Earlier in the year, the Varsity Pioneers had faced their Championship game foe. The result was a one-sided affair that was dominated by the Jr. Knights, in particular, by their elusive scrambling quarterback.
His ability to use sideline to sideline until he found and open receiver, frustrated the Pioneers defense.
Preparing for their Championship game, Pioneers’ Coach Steve Armbruster and his staff had plenty of material to scheme a counter to what likely awaited them.
With a setting of St. Xavier University, the feeling was quite different than in previous years. An almost Ivy League setting with the fall amber leaves wind-blown across the field and the crisp fall weather, the setting was quite comforting and a perfect location to host the series of Championship games.
This game also would be different with Playmaker’ Quinn Durkin able to participate. Durkin missed the previous game due to an injury. The Pioneers played completely different this time.
They played the run well and contained for the most part the Jr. Knights elusive offensive leader. Things were looking quite well for the Pioneers having scored 20 unanswered points after the Jr. Knights initial score.
Tightend Briggs Corona lines up and waits for he snap during the Pioneers Championship game on November 7 at St. Xavier University .
However, the elation of a first half 20-8 lead, became a disastrous 22-20 heartbreaking defeat with two Pioneers miscues the culprit of their loss on November 7 at St. Xavier University.
“I don’t think anybody expected us to be in the Championship game coming into the season.” said Coach Armbruster. “We had a great team last year loaded with talent so to reach the Championship Back-to-Back is quite something.”
The Pioneers couldn’t do much with their opening possession. After a facemask on their first run, the Pioneers punted four plays later.
It took the Jr. Knights three plays to move from midfield to the Pioneer 22-yardline, scoring one play later via a 22-yard burst through the Pioneers defense for the touchdown. A conversion kick later, the Jr. Knights picked up where they left off the previous times these two played and led 8-0.
Several Pioneers try to block the extra-point kick during their Championship game against the Jr. Knights on November 7 at St. Xavier University.
The ensuing kickoff saw Damon Sutton pick up the football and proceed upfield, whisking by everyone and giving the Pioneers the response immediately to the Jr. Knights score.
The 79-yard sprint showcased the speed of Sutton and his ability to pull away from pursuers. The difference for this score and the Jr. Knights, was the ability to convert conversion kicks. The Pioneers kick never had any elevation and was easily blocked, making the score 8-6.
The Jr. Knights looked as if they’d extend their lead after connecting on a long pass that took them to the Pioneers 25. After Durkin made a tackle for loss, the Jr. Knights would call on a pass play that landed in the arms of Steven Armbruster, thus ending the threat.
The following Pioneer drive displayed their ability to use the run and the pass to move the ball.
Four straight runs by Sutton produced 25-yards. Durkin raced for another 8-yards followed by three more from Sutton to conclude the first quarter.
Pioneers incredible Runningback Damon “Skinny” Sutton picks up speed during his 79-yard kick return for a touchdown against the Jr. Knights in their Championship game on November 7 at St. Xavier University.
The Pioneers were working towards the jr. Knights endzone and continued their assault of the Jr. Knights defense.
Durkin pound up the middle for 5 more yards and then Armbruster delivered a quick out-pass to Jeff Bellik that added 16 more yards.
From the 12-yardline, Durkin took a handoff, raced around right end and managed to tuck back into a gap that gave him the endzone, putting the Pioneers up 12-8. Again, the kick after was blocked as the mechanics to convert weren’t there.
Momentum was secured on the Pioneers side and again showed its face after Sutton and Durkin grabbed tackles, holding the Jr. Knight offense to nearly nothing.
Feeling the pressure, the Jr. Knights went to the air again only to have the same results with Armbruster grabbing his second interception of the game.
Everything was in sync at that point of the game for the Pioneers with the sidelines showing extreme confidence.
The return of seventh-grade phenom’ Quinn Durkin (40) improved the Varsity Pioneers. Here he finds a gap during their Championship game against the Jr. Knights at St. Xavier on November 7 in Chicago.
A pass-play to Bellik and runs by Sutton and Durkin again had the Pioneers in the Red-Zone. Just 16-yards from the endzone, the Pioneers used the abilities of Bellik and called on a reverse that fooled every Jr. Knight as Bellik jogging into the endzone for the Pioneers third touchdown.
Anthony Edelen converted the kick that put the Pioneers up 20-8.
Nearing halftime, the Jr. Knights were looking to respond as quick as they could. They moved to the Pioneer 12 with just 18 seconds left, but Durkin collided with the Jr. Knight runner, jarred the ball loose and Ugnius Zaukas recovered the fumble to once again stop New Lenox just before halftime.
The two sidelines were distinctly different. The Pioneers were up and almost appeared content to ride out the rest of the game with the two-score lead while the opposing side was down and looking for answers on how to eliminate turnovers and score.
The second would become a contrast of the first half with teams flipping results.
The Jr. Knights came out and made adjustments, using their ability to stretch plays out from sideline to sideline and complete passes.
Aidan Bear (left) faces off against the Jr. Knights lineman during the Pioneers Championship game on Novermber 7 at St. Xavier University in Chicago.
An apparent change to the Pioneer defense wasn’t noticed initially but became evident in the inability to stop the Jr. Knights passing game.
The crafty and elusive Jr. Knight quarterback would scramble side to side but mostly to his right waiting for a receiver to clear, then zip the pass to the open man for a completion especially on third and long situations.
Durkin who could match the speed, was no longer pursuing the Jr. Knight quarterback, he dropped back into pass coverage, this gave the Jr. Knights quarterback lots of time to extend plays and pick apart pass coverages.
Bsiorka almost got the ball back to the Pioneers with a hard tackle that created a fumble but that was recovered by New Lenox. What nearly was, ended up a 24-yard touchdown pass just one play later, aided by two miss tackles.
The Jr. Knights climbed back into the game trailing 20-16 nearing the end of the third quarter.
The ensuing kickoff would change the outcome of the game and turned out to be one of two miscues that swung momentum to the trailing Jr. Knights.
Aiden Bear (42) and Luke Basiorka (22) converge on the Jr. Knight quarterback after he lost the ball during thier Championship game on November 7 in Chicago.
After their second half opening touchdown drive, a floating onside kick lofted pass the first line and bounced toward a Pioneer, unable to retrieve the bounding ball once it struck him, it was recovered by the Jr. Knights with their sideline now feeling the surge of momentum shifting to them.
Two things went wrong for the Pioneers on that play, their inability to block oncoming Jr. Knights at the first level and the mistake of not coming up to catch the lofted football instead of letting it bound uncontrollably.
Assisted by a facemask penalty, the Jr. Knights covered 35 yards on four plays to take the 22-20 lead after scoring their third touchdown of the game by the Jr. Knight quarterback with his run up the middle, unscathed from 17-yards out.
The Pioneers needed to respond and finally got the chance with 44 seconds left in the third quarter.
Beginning at their own 42, the Pioneers began with a Sutton run of 26-yards followed by Durkin for 8 more and then again, another run by Sutton to end the third.
Beginning the last quarter, The Pioneers continued to pound the ball and used Durkin for 6 more yards followed by Sutton for 8 and then Durkin again.
Scrambling to his left while being pursued by a Jr. Knight defender, Pioneer quarterback Steven Armbruster looks for a receiver ater falling behind, during the Pioneers Championship game on November 7 at St. Xavier University.
Before you knew it, the Pioneers were in the Red Zone again looking to retake the lead at the Jr. Knights 15-yardline.
With a heavy dose of running, Coach Armbruster called for a pass play. Quarterback Steven Armbruster took the snap, was forced to his left under pressure from his right and thought he had an open man.
“I was going to run and then I saw him at the last second and threw it off my back foot,” said Steven Armbruster of his throw which was intercepted at the 4-yardline.
I probably shouldn’t have called that pass-play after running the ball so well,” said Coach Armbruster. “I felt we did such a good job getting there with the run that it was the perfect time to throw, unfortunately it didn’t work out and I take blame for that.”
That would be the lone time the Pioneers would touch the ball offensively the whole second half.
The Junior Knights kept converting third-down plays, using up the clock. The Pioneers couldn’t find a stop and it was the Jr. Knights that stopped them selves after completing a pass to the Pioneer 1. With game in hand, the Jr. Knights took a knee and completed their comeback Championship as time ran out.
Ugnius Zaukas (89) and Luke Basiorka (22) stop a Jr. Knight runner late in the game of thier Championship held at St. Xavier University on November 7.
There were many stars on this Varsity Pioneer team from the rushing of Skinny Sutton and Quinn Durkin along with workhorse fashion of Luke Basiorka to the playmaking abilities and talents of Jeff Bellik and the leadership of quarterback Steven Armbruster.
“I do feel I am a leader. I think when they see me excited about the way we are playing, I think my teammates feel that too,” said the Pioneer quarterback. “In the beginning of the game we went down 8-0, we didn’t let that get to our heads and then we scored 20 unanswered. We just came out flat in the second half and they took advantage of that.”
“I think we were kinda cocky about the way we were playing and I guess we took our foot off the gas and it cost us, maybe felt the game was in hand. I think because it was the Super Bowl, some guys were nervous and for some of us it was our last game.”
Defeat in a Championship is always hard to except. Here Lineman Connor Ruisz takes a monment to ponder what just happened on November 7 at St. Xavier Univetsity.
The Fifth Quarter action also saw some stellar performances from the Pioneers. Anthony Lipski, Nicholas Collias, Henry Selof and Beck Stukel were among the offensive stars with Lipski scoring a 50-yard touchdown.
Defensively, several Pioneers gave New Lenox fits which included stops by Selof, Ilija Erkapic, Waleed Alforookh, Adam Woloszyk, Will Beeler, Jordan Jones, Kendall McDowell, Cade Koehler and Chase Czerwonka. But it was EdonIbrahimi who came away the star. He fished the game not only with several tackles but also a pair of interceptions.
The Pioneers also had huge contributions during the successful season which included Anthony Garcia, Josiah Sutton, Connor Ruisz, Nick McGriff, Victor Jimenez, Emmitt Snyder, Jaylen Sutton, Connor Dardugno, Etan Krueger, Briggs Corona, Jack Clifton, Aidan Bear, CJ Ruiz, William Slechta and Jax Arocho.
We played really well down the stretch including in the first half of this game, our offense was effective and our defense created turnovers. We couldn’t get the defense off the field in the second half. Our defense played with a lot of heart in the second half, they never stop fighting.”
“You have to give the Jr. Knights credit; they played a flawless second half and came up with the breaks they needed to win the game.”
Coach Armbruster also mention three players he felt were unheralded or will be super starts next season.
“Josiah (Sutton) Is an absolute talent. I’ve been around him since he was a super peewee but this is the year he showed how much he loves the game and I think there is no limit on how good he is gonna be.”
Pioneers Henry Selof has a tight hold on the Jr. Knight runner during their Fifth Quarter play on November 7 at St. Xavier University .
Edon Ibrahimi (20) is congratulated by teammate Adam Woloszyk after snagging his second interception during play in the Fifth Quarter on November 7 at St. Xavier University.
“Luke Basiorka was a really big part of our team this year. He is a smart player who doesn’t make mistakes and gives you all he’s got on every play. I trusted him to get all the tough yards and he never let us down this year. Throw in Jack Clifton, he’s the smallest guy on our line and all he does is listen and do what you ask him to do, fight from the snap to the whistle on every single play, he is also gonna be a really good player next year.”
Coach Armbruster also predicted that Quinn Durkin will be the best player in the league next year.
The very entertaining Varsity Pioneer Cheerleaders didn’t disappoint. They kept the fans into the game and did their best to support the football players on November 7 at St. Xavier University.
Supporting the boys on the field with their cheers were the Varsity Pioneer Cheerleaders. They kept fans excited about the game, also entertained them at halftime. Those cheerleaders include Abby Dokey, Ella Groark, Tayla Lovitt, Chloe Havens, Audrey Mitchell, Ava Brennan, Emery Gasa, Julia Werner, Brianna Merced. Mia Franzese, Bella Senese, Ava Bernardi, Emma Kusper, Addy Moran, KK Ponce, Sydney Czerniuk, Addison Mackey, Emma Neakarse, Avery Lee, Atva Tupacev and Layla Egebrecht.
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