By Patrick Z. McGavin- Photos by Kathy Jones
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MOKENA— The most unsentimental of games provides the harshest personal lessons. The Jr Celtics 7U team faced something it had never done before, and the leap from one year to the next rarely felt so dramatic or pronounced.
“About half of our team is returning from last year, and the other half is new,” coach Jim Mellon said. “This is a whole new thing from what we used to play. Last year we played eight-on-eight, and now it’s the full 11, and actual football.”
The game began on an off-note with a fumble on their first play of the game. It went steadily downhill. To their credit, the Jr Celtics fought and never gave up.
The Jr Celtics 7U team took a step up and learned what a difference a year makes in the 26-0 loss against the Memorial Park Spartans in a Pop Warner League game on Saturday, August 24 at Main Park.
The misplayed handoff on the opening play foretold a tough day in the making.
“We have to play better,” running back Westin Wade said. “We couldn’t really get any plays going, or get open out there.”
The players had every reason to give up hope given the Spartans stunned the Jr Celtics with four long scoring plays from scrimmage. The athleticism and speed of their skilled players was a harsh lesson in how different the 11-player game is.
“I thought we did a pretty good job of tackling and playing hard,” defensive lineman Mario Williams said. “I think we just need to keep our effort up, and we have to work hard when we do our practices.”
Dazed by the turnover the Spartans converted into an early score, the Jr Celtics tried to regroup and unlock their own offense. White showed excellent burst but could never quite get to the edge. He showed what he was capable of with a sharp six-yard run on the second possession.
“I really like running the ball, but it was hard to do anything today,” White said. “We couldn’t really block them.”
Growth is not always linear or direct, and the team showed signs of competing and always playing hard. A positive play was invariably followed by a breakdown.
After Francis Zalud broke through for a two-yard tackle for loss on the Spartans’ follow up possession, Memorial Park stunned the Jr Celtics with a 73-yard touchdown pass on the deep right sideline.
“We have to be able to contain, and make sure they don’t get that outside edge, or they’re just gone for the races,” Mellon said.
The Jr Celtics did not suffer from a lack of effort.
“I’m proud of the fact that we were working really hard, and we were playing really hard,” Zalud said.
Zalud, Nolan Smith, William Fitzgerald, Thomas Fletcher, Maximus Lepore and Landon Brown showed heart and toughness trying to slow down the Spartans’ big play attack.
Memorial Park rode the early momentum, and the Jr Celtics could never quite catch up.
“This is my second time being on the Celtics,” Zalud said. “Our coaches were doing a good job, and they had us ready to play today. The game was very hard. We just need more practice time.”
Another dynamic long scoring run at the start of the third quarter created an even greater separation in the score between the teams. Despite the one-sided result, the team showed toughness and resilience.
The Jr Celtics fought and played hard, and showed signs of standing up to the challenge.
“Having them not give up is the biggest thing,” Mellon said. “We had a couple of kids who wanted to give up, or didn’t want to play, but they never stopped trying to compete. I want the kids out there to just play. It’s brutal sometimes, but they’re young and they’re still learning. We had a lot of third and fourth and long, and we had no choice but to go for it.”
One game does not define a season, especially given the context of young kids involved in their first ever game with the full complement of players.
The bright moments were clearly visible, like White ripping off runs of seven and four-yards in the second half. Nicholas Petrocelli also showed burst and agility carrying the ball.
“It felt good on my body, and I got a little bit faster,” Petrocelli said. “I was able to do what I wanted out there.”
Smith showed quickness off the line of scrimmage, and was able to get into the backfield to pressure the Spartans’ quarterback or break up their running game.
“I really like hitting the quarterback, or going after the runners,” Smith said. “This is my second year, and we never really played in a full game like this before. We have to play better, but we’re going to learn from this.”
The saying goes that defeat is far more illuminating than victory. The Jr Celtics know what they have to do to get better.
Jacob Palacios summed it up: “We have to keep practicing and play harder.”
Each game is a stepping stone, and a chance to showcase improvement and growth. The 7U players must learn on the fly about this whole new game.
“It’s a big change, but a change we have to adapt to,” Mellon said.
Despite the disappointing result of the loss, the Jr Celtics 7U received committed and strong performances from their entire roster. Those players included Gannon Christos, Camdyn Brigham, Mason Comise, James Mellon, Thomas Fletcher, Jaxton Yaeger, Oliver Bogle, Rocco Iuliano, James Dillon, Jackson Paul, Ronan Gleason, Mario Williams, and Braxton Bellik.
The Tiny Mite cheerleaders brought great passion and enthusiasm to their routes. They included Vivienne Brunette, Maggie Lepore, June Smith, Kelsey Niemeyer, Brooke Copack, Lucy Nelson, Brooklyn Firlit, Cora Smiley, Mila Cox, Niki Pflug, Juliana Jachymiak, Savannah Heim, Ella Angelini, Olivia Esposito, Lucy Oswald, Mia Bennett, Peyton Leo-Johnson, Grace Hartnett, Ella Salvador, Elizabeth Garcia, Kenzie Duggan, Sadie Griebel, Carleigh Waszak, Aubrey Crescent.
