By Patrick McGavin- Photos by Renee Kaspar
** Additional Photos are Available for Purchase at https://justallsports.zenfolio.com/p434520342 **
MOKENA— Every game tells its own story, and the Illinois Jr. Celtics’ 12U team proved tough and inventive to dodge several early holes and stretch of bad luck.
Turnovers on each of its first two drives put the team in dangerous territory only to see the team recover splendidly with fourth down stops.
Keep doing that too often, and eventually luck is going to be on the other side.
“I don’t really know what to say,” two-way lineman William Mikaitis said. “The game got away from us emotionally. When they were up by two touchdowns, I already felt like the game was over.
“Our team wasn’t ready. We were not in the right frame of mind. We were lazy. We were talking back to each other. That’s not what good teams are like.”
The Jr. Celtics watched a treacherous uphill climb impossible to overcome in the 26-0 loss against the Plainfield Saints in Pop Warner League play at Main Park on Saturday, September 5.
By the end, the team was angry and anxious, clearly frustrated by the result and unhappy with its effort—impacting every phase of the game.
“I thought we were right in the game until the end of the second quarter,” receiver Ryan Ripolo said. “I felt like we were still in the game at halftime.
“Then we started to fall apart, and we were playing the blame game.”
The Saints proved a formidable opponent, boasting size and speed on the defensive line and strong playmakers on both sides of the ball.
The Jr. Celtics had moments, largely the spirited play of the defense after the early turnovers threatened to turn the tide clearly in the Saints’ favor.
They proved fragmented.
Defensive lineman Camden Dvorak and linebackers Joseph Shanahan and Johnson helped offset the early giveaways with aggressive and highly physical play at the point of attack.
The Jr. Celtics appeared to weather the storm with Johnson’s fourth down stop that nullified their own turnovers. The problem came in finding any offensive rhythm of its own.
For most of the game, the offense was out of sync, choppy and disconnected.
“We did a good job at the start driving the ball, but then we had too many penalties or turnovers, and that was driving us back,” Johnson said.
“I thought most of their touchdowns were missed assignments rather than a really good play. We have to find a way to limit our mistakes and penalties.”
The team has sharpened its formula for success through the first two weeks of the season.
Quarterback Bryce Szczepaniak opens up the throwing game with his precise and sharp connections with Ripoli.
Johnson and Shanahan pound the running game, with change of pace runs from Anthony Baniewicz, who showed a real burst in finding the admittedly narrow running lanes.
The Saints were able to overload the box, applying pressure on Szczepaniak and shutting down running lanes. The turnovers and penalties only aggravated the matter.
“I think we have to limit the penalties and the turnovers, and we’ll be back to how we were playing,” Johnson said.
The game clearly shifted midway through the second quarter. The Saints created three negative plays from scrimmage from the Jr. Celtics’ offense, and took over with great field position.
A 22-yard pass set up the Saints’ opening touchdown.
The Jr. Celtics showed greater fortitude and toughness, using Johnson as a battering ram for a series of sharp runs, most significantly a 10-yard burst around the right edge.
The passing game never got untracked, and the Saints focused most of their attention on the run game. The Jr. Celtics could not sustain a drive of their own,
A follow-up Saints’ passing touchdown in the closing seconds of the first half put the Jr. Celtics down 13-0 at halftime.
Despite the rough times, all was not lost.
“I thought even after they scored the first touchdown, we were all still believing in each other,” lineman Michael Zana said. “After the second one, people lost focus. Today we were doing the blame game, and I think we’re all frustrated by that.
“Our first couple of games we had good drives and scored touchdowns, and today was definitely more of a challenge. In all the games I’ve ever played, this was definitely one of the harder ones.”
The Saints quashed any hopes of a comeback without even running a play from scrimmage in the second half.
Plainfield returned the second half kickoff 72 yards for a backbreaking touchdown. The Jr. Celtics trailed 20-0 before taking a second half snap.
The team fought hard and valiantly, and never gave up. Johnson and Shanahan forged some tough runs against a talented offense. Baniewicz also had some excellent runs.
Without the vertical thread of Ripoli, the Saints marshaled their focus on the run game. All too often the Jr. Celtics had nowhere to go.
“The whole day we were waiting for that big play, and it never came,” Rex Schultz said. “I wish we had that big play. We just never got it. We had some guys open for scoring opportunities, but just couldn’t get there.
“We needed to respond with at least one touchdown. After those first two touchdowns, that just lowered our morale. Our entire team was down.”
Optimism for a comeback faded, and the team was left just simply trying to survive without injuries. The Saints held the advantages, and the Jr. Celtics were left with more questions than answers.
“The offense line struggled, and we weren’t blocking how we normally do or making any holes for the running backs,” Dvorak said. “There were some plays where we had guys wide open, but couldn’t get them the ball. They’re just a great team.
“We kept it close going into the second half. Then the kickoff touchdown. When that happens, all of your momentum is gone. I think we have to practice a lot more, and work on technique.”
Defeat is hard, but it also reveals the inner fabric of the team. After the game, the players insisted they learned what has to change.
Schultz hopes the game provides a reckoning.
“I think we need to be better at being as a team,” he said. “We have to mesh better together. We just need to learn how to get along.”
Despite the loss, the Jr. Celtics’ 12U team received strong contributions from Tomasino Urso, Casey Gahan, Dean Copack, Romeo Brooks, Jonathan Collins, Joshua Hart, Austin Flynn, Jaxson Manning, Jaylen Fleming, Anthony Bruni, Declan Kirk, Eli Schubert, Codero Barry, Luke Husenger, William Janik, Asher Kokolus, Kaiden Powell, Connor Seltzer, Beau Pasquale, Liam Berlard, and Brayden Ruth.
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.
