohammad Ghadban, Ibrahim Jaffal. Rami Agha, David Torgerson, Cade Koehler, Jax Arocho, Blake Wagner, Matt Durkin and Rocco McCarthy.
This will be remembered as a special, talent-loaded Pioneer team with several of these boys playing beyond high school.
Ten of these boys earned All-River Valley recognition for their play. They include Brody Wantroba, Sean Ruisz, Toddy Shelton, Barret Sigel, Jordan Masino, Kendall McDowell, Quinn Durkin, Briggs Corona, Luke Kruszynski and Jack Clifton.
Cheering on the Pioneers all season were the Varsity Pioneer Cheerleaders. They include Ava Brennan, Madeline Carrier, Mia Franzese, Emery Gasa, Sophia Gasior, Ella Groark, Chloe Havens, Tayla Lovitt, Lily Masino, Audrey Mitchell, Rain Murphy, Fiona Sejud, Bella Senese, Kiera Ulaszek, Summer Vahl, Giselle Velasco, Kylee Votteler, Julia Werner and Anna Woloszyk.
