By Patrick Z. McGavin-Photos by Gary Larson
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CHICAGO— Moral victories are the last thing any player wants to think about on a day of celebration.
Playing their most daunting opponent of the season, the Jr Celtics 13U team discovered something vital and important. They had to take a proverbial shot upside the head to get there.
“We couldn’t get a yard for the life of us at the beginning of the game,” Tyler Fox said. “We weren’t blocking, and nobody was doing their job.”
Nearly 15 minutes into the action, the Jr Celtics trailed Northlake (Ind.) Patriots 12-0. Then the Jr Celtics turned on the lights with one fantastic play.
Tyler Fox eluded the back end of the Patriots secondary and caught a terrific ball from quarterback Kalan McCarron for the 46-yard touchdown pass.
Tyler’s twin brother Dylan Fox summed it up best. “In a lot of our games, it ends up being just one play that ends up winning the game,” Dylan Fox said. “That one play sets us off, and it just fires up the team.”
With the Fox twins and Elliot Roethle paving the way, the Jr Celtics roared back to life.
The Jr Celtics 13U took the top-seeded Patriots to the brink in the 26-25 overtime loss in the season-closing game of Pop Warner League play at Marist High School on Sunday, October 13.
Roethle’s 7-yard touchdown run on fourth and goal during the Jr Celtics’ overtime possession. Dylan Fox was tackled on the conversion attempt.
“This game was really important for us because it was going to determine who we are going to play next week in the playoffs,” Roethle said. “We have very high hopes, especially how we played today.”
Under regular-season league rules, only one overtime period is contested. Jr Celtics coach Dave Cercone elected to go for the tie rather than the two-point kick. “We don’t have the protection upfront on our kicking game,” he said.
On a day the 8th grade players and cheerleaders were honored by their parents and families, the game offered plenty of reasons for the Jr Celtics to feel good about their prospects in the playoffs.
“I’m really not that sad or unhappy about this game,” Dylan Fox said. “We lost, but I’m happy about the way we played. Considering that was a really good team who’s undefeated, I’m actually pretty happy about the way we played.”
The Patriots captured the 12U state championship last year.
The Indiana side had the early advantage with the two quick scores. The McCarron and Tyler Fox connection scrambled everything.
“We came back because of that,” Tyler Fox said. “Coach called the play, and everybody did their job. Kalan threw a beautiful pass to me, and that really set the tone for the game.”
The center for the offensive line, Blake Roberts, underscored the toughness and resolve of the team to get back into the game. The line provided McCarron the necessary time and space to make the connection.
“We try to break down the team and see how they match up and what they’re trying to do,” Roberts said. “Sometimes you have to go left, or sometimes right. If the offense is struggling with our blocking at the start of games, the coach calls a time out and tells us to start working harder, and that motivates us to start scoring touchdowns. We just have to be ready.”
McCarron made his only pass completion really count.
“Going into this game, I was pretty scared and not sure if we’d be able to play with them,” McCarron said. “Before the game, we all got hyped up. When we scored the first touchdown, I think our confidence really grew and we had confidence in ourselves.”
That confidence materialized in different forms and shapes. The offensive line crystallized, providing holes for the Fox twins, Roethle and Kelly Slucki to break down the Patriots.
“Defensively we went to a 6-2 formation, and made the adjustment and we started getting into the gaps and getting into their backfield,” Roethle said. “Now we have to work on open field tackling, and we have to contain the edge more. We got way better in the second half.”
The Tyler Fox touchdown catch set the stage for a wild and frenetic second half that featured two lead changes and a tie.
Energized by his twin brother, Dylan Fox got into the action with a fantastic 48-yard touchdown run on the opening possession of the third quarter. He cut across the grain and found daylight down the right sideline.
“I think for us as a team, sometimes we have a hard time getting going at the start of games,” Dylan Fox said. “Tyler made the big play on the reception, and we started getting going after that.”
Roethle powered in the conversion point for the 13-12 lead.
Unfortunately the advantage did not hold for long. The wind blown kickoff that appeared to pin the Patriots deep in their territory actually out kicked the coverage. The fast Patriots’ return player broke free down the left edge and cut across the field for the backbreaking 95-yard kickoff return touchdown.
In less than 15 seconds, the Jr Celtics were again behind the curve. Disaster seemed to strike when a promising drive ended with a fumble.
Anthony Aldworth and Roethle keyed the defensive response, collaborating on consecutive tackles that created a fourth down for the Patriots.
Liam Stanek and Victor Lapointe took part in a wave of tacklers that prevented a first down, returning the ball to the Jr Celtics.
The nine-play, 57-yard scoring drive was its own masterpiece, keyed by a 17-yard burst by Roethle, a 15-yard toss left sweep by Slucki and a Tyler Fox 6-yard run.
With his twin brother delivering a brilliant block, Tyler Fox took the jet sweep 4 yards for the tying score with 2:07 remaining. Dylan Fox forced the overtime with a shoestring tackle of the Patriots’ runner in the closing seconds. Cameron Wade, Lapointe and Stanek stood tall on defense during the overtime.
“One thing that really helped us click this year is just getting that one big defensive stop, whether it’s one play or the whole series,” Wade said. “That swings the momentum for the entire defense, and we just take off from there. The coaches made adjustments, and our attitude switched and the whole defense just started making plays. The offense gave us a lot of confidence, and made us feel like we could stop anybody.”
Now the Jr Celtics have to make the leap to playoff mode. The game against the Patriots offered fair warning to their postseason opposition.
“It was a tough game, but it was a good game,” Tyler Fox said. “They came in the No. 1 seed, we’re No. 4. Most of us probably thought we’d lose. I’m happy with how we did. We were a team out there, and we fought. If we were not playing as a team, we probably would have lost that game by double digits. It just shows that we can beat any team out here if everybody does their job.”
Despite the 26-25 overtime loss, the Jr Celtics 13U players featured many standout contributors. They included Jeremiah Turman, John Carter IV, Christopher Gravitt, Tegan Walsh, Michael Fryza, Ademide Bobade, Maddox Sperry, Austin Palacios, Jaxon Chalupa, Christian Flores, Quinton Hoffman, Jack Fletcher, Henry Ambrose and Henry Rettberg.
The Junior Varsity cheerleading squad, in their last regular-season appearance, also brought great artistry and passion to their routines. They included Audrey Larson, Grace Corwhurst, Alexis Firlit, Raelynn Anderson, Vivienne Andresen, Riley Hoffman, Elle Dobblehoff, Skyler Guinea, Roe Lubovich, Mia Calleros, Charlotte McDonald, Emma Hamstra, Maleah Capadona, Charlotte Ozinga and Gianna Kettwig.
