By Bobby Narang- Photos by Gary Larson
** Additional Photos are Available for Purchase at https://justallsports.zenfolio.com/p1059607520 **
NEW LENOX— Two weeks earlier, the Jr. Celtics 9U football team opened up its game with a promising start.
On Sunday, in a home game against the Elgin Steelers, the Jr. Celtics followed the same format on an oppressively hot afternoon at Providence Catholic High School.
Just a few minutes into the game, the Jr. Celtics picked up a sound gang-tackle by Jacob Guisinger and Joseph Paciorek. The Jr. Celtics forced a bad snap for a seven-yard loss, and the defense made a huge stop with a deflection on fourth down.
The goodwill continued on Elgin’s next drive, as Vincent Venegas broke throw with an solid tackle on first down for a two-yard loss.
But, just like two weeks ago, the Jr. Celtics weren’t able to sustain the momentum, when lightning struck via a long touchdown pass on second down. The Elgin Steelers built off the touchdown, dominating the second half on the way to a 30-0 victory over the Jr. Celtics.
The Jr. Celtics (0-7) suffered another tough loss, but signs were everywhere for a possible breakthrough in the near future. The Steelers just were too shift, fast and athletic for the home team, especially hurting them on big, electric plays at different stages of the game.
“We saw a lot of positives,” coach Tom Comise said. “First, the kids didn’t quit. We got hurt by the big plays. They were very fast and athletic, but we have to pursue and gang-tackle better. But we had some good plays, and I’m proud of the team for fighting hard until the end.
“I’m proud of the kids. We told them to play four quarters and to never give up. That was a very good team we played and they were tough to contain.”
The Jr. Celtics fell victim to a number of errors on offense, which never allowed them to move the ball with any consistency since facing long situations early in several drives.
The Jr. Celtics showed some life after falling into a 6-0 deficit. John Drabeck helped stop a drive by the visiting team with an outstanding tackle, helping the home team start a long drive on their next possession.
The Jr. Celtics put together their best drive of the game, helped by numerous memorable plays. John Skuzinski V cut into the open field and sped along the sidelines for long run before getting brought down from behind.
“I saw the gap and saw my guard and cut back in my alley,” Skuzinski said. “I followed my guard and planted and cut after seeing a defender come up. I didn’t know someone was right behind me. Their defense was fast and physical. We did well on offense and can improve for our next game.”
Quarterback Michael Comise showed poise and accuracy with a short toss to Caleb Partin for positive yards on third down, but drive stalled on fourth down due to a one-yard gain inside the five-yard line.
“The other team was just blitzing all game and kept hitting us hard,” Michael Comise said. “I just saw a few of our guys open today, so I just tried to throw it to them to help our offense. We have to stay on our blocks and keep working downfield on offense.”
Venegas kept up his big-time showing with a sack later in the half, but the Steelers answered with a 72-yard touchdown reception on the next and final play of the first half for a 12-0 lead. The second half turned into a quick-possession for both teams, mainly in a mundane third quarter.
The Steelers turned it on in the second half, while the Jr. Celtics, perhaps tired from being on the field so long in the hot conditions, tired in the final 14-plus minutes by allowing two late fourth-quarter touchdowns, including an interception that was returned for a TD.
Weston Surber contributed on the offensive line for the Jr. Celtics, calling it a good growing experience for him and his twin brother, Nash, adapting to playing football for the first time.
“It feels good playing with my brother in my first year of football,” Weston Surber said. “The season is going great. I love blocking and it’s really cool blocking together with my brother. I learned today when I’m pulling that I have to do better.”
Nash Surber echoed the same sentiment as his twin brother.
“It’s been pretty fun playing football because I normally play baseball,” Nash Surber said. “Me and my brother pick each other up a lot and help each other. I feel pretty good how I’m doing and am learning a lot in my first year. I’m getting better on defense, too. We just let them get outside too much. That hurt us.”
Linebacker Jack Mackiney said the Steelers were one of the fastest teams the Jr. Celtics have faced this season.
“A lot of times they would get outside and our team would overpursue,” Mackiney said. “Sometimes we would get them and have good tackles. We tried stopping them, but they were very tough. We have to cover the outside more.”
Coach Comise said his team is showing progress in small steps that should help in the future.
We had a lot of kids show improvement, especially on the offensive line with two new kids playing on the line in Nash and Weston Surber,” Comise said. “Josh Skuzinski is the heart of this team, plays both sides and 27 and never comes out of the game. He plays so hard and is big on defense. Hendrix Benard stepped up and played very good. Michael Comise, our QB, had a good command of the offense.”
The Jr. Celtics roster also included Finn Ward, James Short Jr., Tristyn Winke, Owen Miller, Cordin Caine, Ethan Hamideh, Ryder Dow, Hendrix Benard, John Drabeck, Caleb Partin, Jack Christou, Paxton Kirk, Rocco Macaluso, Jacks Sanders, Aiden Samanich and Paul Herring III.
