By Bobby Narang- Photos by Lauren Gray
** Additional Photos are Available for Purchase at https://justallsports.zenfolio.com/p156976302 **
MOKENA— The Illinois Jr. Celtics 7U youth football made a big statement seconds before Sunday’s mid-afternoon kickoff.
The Celtics were getting ready for the start of the game, bouncing off each other and pumped for the start of the game.
Suddenly, the four captains –Augustyn Urso, Anthony Stazzone III, Henry McLaren and Jack Hamstra – stared across the field and marched to midfield for the pre-game introductions with the captains from the Tri-Cities Wolverines and the referees.
All four captains marched with a purpose – and strength.
From that moment, the Jr. Celtics never looked back, scoring points in three of the four quarters to record a 15-6 victory over the Wolverines.
Defensive coordinator Nick Stazzone said the Jr. Celtics were firing on all cylinders. The Wolverines scored a touchdown in the first quarter, but they failed to find the end zone for the rest of the game. The defense set the tone by recovering a fumble by Liam Mann with 8:46 left in the first quarter.
“The defense really played well today, but really the defense has played well the last three games,” Stazzone said. “The offense really woke up today and took the entire third quarter in possession, which was key for us. The offense grinded and wore the other team down in the heat a bit. The offensive line did their job today, and the defense played really well and only given up 20 or so points in three games.”
The Jr. Celtics (1-2) controlled both lines and relied on their athleticism and strength to slowly win the battle of the trenches and dominate with their running game.
On the first drive of the game, the Jr. Celtics ate up several minutes with a time-consuming possession. Kaleb Neylon opened the drive with a 13-yard run to move the chains. Quarterback Jack Brogan burst up the middle for an eight-yard run on fourth down to keep the drive moving down the field. Brogan closed out the eight-play drive with a twisting run up the middle for a four-yard TD for a 7-0 lead with 1:58 left in the first quarter.
“I was thinking about our first two losses we had and got so mad that I ran hard and took out my anger running the ball,” Brogan said. “I think our blocking was great and we did better on defense.”
After the Wolverines scored on a 65-yard touchdown run on the last play of the opening quarter, the Jr. Celtics went back to the running game to gain momentum. McLaren busted loose for a 30-yard run on the fourth play of the drive. Enzo Brunette added a seven-yard run and Brogan extended the possession with a four-yard keeper on fourth down.
Kaleb Neylon capped the impressive drive with a nine-yard dart into the end zone on the 11th play, giving the home team a 13-6 lead late in the second quarter.
“We did really good on offense,” Neylon said. “I saw the big gap and ran it strong. I wanted to help us win this game.”
Right before halftime, Liam Regan recovered a fumble to stop a late rally by the Wolverines.
The second half was dominated by the Jr. Celtics. The home team started the third quarter at their own 35-yard line, but they managed to hold the possession for the entire quarter and half of the fourth quarter.
The Jr. Celtics managed a stellar 14-play drive that ended with a failed fourth down conversion. The highlights of the drive included a 10-yard run by Brogan, an eight-yard scamper by Neylon, and another Brogan fourth-down successful run.
Down 13-6, the Wolverines didn’t get the ball in the second half until 3:47 remained in the game. The visiting team shocked the crowd with a 98-yard touchdown run with 22.1 seconds left, but the highlight-reel TD was called back due to a holding call. Neylon sealed the win with a tackle in the end zone for a safety with 17.8 ticks on the clock to secure the first win of the season for the Jr. Celtics.
Mann said the defense came to play on Sunday.
“I was happy to get the ball on the fumble after seeing the ball sticking out,” Mann said. “We had a lot of good tackles today.”
Mack Simon said the entire team played aggressive in the victory.
“It was a fun game and I tackled really good on one play,” Simon said.
Coach Stazzone said the Jr. Celtics were motivated to end their two-game losing streak. The offensive line – Oliver Liang, Cody Crites, Charlie Buche III, Greyson Berger, Troy Angus and Augustyn Urso – spearheaded the second half resurgence with their blocking.
“We are lucky on this team to have four or five really good athletes on this team who can carry the ball at any time,” Coach Stazzone said. “We can run the ball really well. We don’t really have a primary running back. I’m just glad to get our first win of the season, so hopefully we can roll from here.”
The entire team played strong on the hot and muggy afternoon, helping to get the first win of the season. The other players included: Rowshoe Kouba, Logan Teets, Anthoney Stazzone, Ford Kouba, Patrick Brennan, Jamari McDonald, Jack Sawyer, Liam Regan and Santos Candia.
The cheerleading squad was also a source of energy.. These cheerleaders included: Allison Gutierrez, Aria Christou, Aylin Morales, Bella Siano, Bethany Willis, Billie Wieneyer, Brooklyn Kuzlik, Brynn Miller, Catalina Styburski, Gwen Oswald, Harper Sanders, Harper Clark, Hope Mahalik, Imery Lorenzo, Isabella Styburski, Isla Doogan, Jenna Lestina, Josie Paul, Kami Neylon, Kiera DeWolf, Lena Silverstri, Leona Busche, Lily Jones, Lola Petrocelli, Makenzie Garland, Malorie Hudson, Margaret Skuzinski, Noelle Lewis, Nora Hicks, Olivia Esposito, Olivia Palacios, Olivia Price, Olivia Martino, Peyton Roscetti, Rose Jones and Vivian Mann.
