By Patrick McGavin- Photos by Renee Kaspar
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MOKENNA— Sometimes the hardest part for young players is learning how to scale up their effort against higher quality competition.
The Illinois Jr. Celtics’ 11U Green team had a crash course that quality often surpasses quantity.
“The first two games we had were a walk in the park, and this was much tougher,” receiver Keaton Kastys said. “It definitely taught us a lesson.”
The best games are often decided by what happens on the edges or the tight margins. The Jr. Celtics learned the tough way about how narrowly divided success truly is.
The Jr. Celtics suffered their first loss of the season with a bittersweet 7-6 setback against the Plainfield Saints in Pop Warner League play at Main Park on Saturday, September 5.
The DIII program had the Saints often right where they wanted them—holding a late lead and forcing them to convert repeatedly on fourth and long.
The Saints managed to find a way.
“We broke down on some of those plays,” Ahmad Awad said. “We did a lot of good things out there. We moved the ball really well.
“We have to finish those drives, and cut down on our mistakes.”
Three times on the Saints’ game-winning drive, their skilled and shifty quarterback found open seams and took off to extend the drive. The drive started on a somber note for the Jr. Celtics after they were cited for roughing the passer.
After his 14-yard run on fourth and 12, the Saints’ quarterback broke around the right end on another fourth down play for the 29-yard touchdown run.
The Saints converted the point-after with 31.6 seconds to play in the third quarter.
“I overpursued a couple of times, and the blockers on that team did a good job, and he knew how to cut in,” Kastys said. “They knew where to go, and they knew where to block, and that’s how they were able to score against us.”
The Jr. Celtics had two chances in the fourth quarter for the go-ahead score only to suffer turnovers each time.
“We played hard,” Kastys said. “They just played a little harder.”
The result notwithstanding, the Jr. Celtics had enough positive actions and bright moments from a range of contributors to feel optimistic about the rest of the season.
Even during a scoreless first half, the offense moved the ball with crisp actions and innovative play calling. The Jr. Celtics have a range of possibilities with Kastys operating either out of the backfield or a receiver.
The same with Patrick Clarke, an athletic playmaker who hurt the Saints with his end-round plays or throwing wide receiver option passes.
“I like how the coach gets different variables in what we do offensively, and the defense can’t really suspect what we’re doing,” Kastys said.
“That’s the whole point, for their defense to be confused where the ball is and where it’s going.”
This group has come up playing together, and have built a solid chemistry. The Jr. Celtics have come of age—and so has the competition.
The team is still learning how to push the pace and adjust to those differences.
“I think everybody got faster, they got smarter, they know how to break down and get the tackle,” Kastys said. “They’re always breaking down. We’re facing some tough competition.”
The defense was put to the test right at the start when the Saints used a 36-yard pass completion to achieve a first and goal at the Jr. Celtics’ five-yard line early in the second quarter.
Alexander Walker, Jesus Delgado, Henry Richardson, Lorenzo Aldworth, Awad, Kastys and Clark stepped up huge for the Jr. Celtics with a terrific goal line stand.
On the final two plays, Chase Eddington and Juan Gwanawato hammered the Saints for negative plays to thwart the drive.
The Jr. Celtics stormed out of the gates in the second half, with just the right blend of skill and some trickery. On the kickoff, Kastys delivered the perfect onside attempt.
Logan Haavig raced in from the right edge and dove on the loose ball.
“Before the game we were going to have a different kicker, but his leg was hurting a little bit,” he said. “We put Keaton in there, and he’s our onside kicker.
“I thought their guy was going to grab it, and it was going to be an easy play for them. He missed it, and I jumped over him and got on the ball.”
Gwanawato is the secret edge for the offense. A converted offensive tackle, he blends elite size with quick and nimble feet. He moves like a dancer.
He showed off his quickness by bursting around the edge for a 24-yard run.
“That was pretty fun,” he said. “As someone who had been a lineman for two years before this, that was a really good experience.
“It’s been a great experience to be able to both block and run the ball sometimes.”
Additional carries by Aiden Cesek and Gwanawato set up a three-yard scoring run by Kastys with 6:39 to play in the third quarter.
“Basically everybody did their job, like the linemen made the holes,” Kastys said. “The other backs blocked really well, and fortunately I saw the holes. We came here with a job to do with our heads high.
“They also wanted to do the same.”
The only downside was getting stopped on the point-after run.
The larger lessons were understood. The Jr. Celtics have to play mistake-free and take advantage of their opportunities.
“This was a tough opponent, and we’re already on to next week and hopefully we can win that,” Clarke said. “We’re definitely going to practice on things we need to work on. Next week we’re going to come out better.”
The two early and easy wins created a false sense of security. That is not likely to happen again.
“I feel like our defense and the whole team just wasn’t quite ready mentally and physically prepared for this team,” Wallace said. “We need to go over more stuff.
Their defense was really good, and so was ours. They were just a little better.”
Despite the tough loss, the Jr. Celtics also received standout contributions from Max Sharpe, Braden Vander Mey, Jackson Aldworth, Michael Easthon, Grant Vellenga, Mason McKinney, Marcos Gutierrez, Owen Brennan, Dylan Nemec and Collin Petty.
The Illinois Junior Celtics Competition Cheer Team also brought passion and style to their routines. Their members are Madelyn Barbahen, Lily Burke, Natalie Calhoun, Jillian Clarke, Charlotte Engstrom, Scarlett Faddah, Aria Farmer, Sabrina Guanajuato, Sophia Guanajuato, Emma Price, Dani Samanich, Madisyn Singleton, Liliana Wood and Naya Young-Bay.
