By Bobby Narang- Photos by Renee Kaspar
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JOLIET – The “little guys” got a taste of the big stage on Sunday night.
Playing a rare game under the lights at Joliet Memorial Field, Tri-Cities and the Algonquin Argos battled in an intense 7U football game billed s as the “state championship game” by organizers.
With a big crowd at the venerable stadium, along with warmer than expected temperatures for the 6 p.m. kickoff, the two teams battled for just over 60 minutes in a thrilling game.
The Argos relied on a big-play running attack and stiffened up on defense in the second half to post a memorable 20-12 victory over the Wolverines in the final game of the season for both youth teams.
Right after the final buzzer sounded to seal the amazing season-ending victory, the Argos (9-0) coaching staff, players, parents and fans started celebrating the stunning achievement. Several people made a point to douse Argos’ coach Ricardo Silva with some water, wetting his black hair and causing him to wipe off his glasses. But Silva and his coaching staff were all smiles, relishing in the historic season and great game plan on Sunday that slowed down the Wolverines offensive attack.
Silva had a lengthy postgame detailing to his players the accomplishments of the season, including Sunday’s stellar four-quarter effort. He handed out necklaces to each player on the team, bending down to put the necklace on every player while parents surrounded him and took pictures and videos.
“The kids were so disciplined and they did an outstanding job out there,” Silva said. “They did all the work and showed up to every single practice and games. I never heard a single kid complain throughout the season about getting a practice over or how much longer is left in the game, not for the whole season. I didn’t hear a single kid say that. They all wanted to be at every game and practice. It makes it fun for us, so we tried to make it fun for them.”
The Wolverines (8-1) ended the season with a loss, but they showed tremendous toughness battling the Argos in the frenetic finale. Tri-Cities coach Anthony Hickny said he was extremely proud of his players for battling tough in an emotional game and a long season.
“We had 191 points scored, but we had given up only 27 total points on the year, so this game was the most points we have given up on a game all year,” he said. “I can live with this game because our kids gave it their all and left it all on the field. We just ran out of time today. Cooper Callender, our running back and middle linebacker, is a stud. He’s a great player and a state champion wrestler. He’s not the biggest guy, but he hits like the biggest guy.
“Saint Minett, my other running back, had two big touchdowns on the day. He’s another kid who gives everything he’s got. This team has a bunch of warriors on the team. It’s a team game.”
The 7U game was full of thrills, starting off with the opening drive when the Wolverines sent a powerful message with a time-consuming march down the field.
Running back Saint Minett opened the game with a basic 2-yard run, but he was an issue all day long for the Argos defense. Relying on his speed, cutback moves and strength, Minett torched the Argos defense for the entire game.
He busted free for a 12-yard run on the fourth play of the drive, ending the long drive with a long touchdown scamper with a hesitation move at the 6-yard line for a 6-0 lead with 3:20 remaining in the quarter.
“We had a great season and I liked my coaches and brothers,” Minett said. “I just tried not to get tackled and follow my blockers all game long. I felt good running the ball. I was dipping out there.”
The Argos countered with an even longer drive to tie the game at 6-6, eating up the clock with a 12-play, 65-yard possession. Leo Miceli handled the majority of the carries for the Argos, including on the first drive for them of the game. Miceli is a maestro of cutbacks, moves and strength, showcasing all of his moves against the Wolverines. On the first drive, he had an 18-yard carry on the third play, breaking several tackles for a first down. He added a 17-yard burst, shedding three tacklers and ended the drive with a 4-yard TD run, bulldozing his way into the end zone.
“Leo is so fast and runs with tenacity and heart,” his coach said. “It was incredible to watch.”
Not to be outdone, Minett showed why he is a special player, displaying some Reggie Bush-like moves throughout the game to frustrate the Argos. He exploded for a 57-yard TD run on the final play of the first half, speeding along the sidelines to give his team a 12-6 lead at halftime. Minett’s touchdown was a memorable moment of the game, as he slowed down near the end zone, cut back and sped up to score his second TD run of the game as time expired.
Everything changed for the better for the Argos in the second half. The Argos defensive line clamped down, the tackling improved and the Wolverines struggled to move the ball. The Argos offense woke up in the second half, taking advantage on the opening the third quarter with the ball. Despite the bad ending to the first half, the Argos didn’t hang their heads and methodically moved the ball down the field to regain the lead at 13-12 with 1:30 left in the third quarter.
The 10-play drive included several highlight plays, most notably Declan Druger’s 7-yard cutback run on the second play. Miceli was a big part of the game-winning drive, running free via a stiff arm move for a 10-yard gain. Miceli got stronger as the game wore on, completing the drive with a 9-yard run followed by a 11-yard touchdown run on the outside.
The Argos’ defense, perhaps energized by Miceli’s big-game running, shut the door on the home team to seize control of the game. The Wolverines ended their next drive on downs, partly because of a monster tackle by Jackson O’Brien. The hard hit turned the game toward the Argos, as they seized the momentum.
On the second play of their second drive in the half, the Argos handed the ball to their star running back. Miceli had a singular focus – getting into the end. He ran out the right side, followed his blockers and used a burst of speed to race 60 yards along the sidelines for a touchdown to extend his team’s lead to 20-12 with 5:48 left in the game.
“My favorite play was the long touchdown,” Miceli said. “I saw two guys coming at me, so I had to fake cut in and then started running really hard. That touchdown felt so good.”
Down eight points, the Wolverines showed the grit and toughness that led them to an undefeated regular season. Tri-Cities picked up a 9-yard run by Minett on the third play, but they fell short of moving the chains on fourth down. The Argos defense, sparked by a memorable tackle by Evan Jessogne on fourth down, came up big when it most counted to end the game.
“The defense shut it down,” Silva said. “All of them showed up and they earned this win. I’m proud of the team and the coaching staff. Nearly everybody came back this year and they earned this win. We just were out there supporting them and pushing them.”
Argos quarterback Cooper Schroeder was unflappable all game, showing his poise running the ball and carrying the offense.
“It was a very good game,” Schroeder said. “We were losing, but we came back and played very hard. I’m very happy.”
O’Brien, a part of a two-headed stellar running attack for the Argos, was happy to contribute to the victory.
“I had a couple of nice runs, but that was because our offensive line is very good at blocking and making holes for me,” O’Brien said. “I had a fun game running the ball
Algonquin linebacker Rocco Silva was one of the leaders on the defense who played a part in holding down the Wolverines after halftime.
“The defense played good today and we had a very good second half,” Rocco said. “It was great game.”
Jonathan Rivera Jr. also spearheaded the defense with his tackling and aggressiveness.
“This win feels so good,” Rivera said. “The defense did really good. We did good on the run and we got a lot of tackles, played hard and the running back ran good for us. We shut them down in the second half
Lineman Nathaniel Roman was very happy to help lead the Argos to the state title.
“This feels really good knowing the team played well and fought hard,” Roman said.
Despite heavy heart and a few tears, the Wolverines ended the season with their heads held up high and showed great class at the end of the game.
Tri-Cities quarterback Cooper Callender expressed gratitude toward his teammates and coaches.
“I love my coaches and I love all my brothers and I just love football,” Callender said. “It was a tough loss, but we had a great season.”
JC Price was instrumental in leading the defense for the Wolverines.
“We played good all game long and they had a really good running back,” Price said.
Linebacker Camden Villagran was all over the field, playing several positions for the Wolverines.
“They had a fast running back,” Villagran said. “I loved playing for this team especially after my brother played last year.”
Tri-Cities picked up contributions from the entire team throughout the difficult yet successful season, including from Emmett Palmer, Owen Roe, Zayden Jackson, Noah Bieber, Ezra Garcia, Emmet Johnson, Kai Jones, Knox Kreml, Julian Cruz, Rory Sullivan, Franklin Bentley, Leo Kmac, Hunter Davison, Hunter Hickey, Austin Rzeszutko, David Asiata, Clayton Coote, Axl Orozco and Colton Humbert.
The Argos rode a small but talented roster throughout the season, including Carter Hamilton, David Horner III, Roman Juarez, Channing Meehleib, Owen Peterson, Elijah Salas, Titus James Varda, Timothy Vazquez, Leonardo Wozniak and Harley Young.
