By Patrick McGavin- Photos by Jenn Anne Gledhill
** Additional Photos are Available for Purchase at https://justallsports.zenfolio.com/p613183089 **
NEW LENOX— Happy accidents are a glorious byproduct of a game that often comes down to the unaccountable or moments that are wildly hard to predict.
Misdirection is a favorite byword for offenses. Sometimes it happens in ways that are wholly unexpected. Luckily for Illinois Jr. Celtics 12U team, Ryan Ripoli was in the wrong place at the right time.
The Jr. Celtics took advantage of a huge break that swung their way just when they truly needed it.
“There was one guy out there all the way on the left, and I think they were trying to kick it to the left side, but it went right, and I was pretty much all alone, and I just took it,” Ripoli said.
Ripoli broke off a 34-yard punt return that set up the winning touchdown in the Jr. Celtics’ 8-0 Homecoming victory over the Memorial Park Spartans in Chicagoland Pop Warner League play at Lincoln-Way Central on Sunday, September 20.
The Spartans were also called for a personal foul on the play, pushing the ball to the five-yard line. That was all Greyson Johnson needed.
On the ensuing play from scrimmage, Johnson broke around the left edge for the game’s only score for the five-yard touchdown run.
Brayden Ruth converted the all-important two-point kick for the final margin.
“That gave me a chance to finally score, with just a few yards, and not have to worry about getting a big gain or something,” Johnson said. “It gave me an opportunity.
“I couldn’t be nervous about it. I just had to do it.”
The Jr. Celtics punched the ball in with just 4:52 to play. Until the closing seconds, the margin was razor thin.
Johnson also loomed large on the final two Spartans’ drives. A couple of first downs put a scare into the Jr. Celtics.
William Mikaitis, Cameron Dvorak and Rex Schultz created pressure at the line of scrimmage and effectively immobilized the Spartans’ offensive line.
Austin Flynn, Johnson and Shanahan had free reign to move sideline to sideline.
That is the strength of the defense, and the unit delivered when it mattered most. Asher Kokolus and Johnson stepped up for a huge stop on third down.
Johnson raced quickly to his left on fourth down and tackled the quarterback short of the line to gain. The Spartans used their timeouts to generate one final possession.
It was more desperation than anything else. The Jr. Celtics forced a fumble on the final play from scrimmage.
Offense was scarce for the home team. Johnson’s 25-yard run in the second quarter marked their only explosive play of the game.
The athletic and dynamic Spartans’ defensive line harassed the two quarterbacks for the Jr. Celtics, starter Bryce Szczepaniak and specialist Anthony Baniewicz.
The 12U program has had a volatile season at times. The team came of age, showing improved maturity and self-awareness about what it takes to win games.
The Jr. Celtics prevailed largely by not beating themselves.
“I thought we did a great job of sticking together the whole game,” Ripoli said. “We didn’t blame each other like we did during our last two losses.
“We were battling, and I just knew that the next score was going to win.”
If Ripoli created the ultimate game-changing play, Joseph Shanahan made the signature play of the first half after the Spartans used a big pass play for first and goal at the five-yard line.
The rangy and athletic linebacker broke through and sacked the Spartans’ quarterback for a nine-yard loss. A penalty pushed them back farther.
“That goal line stand fired us up,” defensive lineman Codero Barry said. “After that, we just had to calm down, go back into game mode, and just finish the rest of the game. We had to lock in.
“We had to also be more humble.”
On fourth down, defensive back Declan Kirk formally ended the threat with diving interception off a tipped pass. The Spartans inadvertently signaled what they were doing.
“They were showing where they were going to run because they had one particular offensive lineman that they’d move every time and they’d run to his side,” Kirk said.
“We pretty much knew the side they were going. We spread our defensive ends pretty far out, and we just had them rush and go in. We knew they were going to run outside.”
Ruth’s two-point ostensibly made it a two-score game with the Spartans lacking their own kicker. He also was a huge reason the Jr. Celtics held the Memorial Park offense at bay.
His booming punts tilted the field in the advantage of the Jr. Celtics. He repeatedly kicked his team out of the danger zone, and forced the Spartans to march the length of the field.
“Cam Dvorak made great snaps, and it allowed me to punt the ball pretty much wherever I wanted,” Ruth said. “That was a huge part of the game.”
On the defensive interior, Kaiden Powell, Michael Zana and Barry did an exceptional job of applying pressure and blowing up the Spartans’ running game.
“We tried to put a lot of pressure on their center,” Barry said. “I also felt like we had to calm some of our players down. We were getting a little too anxious. It was a very tough game, and we had to dig it out in the trenches.
“We had to do what we had to do to win the game.”
Barry was also a calming influence in the closing minutes with the increasingly frantic Spartans trying to find the equalizer.
“We gave up a few first downs there,” he said. “We almost got a little too lackdaisical, acting like the game was already in the bag. We did better after that.
“We had to come bigger and better.”
In the end, the Jr. Celtics had the plays, and the players, on their side. The misdirection off the punt was the connecting thread.
“The game could have gone either way, and it came down to how we played in the second half,” Johnson said.
The Jr. Celtics’ 12U program had many standout contributors in the 8-0 victory. They were Tomasino Urso, Casey Gahan, Dean Copack, Romeo Brooks, Jonathan Collins, Joshua Hart, Jaxson Manning, Jaylen Fleming, Anthony Bruni, Eli Schubert, Luke Husenger, William Janik, Connor Seltzer, Beau Pasquale and Liam Berlard.
The Illinois Junior Celtics Competition Cheer Team also brought passion and style to their routines. Their members are Madelyn Barbahen, Lily Burke, Natalie Calhoun, Jillian Clarke, Charlotte Engstrom, Scarlett Faddah, Aria Farmer, Sabrina Guanajuato, Sophia Guanajuato, Emma Price, Dani Samanich, Madisyn Singleton, Liliana Wood and Naya Young-Bay.
