By Patrick Z McGavin- Photos by Renee Kaspar
** Additional Photops are Available for Purchase at https://justallsports.zenfolio.com/p1021228079 **
AURORA— With all the speed and athleticism surrounding him, the last thing Julian Oruche is ever going to consider is taking a knee.
The talented quarterback of the Aurora Gators 13U squad is the orchestrator of a fearsome passing attack that has the capability to score from anywhere on the field, regardless of the time.
“We all respect and love each other, and there are no favorites,” he said. “They’re all good.”
Oruche’s two-play, 80-yard touchdown drive to close out the first half tipped the balance in the 20-16 victory over the Oswego Bears in the Pop Warner Game of the Week at Marmion Academy on Sunday, October 5.
“They put a lot of stress on our cornerbacks,” Bears’ coach Alphonso Jaquez said. “They were very skilled as receivers. They play 7-on-7 a lot in the fall and summer, and they’re very good at passing the ball.”
The 33-yard touchdown strike from Oruche to Josiah Correa that pushed the Gators to a 14-0 halftime lead was the defining sequence after the Bears stormed back following a spectacular interception and return by Dexter Carr Jr.
Correa added a 17-yard scoring pass in the fourth quarter.
The game offered a riveting athletic platform for the players on each side. The teams ostensibly traded haymakers, with each side putting together a dazzling showcase of elite performers on both sides of the ball.
“We’ve been waiting for this game for a long time, and we were fired up and ready to go,” Oswego receiver Dominic Holmes said.
Oruche operates out of the shotgun, and has a range of options in throwing the ball to the big and mobile Noah Marshall or the more electric and explosive Correa, TyRee Dickson, Kriston Smith and Chase Morris.
As if that weren’t impressive enough, the Gators also feature the slashing and powerful inside running of Noah Wasielewski.
Oswego countered with some excellent playmakers of its own. The first quarter was a dance between the two forces.
The early passing attack of the Gators was nullified when Jeremiah Brown broke through for a strip sack and a fumble recovery by the Bears.
“This team really battles,” Brown said. “Last year we were not that good of a team. This year everybody is really playing hard. We had some little mistakes, and this game didn’t quite go our way.
“We’re going to be ready in time for the playoffs.”
The Gators broke through early midway through the second quarter with a balanced drive that used the vertical passing attack with the inside running of Wasielewski.
He blasted off runs of 12 and nine yards. A 14-yard pass to Smith, a defensive pass interference, and a nine-yard strike to Marshall put the ball on the goal line.
Wasielewski powered in from the one-yard line, and Oruche drilled the two-point kick for the 8-0 Gators’ lead.
“I mostly like to juke and fake guys out, but if I have to, I can also truck or run over players,” Wasielewski said. “Most of the time I like to use my speed and juke.
“No matter if it’s a pass or run, I can do something whenever I’m out there. If it’s a pass, I can still block. I can catch the ball. It keeps my momentum and helps us go.”
That set up the defining sequence with Gators’ cornerback Jayce Tolliver making the first of his two interceptions off a halfback option pass with 32.2 seconds to play.
The Bears did not get conservative. Oruche rolled right and found the streaking Marshall down the sideline for a 47-yard gain that set up the dramatic touchdown pass to Correa.
Aurora appeared on the verge of a blowout when Tolliver had another interception in the third quarter that set up a first and goal for the Gators.
Then something equally amazing happened for the Bears.
With Oruche under duress and trying to make a play, his pass was deflected and intercepted by Carr for a 91-yard return to the Gators’ nine-yard line.
Three plays later, quarterback Tameron Taitague pulled off an excellent naked bootleg for the four-yard touchdown run and the Holmes’ two-point kick that pulled the Bears within 14-8.
“It started with the play call from my coach,” Carr said. “He called the right play. I got in free, and I knew I had to make a play. At first I was just trying to get my hands and make a deflection and I ended up grabbing it.
“Football is all about momentum, and you just try to make the best play you can and swing the game.”
Stunned but not battered, the Gators responded with Oruche recovering from his mistake to direct another scoring drive, mixing a 12-yard screen pass to Wasielewski and a 18-yard dart to Dickson.
Inside the red zone, Oruche again found Correa on the right flank. The receiver caught the ball at the eight-yard line and powered through two defenders, dramatically reaching over the goal line for the touchdown.
“The coaches drew the play up, I ran it, and I just do what I do,” Correa said. “All the receivers and our quarterback are really close, and we have the ability to do a lot of things together on the field.
“Our momentum was down, and I knew I had to make a play there, so I just reached over and I was not going to go down. I made a move, and I reached the ball over.”
The Bears were not going to fade away, and they countered with their own quick strike attack. Brown ripped off a 47-yard run down the right sideline.
The left-handed Taitague rolled left and found Holmes in the back of the end zone for the 17-yard touchdown. Holmes drilled the conversion kick to pull the Bears within their closest margin of the game.
Oswego needed just two plays and 27 seconds to score.
The Gators recovered the pooch onside kick. Dickson had a huge second down catch following a holding penalty, and Wasielewski put the game out of reach with a 24-yard run.
The Gators ran out the clock.
“We know how to attack Cover-2, Cover-3, every single coverage,” Oruche said. “We know how to run the ball and pass efficiently. Every single day, we go to work.
“I practice a lot, and we’ve been training. We practice that a lot. We never put our heads down. We do every play, one play at a time, every single time.”
Oswego valiantly fought back to make a game, and show its own development and pride.
“We had some miscommunication a couple of times, and some broken plays,” Jaquez said. “I told them the whole week that we couldn’t afford to play against ourselves.
“Sixty seconds or two plays, and they punched it in and that was the difference in the game. I loved the resilience and how we came back and fought back, and almost had a shot at the end.”
Despite the loss, the Oswego Bears received many standout contributors. Their players included Pavle Golub, ArShaun McGee, Navi Jaquez, Jeremiah Johns-Mitchell, Anthony Ketterhagen, Myles Whiteurst, Braylon Jones, Anthony Ibarra, Brandon Anderson, Jamir Wilbert, Lucas Nagle, Adam Lamas Jr, J’Den Thomas, Tristen Williams, Benjamin Huerta, Nicholas Kory II, Romel Richardson, Porter Warwick and Pierre Jeffries.
The Aurora Gators had many critical contributors in the 20-16 Homecoming victory. Their players are Taj Williams Jr, Elias Reta, Jaycob Banks, Ritter Sell, James Hill, Peyton Cowles, Liam Meaderdes, Adrian Quinones, Cameron Smith, Meiko Lawson, David Williams, John Coleman IV, Mason Leskovar, David Salazar, Tyler Woods, Carter Pickett, Alexander Johnson and Mateo Pavagadhi.
The cheerleaders also delivered passion with their routines. Their members were Amirah Goodnow, Aria Watson, Ashlyn May, Isla Gonzalez, Ivy Montanez, Janiyla Hampton, Liyah Gilliam-Dukes, Maritza Donatilan, Melia Williams, Mia Ratliff, Viviana Dodia and Emori Malone.
