By Kevin McGavin- Photos by Lauren Gray
** Additional Photos are Available for Purchase at https://justallsports.zenfolio.com/p802127002 **
MOKENA— The once-comfortable three-score lead was a distant memory. The Illinois Junior Celtics’ 8U Pop Warner squad had one last bullet to dodge.
Bolingbrook had stormed back from its three-touchdown deficit and its physically imposing and visually intimidating star quarterback Anthony Ortiz was attempting to forge a deadlock with two minutes and change remaining Saturday afternoon at Main Park.
The Trojans needed a traditional PAT kick for the equalizer. But Ortiz was unable to launch the kick high enough, resulting in the Junior Celtics holding onto their precarious lead.
Westin White and Landon Brown then iced the Junior Celtics’ thrilling 21-19 victory with back-to-back first-down runs to close out the fast-charging Trojans.
“That was nerve-wracking,” Junior Celtics coach Dave Cercone said of the closing sequences.
It was polar-opposite games for White and Brown in the teams’ showdown.
White had been brilliant the entire game, rushing for 193 yards and all three scores for the Junior Celtics.
Brown, meanwhile, had not had a single carry in the contest before calling his own number. Brown raced 14 yards to augment the 17-yard gain White authored on the previous play, enabling the Junior Celtics to run out the final minute of the tense game.
“I was scared for a little bit, but after I got the confidence to run fast I thought I could get the first down,” Brown said. “I was trying to get more yards but was tackled.”
The Junior Celtics, who improved to 4-1 on the season, had played a near-flawless opening half.
White was the headline-grabber as the Junior Celtics’ star tailback rushed for 147 of his game-high yardage on a mere five carries. It was the offensive line play, however, that enabled White to dash to the end zone three times in the opening half.
“It was definitely because of my blockers, the offensive line,” said White.
Paul Jackson and Mario Williams are the Junior Celtics’ bookend tackles on offense.
Ronan Lahey was the glue at center, with Soren Fleck also playing a pivotal role as the left guard.
But it was a coaching adjustment that may have tipped the balance in favor of the Junior Celtics’ rush game.
Thomas Fletcher, normally a complimentary blocking back, was switched to tight end.
“We knew we could seal the edge (with Fletcher manning the end of the line),” said Cercone. “We hyped (the offensive line) up all week.”
“We worked hard, and Westin just ran really fast,” Jackson said. “Getting off the ball was all good for us.”
“We did well, we worked hard and we’re strong,” added Williams. “I had to help my team.”
From a scoring perspective, White single-handedly staked the Junior Celtics to a 21-0 lead with touchdown runs on the Junior Celtics’ opening three possessions. White certainly had an auspicious offensive debut when he returned the Trojans’ first-possession punt 21 yards to establish the Junior Celtics in plus-territory. White had a 26-yard burst on his initial carry and managed to overcome a flagrant face-mask penalty en route to the first score of the game–a 20-yard dash along the right side.
“(The penalty) got him off me,” White said of the Trojans’ foul.
On the ensuing possession, Bolingbrook made a curious decision to attempt a fourth-down conversion from deep in its own end. The gamble backfired when White, operating from his secondary position, stopped the Trojans’ quarterback keeper for no gain.
White doubled the Junior Celtics’ lead on the next play from scrimmage, yet another 20-yard score along the right side.
Ortiz moved from the backfield to take command of the Trojans’ offense on the following possession. It began in promising fashion when Ortiz rumbled for 50 yards on a quarterback keeper.
But the Junior Celtics’ defense more than met the challenge.
Solo tackles were out of the question for the unit, and the Junior Celtics’ collaborative efforts to neutralize Ortiz would become a major storyline.
“That’s a tough thing for our team to do–to bring down big guys as a small team,” Cercone said. “It was a total team effort.”
“We were trying to get low,” said Junior Celtics’ linebacker James Mellon. “We had to gang tackle (Ortiz).”
The Junior Celtics escaped one scare when a Bolingbrook touchdown was negated by an infraction, and the importance was magnified as Max Lepore played a central role in denying the Trojans’ fourth-and-goal bid at the Junior Celtics’ seven-yard line.
White then had the play of the game. Seeing a gaping hole to the left side, White raced past the bewildered Bolingbrook defense and galloped 93 yards along the left sideline.
“(White) is a coach’s dream,” Cercone said. “He is a human joystick.”
The ultimate difference in the game proved to be conversion rates. The Junior Celtics enjoyed a 21-0 lead as Lepore had one-point running conversions on the bookend White touchdowns; Brown did likewise after the middle White touchdown.
Ortiz connected with Gio Lemus on two aerial touchdowns, the first reducing the Junior Celtics’ cushion to 21-7 right before halftime.
The Junior Celtics had opportunities to create much greater separation, only to turn the ball over on three consecutive second-half possessions.
The final giveaway came one play after White intercepted Ortiz at his own five-yardline.
“I just made the play and got it,” White said of his pick.
“We felt a little bit of a letdown, but it’s all OK,” Jackson said of the Junior Celtics nearly squandering their 21-point lead.
The Junior Celtics could never have withstood the Bolingbrook challenge without contributions from throughout their 23-player roster. Francis Zalud, Mason Comise, Emmett Juknevicius, Jaxon Franz, Jaxton Yaeger, Sebastian Diaz, Nicholas Petrocelli, Oliver Bogle, Calvin Wilson, Camden Kokolus, Rory Brennan, Michael Ruth, Jacob Palacios and Braxton Bellik all met their minimum 12 plays on either offense, defense or a combination of the two.
