By Patrick Z McGavin- Photos by Lauren Gray
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CHICAGO— A scheduling fluke delayed the official start for the Junior Varsity side of the Orland Park Pioneers.
With the other three levels of the Pioneers kicking off their season a week earlier, the Junior Varsity had time, opportunity and motive to get their timing and rhythm down.
“I feel like we had a lot of time to practice special teams, and a lot of other parts of the offense and defense,” two-way standout John Sutter said.
“We had more time to get ready for this game.”
The Pioneers made a spectacular debut against Mt. Greenwood Colts by scoring in all three phases in the 30-6 victory in a River Valley Youth Football league game here at Brother Rice on Sunday, August 24.
“I feel like we’re all used to playing together, and we know each other’s strengths and weaknesses,” Sutter said. “We all helped each other, and we communicated.
“When Noah Maslowiec got that sack, I just told him to go up there, because there were two guys on me.”
Quarterback Luke Krokos threw two touchdown passes and dynamic athlete Max Streets-Pruitt scored on a touchdown reception and a punt return.
The first string offense only played two possessions and orchestrated two perfect drives. The defense and special teams also scored a touchdown. Andrew Richardson was 3-for-4 on two-point kicks.
Krokos finished a perfect 3-for-3 for 42 yards. On the opening five-play, 51-yard drive, he connected with talented newcomer Anderson Matthews twice.
The second throw was a 16-yard dart across the middle for a Matthews touchdown.
The son of coach Al Krokos, Luke Krokos directed the offense with efficiency and skill. He sharply demonstrated the multiple ways the Pioneers have of moving the ball.
“We have a good line, so when we run the ball, we’re very effective and it’s easy to gain yards that way,” Luke Krokos said. “When we’re passing, the linemen did a great job with their blocks, and they gave me a lot of time to throw.
“This game gives us more confidence we’re going to do well this season.”
Hudson Doftert was the battering ram and other critical component of the blowout. He ran four times for 36 yards. His 13-yard burst helped set up the first touchdown.
“Our offensive line was pushing like five yards every play, and it created the holes for me to get through,” he said. “They were also getting to the linebackers, so I could extend the runs.
“We had more practice time to get ready, and be ready for this game.”
Doftert was also a menace on defense. His blitz created a six-yard tackle for loss on the Colts’ opening drive. His follow up interception paved the way for the Pioneers’ second touchdown, a four-play, 38-yard drive.
“We were in the backfield every single play, always tackling them,” he said.
Doftert ran for 12 yards, and Dylan Ahmer followed with an eight-yard blast up the middle. The running game perfectly set up the Krokos’ play action.
Streets-Pruitt burned the Colts’ secondary and got free for a gorgeous 14-yard touchdown strike on the first play of the second quarter.
The speedster was just getting started. After a third down sack by Maslowiec forced a Colts’ punt, Streets-Pruitt showed off his blazing speed and talent for getting into space.
Catching the ball at the 34-yard line, he darted right and dashed untouched down the sideline for the return touchdown. His uncle, Tai Streets, was an NFL receiver with the Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers.
“I work on my catching, and I have a very good quarterback throwing me the ball,” Streets-Pruitt said.
“Just like that punt return, it’s always been easy for me to find the end zone. We had the best energy we’ve had in a while coming into this game. We knew we could beat this team.”
The Pioneers turned the game into a rout when Sutter blasted through the line and picked up a fumble off the turf and returned it 16 yards for the touchdown.
“I watched the kid, and the ball just bounced and it popped up, and I grabbed it and ran,” Sutter said.
“The offense scoring those early touchdowns gave us a lot of momentum, and it made us feel very good about the game. I had confidence to know that I could really do this, and score in that situation.”
Richardson, Sutter, Doftert and Maslowiec powered the defensive effort. Linebacker Nicholas Peisker, the emotional leader of the defense, had four tackles.
No player epitomized remarkable offseason improvement like Maslowiec. He transformed himself from being a Fifth Quarter and Wednesday player into being a dominant two-way lineman.
His blocking opened holes for the running backs and gave Krokos time to throw. He was a disruptive force on defense.
“Just practice,” he said. “I love football, and I give it my all. The offensive line has done an amazing job so far this season. We just have the motivation, and I had a good feeling about this game. We’ve been practicing together for a while now, and we showed the ability to run and pass block, or also zone block.
“The energy was just amazing. I had great communication with John Sutter. We were talking about the holes. The linemen were really open, at least a foot or two apart. After that sack, they realized their splits were very wide.”
The four-touchdown lead meant the entire roster had a chance to play. Quarterback Carter Erwin ran the second-team offense, with some excellent and tough running by Nick Mase and Michael Ordman.
Even following the Colts’ late score, Bradley Patterson made a spectacular tackle on the conversion attempt. Everything flowed perfectly together. Up and down the lineup, the JV showcased superb individual talent and team chemistry.
“We had a lot of energy, and everybody played hard,” said Nick Pomonis. He had two sacks, and a pressure that led to an interception by Vinny Ficaro during the Fifth Quarter. Christian Paulson also registered a sack, and George Petraitis ripped off several nice runs.
Fittingly, Pomonis had the final play from scrimmage, taking a handoff and going three yards.
“We just have to keep the communication and energy up,” Pomonis said.
The Orland Park Pioneers JV team had many key contributors in the 30-6 season-opening victory. They were Zackary Salah, Cole Baldridge, Panos Kyros, Luke Tonra, Dylan Enriquez, Jase Enstrom, Carter Peluso, Tyjuan Hagler, Lucca Morandi, Karam Olyyan, Noah Cordoba, Gavin Connors, Caden Kolodziej, Moody Abudan, Scott Gumienny, Cody Godlewski, Nicholas Dertz, Samuel Horeluk, James Okrasinski, Ameen Musa, Dominic Lach, Collin Valan, Avery Vermilyea, Michael Galivan, Jude Morrar, Rayder Slabenak and Owen Garrity.
The cheerleaders also showed their support with their athletic routines and precise actions. They included Brielle Lenzen, Natalie Brown, Addison Meyers, Aria Lasky, Ania Cunningham, Ellyana Connors, Frankie Ficaro, Natalie Kehoe, Annabelle Briseno, Annabelle Deloya, Lila Gavin, Leah Janota, Nadine Gazarin, Nora Velez, Charlotte Day, Margot Joda, Ella Kluever, Sydney Scharpf, Ayya Ramadani, Avery Seliga, Maeve Smith, Madison Davis, Sana Kishta, Lily Hahn, Olivia Hufford, Giuliana Bertucci, Annie Milosovic, Hayden Campbell, Katelyn Gallina, Avarie Schwartz, Peyton Meekma, Eivan Willis, Marguerite Ryan and Emilia Krol.
