By Ed Muniz-Photos by Kathy Jones
**Additional Photos are available for purchase at justallsports.zenfolio.com/2022pioneers.**
“Comeback”: to return to prosperity, return to glory, return to success and so on.
In sports, you trailed but manage to outperform and defeat an opponent after being behind, that is a Comeback.
Within the first two minutes in their game against the Tinley Park Bulldogs, the Lightweight Pioneers found themselves behind and trailing.
It took the Bulldogs just three plays to go 64-yards on the Pioneers defense and jump out ahead 6-0.
Last year, that may have doomed the Pioneers. Falling behind that early and stunned that quick may have spelled defeat even with nearly the whole game to go.
Jump ahead to this year. Experience and confidence lead this version of the Pioneers. On their first series, no signs of panic, no “woe is me”. It was simply their turn and time to even the game.
This is a different Pioneer team altogether and on the young 2022 season, the Pioneers have excelled.
After falling behind, the Pioneers would trade touchdowns but would use a quick tip-toe just inside the pylon to convert a coveted extra-point and win 13-12, after twice being down, completing the “COMEBACK” and remain unbeaten (3-0).
The Pioneers defense didn’t have an auspicious start. They were hit on the very first Bulldog attempt with a 54-yard run up the middle. Enzo Angone raced to catch up to the runaway Bulldog and managed to make the tackle from behind.
Two plays later, the Pioneers trailed 6-0 after a failed extra-point attempt.
Not expecting to trail, let alone that early, the Pioneers went to work offensively. The tandem back-field of Angone and Nakahti Thompson pounded the rock and moved the football down field picking up chunks of yards.
A 14-yard run and an impressive 17-yard scramble by Thompson soon had the Pioneers just 4-yards from evening up the game.
The 6-play drive conclude when Thompson dashed around left end and scored from four yards out to tie the game at 6-6. The Pioneers failed to convert the point-after.
The defense was better prepared their next outing after the score and managed to snuff out the Bulldogs second effort.
Tackles by Thompson, Dylan Butler, Nicholas Peisker and a sack by Ryan Duckhorn and a tackle for loss by Angone, forced a punt.
The Bulldogs defense returned the favor and quickly force the Pioneers to return the punt after stopping the Pioneers on three plays.
At this level, momentum can be a great asset and after a great defensive stance, the Bulldogs had it and used to it to once again gain the lead.
Once again, another long run was challenging the Pioneer defense. Peisker and Maximus Street-Pruitt did what they could with tackles but eventually, the Bulldogs crashed the end zone from two yards out and led 12-6 just five minutes before halftime.
Their inability to convert twice would come back to haunt them.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Pioneer defense would find itself quickly back on the field to be tested once again.
The kickoff ricocheted off one of the Pioneers front linemen and bounce directly back to the Bulldogs for a recovery, giving them an opportunity to close out the first half with another score.
Fortunately for Pioneers, Peisker, Butler, and Angone quickly shut the Tinley Park offense down forcing a turnover on downs.
Now the Pioneers would catch the Bulldogs by surprise.
With 2:11 left in the first half, the Pioneers went to the air and it completely caught the host off guard.
Quarterback Charlie Enstrom dropped back and heaved a perfect pass to Angone who was 8-yards beyond any defender and hauled in the pass and motored to the end zone as the Bulldogs gave chase.
“When I caught, I wasn’t sure I’d get to it because it was pretty far in front of me, but somehow I caught it,” said the versatile Angone. “After I caught it, I was so excited because I knew I was going to score my first touchdown, and no one was going to catch me. I practice anytime I can, to get better.”
The biggest play of the game as it turned out was a quick step inside the pylon and out by Thompson on the converted extra-point. It turned out to be the difference of the game.
For the second time, the Pioneers managed to come from behind and this time take the lead into halftime after Thompson recovered a Bulldog fumble just before half.
The second half opened with the Pioneers going on a 7-play drive. They used up a lot of the third quarter but were unable to get inside the Bulldog 28 and turned the ball over on downs.
Peisker led the Pioneers defensive onslaught. He managed to disrupt or make a stop repeatedly becoming a nuisance for the Bulldogs offense.
“I like when we do the duelies, I like to go a little bit more to the left,” said Peisker. “I like to take advantage of that play because when we blitz in that, the guard usually has to get him, so it leaves the gap open and I get in the backfield un-blocked.”
“After half, we wanted this more than they did, they were defeated, we weren’t”
After forcing a punt, the Pioneers also faced a tough going. Positive yards were a rarity for both teams as neither defense was allowing much for the others’ offense.
The Pioneers forced a punt at the 4:43 mark left in the game. Drake Ulaszek and Peisker alternated stops which included a sack by Ulaszek that loss 5-yards.
The game got exciting in the last two minutes.
The Bulldogs got the ball back at their own 46-yard-line and proceeded to pick up yards moving the ball down field. Using their time outs, hoping to score once more.
Peisker, Duckhorn, Thompson, Ulaszek were doing all they could to stop the march. The Bulldogs managed to get to the Pioneer 19 after a touchdown saving tackle by Thompson, with him being the only one left to make a stop.
A last-ditch effort was stopped by Butler and the Pioneers took over, downing the ball three times for the Comeback Victory.
“Everything was hard today,” said Thompson. “At the end, I was super nervous, but we came through. I think our practicing and training hard like I try to do works for us, I was still nervous till the end.”
Fifth Quarter play for the Pioneers saw great effort from Streets-Pruitt at the Quarterback. He was an elusive ball carrier while also showing a good arm on passes.
Finnian Redmond also rushed the ball well. Both Brock Lenzen and Zach Salah completed passes to them and Cade Judeh showed promise at quarterback as well.
Defensively, the Pioneers Salah and Nicholas Mase led the tackling. Gavin Loman showed great speed catching and making a tackle from behind on a Bulldog that got away, running him down.
Luke Tonra, John Sutter, Vinny Ficaro, Ryan Marek and Steven Mullins all contributed with tackles of their own.
Other Pioneers giving their all in this game included Kristian Willis, Anthony Baniewicz, Carter Bellik, Evan Lavelle, Luke Rybak, Carter Peluso, Logan Helman, John Werner, Karam Olyyan, Luke Makuch, Nicholas Hertzog, Moody Abudan, Hudson Poftert, Aidan Rios, Qais Naser, Muhammad Kassem, Andrew Quinn, Justin McNamara, Erik Baran and Brian Curran.
Performing for the fans and cheering on the players were the LW Pioneer Cheerleaders. Aubrey Baran, Keira Berrera, Brittney Blazys, Brooke Blazys, Annabelle Briseno, Hayden Cmapbell, Avery Carroll, Isabelle Castillo-Mez, Frankie Ficaro, Emma Golonka, Delaney Grenda, Tessa Heinze, Arabella Hernandez, Bianca Kapusciarz, Brinley Laniosz, Malayna Marable, Gabriella Milosovic, Emily Minard, Eleanor Nothnagel, Emma OVerman, Makayla Roman, Emma Ruisz and Kamilla Ulaszek as usual, were top notch.
