By Ed Muniz- Photos by Jenn-Anne Gledhill
** Additional Photos are Available for Purchase at https://justallsports.zenfolio.com/p402062770 **
Mother Nature did not cooperate with the Mokena Jr. Celtics last home games of the Chicagoland Pop warner season.
Hosting three games on October 14, the Opponents would not be the only adversary the Jr. Celtics would have to battle.
A sideway dose of pesky rain and cool conditions with sheets of water being gusted during the contests, saying field conditions were brutal is quite an understatement.
With three games scheduled in the afternoon, the 6U Jr. Celtics kick-started the menu of games.
Coach Jimmy Mellon and his squad played host to the Addison Cowboys.
For both teams, plodding through the water-filled turf and sustaining drives would require elusiveness and luck.
Several times, a slippery pigskin was mishandled and fumbled which shortens drives for both teams.
At this level, if you fumble or mishandle the football behind the line of scrimmage, the play is immediately and marked at the spot of the fumble. That happened several times for both teams.
It was surprising that players were able to reach the end zone let alone get plays off.
After two halves of effort, the Jr. Celtics managed to outscore the Cowboys, winning 27-13.
“I thought everyone really played well considering the conditions,” said Coach Mellon. “There were a couple guys that had standout performances today. Defensively, Nicholas “Bear” Petrocelli, as far as tackling, he had a big game. J J (Mellon) also had a big game getting through the line and doing a lot of tackling, probably one of his best games.”
“This game was probably the best game the boys played hands down. No one had any gripes about what anybody did, they all did their job and did what they needed to do. I was definitely proud of them and what they did to get the win.”
The Jr. Celtics opened the game offensively. They gave the Cowboys a heavy dose of Westin White, which he was only too happy to oblige.
His runs produced the first score after maneuvering down field and finishing the opening drive with White scrambling in for the initial touchdown and a 6-0 lead.
After Stops by Max Lepore and Nicholas Petrocelli, the Cowboys fumbled snaps twice and were forced to turnover the football on downs.
The next Mokena drive saw White again streak for 15-yards along with added yards from Lepore, but they too had the issues handling the ball and gave it up on downs.
Although Petrocelli continued his defensive onslaught on Cowboy runners, Addison managed to drive the ball using runs to the outside. Kai Tuburan and JJ Mellon slowed them with each making stops.
The game was knotted at 6-6 after the Cowboys dashed in for their first score with just over three minutes left in the first half.
A 30-yard run by white flipped the field for the Mokena on the very next play. White again got the call, hit the edge and ran 35-yards into the endzone for his second touchdown with just 17 seconds left.
Quarterback’ Landon Brown called his own number and got to the corner for the extra-point and a 13-6 lead.
It took the Cowboys one play and a few seconds to notch the game up again. With their added point-after, the game went to half at 13-13.
Fighting the conditions, each team welcomed the needed break but only one came out in the second half ready to get back at it.
Defense by the Jr. Celtics came through in the second half, stifling the Cowboy offense and limiting much success.
The tackling by Petrocelli, Mellon and Lepore continued but others also contributed to shut down the scampering Addison offense.
Jameson White and Logan Cesek added tackles that forced a turnover on downs for the Cowboys.
It took Westin White just two runs to put the Jr. Celtics up again. A 33-yard burst saw him grab his third touchdown of the day. The point-after was added by Lepore which gave Mokena a 20-13 advantage.
Continuing its’ defensive onslaught, the Mokena defense bent but didn’t break. The Cowboys managed to put together a 10-play drive but was ultimately stopped on downs at the Jr. Celtic 20.
Tackles by Cesek, Lepore, Jackson Baker, Mario Williams and Westin White, including a sack cause the Cowboy drive to fizzle out.
The ensuing play saw Max Lepore give the home crowd the longest run of the day. He took off right, got past the initial line, hit the near sideline and streaked 80-yards for the nail in the coffin score.
The touchdown and added point-after by Brown elevated the lead to 27-13 as time began to wind down. After three consecutive stops by Cesek, the final horn went off to end the game.
“Westin played very well today, he is finally getting the hang of it, making a move here and there, being elusive and picking his way,” said Coach Mellon. “The kids are now interpreting what we say and thinking on the fly and creating and improvising. We give them the road map, but they can still do some good things on their own.”
“Logan (Cesek) also has improved, he struggled at the beginning of the year but today, he had a great game. Max (Lepore) plays both sides of the ball, he could easily be one of our top players if not the top, he is just a solid player all-around.”
“I think from coaching last year to this last game, I really think our team as a whole, really improved a lot, seeing all the improvement has been great. I was telling our coaches; the boys played their best game of the year in the worst conditions of the year.”
The Jr. Celtics had other contributions not only in this win but also throughout the season from Francis Zalud, Mason Comise, Jacob Palacios, Kaleb Cloutier and Leonidas Christou. The 6U Jr. Celtics may have one more game left. They may compete in a “Tiny Bowl” game with a time and date yet to be determined.