By Francisco Avila- Photos by Lauren Gray
** Additional Photos are Available for Purchase at https://justallsports.zenfolio.com/p206760557 **
New Lenox— There was a sense of pride surrounding the Illinois Jr Celtics 9U after they showed grit and resilience to defeat the Elgin Steelers 25-13 in their Chicagoland Pop Warner season opener.
Jr. Celtics head coach Dave Cercone acknowledged the mistakes his team made throughout the game but emphasized that there is plenty of time to correct them with the season just getting underway.
“We tightened it back up towards the end. We got a lot of work to do, but it’s game one. It was definitely first season jitters on the kids, on the coaches, on everyone that was involved.”
The Jr. Celtics came out of the gate with energy, beginning the game on offense and immediately establishing their rushing attack.
Landon Brown got things started with a nine-yard run. The Celtics continued knocking on the door in search of the game’s opening touchdown.
Brown found Westin White for a seven-yard gain before adding a three-yard run that kept the Jr. Celtics offense moving down field, eventually sitting at the Steelers 35-yard-line. After a short run, Brown then connected with White on a 30-yard touchdown pass to give the Jr. Celtics the opening score and a 6-0 lead.
“The line was blocking very well and I just did the play and pretty much MJ, Mason and everybody on the offensive line were just doing a good job blocking. So we got that down and scored,” said Brown.
White also reflected on his touchdown, which gave the Jr.Celtics their first score of the season.
“I just thought that we had to score in the first quarter, so I scored to help my team,” White said.
Lepore converted the extra point, extending the Celtics’ lead to 7-0.
“Well, the offensive line had a great block they made. Mason got a good hole for me. I got through there and it was a touchdown,” Lepore said.
Ronan Lahey, Thomas Fletcher and White continued to make an impact defensively with strong tackles, carrying their 7-0 advantage
The second quarter proved more difficult for the Celtics on both sides of the ball. The Steelers were unable to move the ball against the Jr. Celtics’ defense and were forced to punt. However, the Jr. Celtics also struggled to generate consistent offense against a renewed Steelers defense.
White and Lepore provided some positive runs, but the Celtics were unable to threaten the endzone. After the Jr. Celtics turned the ball over on downs, the defense was called on to protect the narrow lead.
The Steelers took advantage of the opportunity, responding with a 35-yard touchdown to cut the Celtics’ lead to 7-6.
The Steelers then attempted the extra point, but Nicholas Petrocelli came up with a crucial tackle to prevent the The Jr.Celtics returned to offense looking to rebuild their lead. However, after Brown connected with White, the ball was fumbled and recovered by the Steelers.
One minute later, the Steelers capitalized again, scoring on a 30-yard touchdown run and converting the extra point to take a 13-7 lead.
The Jr. Celtics, however, quickly answered.
As the clock wound down toward halftime, White broke free for a 50-yard touchdown following another strong connection with Brown, tying the game at 13-13.
“The defense almost stopped me. They almost stopped me, but I just ran faster and kind of juked around them,” White said of the touchdown.
The Jr. Celtics were unable to convert the extra point, but the defense held firm during the final moments of the half to keep the game tied.
Lepore came up with two big tackles as the Jr.Celtics entered halftime tied with the Steelers, 13-13.
The third quarter became another test of the Celtics’ resilience as they continued battling for control of the game.
During the opening five minutes, the Jr. Celtics’ defense worked to create another offensive opportunity. White and Lepore contributed with key tackles, eventually forcing the Steelers to punt and giving the Jr.Celtics another possession.
Brown then connected with Lepore on a 10-yard pass, moving the Celtics’ offense to the 35-yard-line.
Two more completions from Brown to Lepore moved the Celtics closer. With a minute to go priot to the ed of the third, Brown broke loose for a 14-yard run. With only seconds remaining, Brown added another six-yard run, leaving the Celtics just six yards from the end zone as the third quarter came to an end.
Brown and company opened the fourth to take the lead again. Brown connected with White on a six-yard touchdown pass, putting the Jr. Celtics back in front, 19-13.
“It just felt good scoring three touchdowns. It was hard to score against them because the defense was really good and they were stopping a lot of plays from us,” White said.
The Jr. Celtics’ defense then forced another Steelers punt, with Lepore and Petrocelli providing key tackles to get the ball back into the hands of the offense.
Brown soon connected with Lepore for a five-yard gain. Brown then found Lepore again, moving the Celtics inside the Steeler 30-yard-line.
Brown continued to find success through the air, connecting with White for a 19-yard gain. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against the Steelers then moved the Jr. Celtics even closer to the goal line, all the way to the four-yard line.
Following a Steelers timeout, Brown handed the ball to Lepore, who powered his way into the end zone for the touchdown, extending the lead to 25-13.
“We got pretty close because of the offensive line. The offensive line was great about that. I got a good hole and I barged through and got a touchdown,” Lepore added.
With the clock winding down, the Jr.Celtics’ defense closed out the game with several key tackles from Mario Williams, James Mellon, Fletcher and Lepore to preserve the 25-13 victory.
After the game, Coach Cercone highlighted White’s three-touchdown performance and his ability to find running lanes throughout the game.
“Westin is a very, very visionary runner. So he actually watches the field, like he visions as he runs. He’s not one to just get the ball and run in a direct spot in the field. He’s a very methodical runner as he runs the ball.”
Cercone also emphasized the potential of his team as the season continues.
“Our expectations are we’re gonna get better game by game and the season is an open canvas right now. So we’re gonna be able to write our own destiny.”
The Jr. Celtics will now look to build on their comeback victory as they continue their 9U season.
The Jr.Celtics received contributions from others including: Rory Brennan, Mason Comise, Soren Fleck, Ryan Haaving, Jaxon Franz, Jaxton Yaeger, Sebastain Diaz, Jeremiah Fleming, John Lestina, Khalid Mattariyeh, Camden Kokolus, Stanislaw Pajerski, Luke Rose, Calvin Wilson, Jackson Paul and Jacob Palacios.
