By Bobby Narang- Photos by Lauren Gray
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MOKENA— Logan Cesek is a tough running back.
Cesek chews up yards with his strength, relying on his powerful torso and legs to move the chains and score touchdowns.
Yet, Cesek, despite his strong build, is an impressive athlete.
He can outrun defenders with his speed and also possesses a next-level attitude while running the ball. One of Cesek’s best traits is churning his legs nonstop until the opposing team is forced to gang-tackle him to the ground.
The Illinois Jr. Celtics 8U team is certainly happy to have Cesek shouldering the bulk of the offensive load.
That was the case during Sunday’s football game against the Elgin Steelers.
With Cesek dominating on the offensive side, the Jr. Celtics broke down the visitors with their relentless attitude and toughness
Cesek scored four touchdowns to power the Jr. Celtics to a 36-12 rout over the Elgin Steelers. Cesek scored on TD runs of 14, 5, 42 and 45 yards to finish with 168 yards in the game. The Jr. Celtics (3-0) did not allow the visiting team to score in the second half.
Cesek helped the cause on defense with several big plays, including three keys tackles on Elgin’s third possession of the second half. He had a key sacks to help end the drive. Henry Gloster helped keep the visiting team scoreless in the second half with a potential TD saving tackle.
“Our offensive and defensive lines are animals,” assistant coach Jim Dillion said. “The bottom line is these kids are great. We have a lot to do and have to be 4-0. Our offensive line – Logan Cesek, Mezzo Funk, Mack Dillion and Leo Sweis – are really good. I wouldn’t pick another four to be on the team. I’m happy with everything today. We played a really good game.”
Indeed, the Jr. Celtics did play a really good game – a complete game, in fact.
The Steelers had a strong group of impressive athletes and were well-coached throughout the hot late afternoon game. The Steelers made the Jr. Celtics work hard in the first half. The visiting team scored a touchdown on their first drive of the game to cut the deficit to 8-6 after the Jr. Celtics opened the game with a nine-play drive that ended with a 14-yard TD run by Logan Cesek.
The Jr. Celtics went back to work, churning down the field with a long drive. Cesek started the possession with an eight-yard carry. He burst free for a 35-yard run on the third play to the 17-yard line. Funk got into the scoring column with a seven-yard TD run on the first play of the second quarter to hand his team a 14-6 lead.
Still, the Steelers countered with another solid scoring play. The visiting team cut the deficit to 14-12 via a 45-yard touchdown run midway through the second quarter.
The Jr. Celtics, though, controlled the game for the final two-plus quarters, putting their stamp on their third victory of the season by dominating both lines.
The Jr. Celtics finished the first half with a memorable drive. Liam Adent was the main force on offense in the drive, carrying the ball four times for 28 yards. Adent set up the third TD for his team with a 20-yard run to the 5-yard line with 50.2 left before halftime.
Cesek found paydirt with a five-yard run on first down to push the lead back to 20-12. The Jr. Celtics forced the Steelers to run only a few plays in the second half, helping the offense add more impressive plays.
Cesek darted for a 42-yard TD run early in the third quarter to put the advantage at 28-12. Cesek was doing his customary solid job on defense with a pivotal tackle on Elgin’s next drive to set up his final TD of the game.
This time, Cesek put on a show for his fourth touchdown, showcasing his quickness by sprinting along the sidelines and outrunning the entire defense for a 45-yard TD scamper.
“The last touchdown was my favorite,” Cesek said. “My blockers were pushing hard and I only had to deal with two guys. That was the same way we scored the last touchdown. The offensive line did a great job blocking for me all game. I didn’t want to lose this game. I’m happy to be 3-0.”
Mack Dillion, a fullback/linebacker, said the Jr. Celtics relied on the entire team to post at the 24-point home victory.
“We ran the ball very well,” Dillion said. “We got a lot of a touchdowns. We would not have scored those touchdowns without the offensive line blocking great. The defensive line also helped us win the game. We all went out there and played hard.”
Defensive end Ronan Gleason said the defense is playing at a high level in the first month of the season.
“It was a great win because the defense had a lot of tackles,” Gleason said. “I was happy to get that fumble early in the game.”
With a perfect record through three games, the Jr. Celtics have relied on the entire team to stay undefeated, including Anderson Tiwald, Blake Borus, Gavin Poulos, Cooper Pell, Knox Kucala, Bash Kouba, Jackson Baker, Caleb Cloutier, Bennett Thompson, Fitzgerald Blythe, Ryan Sanders, Patrick Hollis, Cameron Susay and Leonida Christou.
