By Patrick Z. McGavin- Photos by Lauren Gray
** Additional Photos are Available for Purchase at https://justallsports.zenfolio.com/p703500214**
MOKENA— With one gorgeous action, a team eager to create positive plays and paint a more encouraging portrait did everything right.
After failing to score in its season-opener, the Jr Celtics 10U program found the ideal pitch and catch combination.
Austin Boyer goes against the typical ideas of how a quarterback is supposed to look. He has the number (55) and size of a middle linebacker.
He created his own magic with speedy wide receiver Keaton Kastys.
Dropping back, he lofted a perfect ball that Kastys ran under for the 51-yard second quarter touchdown.
“Austin made a great throw,” he said. “As soon as the ball was in the air, I knew that I was going to score. The one guy was behind me, and the other kid was chasing me, but I knew I was faster than him.”
The Jr Celtics showed growth and improvement despite coming up short in the 20-7 Homecoming loss against the Plainfield Saints in Pop Warner League play at Main Park on Saturday, August 30.
“We scored this week,” coach Mike Denton said. “The offense looked a little cleaner. We’re trying to build these boys up from a losing season last year. The goal is to get them to understand what we’re trying to do, and just implement that in a game.”
Focusing exclusively on the final score misses the larger point of individual effort, achievement and growth.
Defensive back Ahmad Awad had an interception in the end zone that denied the Saints’ opening possession. Zachary and Zakai Obeng, Caesar Kanu, Angelo Cameo and Finnian McDonnell showed great instincts and toughness on the defensive side. Kanu had two tackles for loss. McDonnell was also a force, creating pressure on the Saints’ quarterback and creating plays at the point of attack.
Arguably the team’s best two-way force, Boyer made decisive plays on both sides of the ball. As a linebacker, he was quick to the ball. As a quarterback, he operated out of traditional sets and as the primary runner in the Wildcat.
The Jr Celtics struggled with ball security throughout the opening quarter. The team fumbled the exchange or suffered high snaps on consecutive possessions. The Saints took advantage with back-to-back touchdowns for the 13-0 lead early in the second quarter.
Playing from behind is an unhealthy option for a team looking to create a more optimistic narrative. In spite of the slow start, the Jr Celtics (0-2) have not wavered or lost their faith.
“We struggled some at the start, but I know we’re going to keep practicing hard, and that will give us a chance to get better on each side of the ball,” Kanu said.
Regardless of the score or the situation, this team is not going to ever stop playing hard.
The brightest light shone midway through the second quarter. Boyer had time, motive and opportunity to find his favorite target down the right sideline.
”I know if I get him the ball at his hands outside of his chest that it is going to be a touchdown,” Boyer said.
Equally impressive is what followed. The extra-point effort was seemingly out of reach after a penalty put the ball at the eight-yard line. Boyer had other ideas. Taking the snap, he motored around the left end and trucked a Saints’ defender in diving into the end zone to pull the Jr Celtics within 13-7.
“It was a great feeling to be able to run the ball into the end zone, because I usually throw or hand off in that situation,” he said. “The touchdown was right before halftime, and it gave us a lot of momentum. Coach told us how we were still in the game.”
The Jr Celtics never quite matched the height of that exhilarating moment the rest of the game.
Boyer continued to run hard, smashing his way for a three-yard gain on the opening possession of the third quarter. An incomplete pass forced a punt. The Saints mounted a clock-killing 13-play, 60-yard drive that stretched into the start of the fourth quarter.
With the Jr Celtics trailing by two scores, Kastys breathed life into the rally when he broke free for a 30-yard run down the left edge. His athleticism and explosiveness in space are the very things the Jr Celtics need to unlock going forward.
“I think the best bet for me is the pass,” Kastys said. “I’m really fast, and I can beat the guy trying to cover me. The second best is probably running, because I know where the holes are.”
The Saints’ mounting pressure forced a couple of incompletions by Boyer that ended the final threat. They never saw the ball on offense again.
Progress is not always linear, or easy to track. The team showed the right signs, especially in the energetic and active defensive play.
Zachary Bal-Denton was disruptive operating on the defensive line. Henry Bass impressed with his punishing running style when he got the ball on offense. He also had three tackles, including one for a loss.
“The big change was after the early possessions we did a better job of shedding blocks, getting our hands on the outside and getting to their runners,” McDonnell said. “We’re a rebuilding team,and we’re trying to win some games. I think we’re going to get them next week.”
A whirling dervish on offense and a disruptive presence in the secondary, Kastys showed a way forward.
“We still have some work to do,and we have some additions to make,” he said. “We played pretty good today, but not the best. If we continue to practice hard next week, we’ll punch the next team we see in the mouth.”
The team is pushing ahead, no excuses and no regrets. Denton said the pieces are there. The order and structure has to follow.
“We have the players,” he said. “It’s just a matter of seeing them up with the plays beforehand to make sure we can run them. We have to get better on first, second and third down.”
Despite the 20-7 Homecoming defeat, the Jr Celtics 10U squad had many strong contributors. They included William Dybas, Aiden Cesek, Max Sharpe, Jackson Aldworth, Jesus Delgado, Calogero DiNaso, Lorenzo Aldworth, Alexander Wallace, Grayson Tadin, Leo Blythe, James Preston, Chase Eddington, Elijah Bogle, Porter Ronk, Owen Brennan and Henry Richardson.
