By Francisco Avila- Photos by Lauren Gray
** Additional Photos are Available for Purchase at https://justallsports.zenfolio.com/p918746983 **
After a tough result in the Wednesday Night Football League in the semi-final playoff, the Junior Varsity Orland Park Pioneers were determined to prove they hadn’t lost their edge. With the final regular season game of the River Valley Youth Football League on the line, and playoffs looming, the Pioneers delivered a gritty 14-8 win over the New Lenox Jr. Knights Red.
They didn’t just win, they made a statement.
“The game itself was, I mean, it was a playoff environment,” said Head Coach Krokos. “You had a lot of guys who were primarily Wednesday League players step up big today. We had some injuries going in, and more bumps and bruises during the game, but they battled and helped decide the result in our favor.”
From the opening whistle, the Pioneers looked to set the tone. Four minutes into the first quarter, Hudson Doftert made an early impact with a strong 9-yard run, showing both power and pace. He followed up with a 5-yard gain to earn the first down and continued to be the workhorse, driving the offense into Jr. Knights territory.
Although a false start later stalled the drive and forced a punt, Doftert’s early touches had set the rhythm.
“He had a really, really good game,” Coach Krokos said of Doftert. “He made smart reads, hit the holes we opened up, and helped us get rolling early.”
Defensively, the Pioneers began to dig in late in the first quarter, with John Sutter, Luke Tonra, and Anderson Matthew making key tackles. Zachary Salah chipped in with a short 3-yard gain, and after a timeout, the quarter ended in a defensive deadlock at 0-0.
The Pioneers opened the second quarter with a pile of defensive stops. Gavin Connors, Morandi, Nicholas Peisker, and Doftert all delivered big tackles, including a crucial sack from Doftert that forced a Knights punt.
On the next offensive drive, Doftert added a 4-yard gain, then caught a 9-yard pass from Luke Krokos, advancing to the 32-yard line. Another strong connection between Krokos and Doftert brought them into the red zone.
After a Knights timeout, Krokos hit Zachary Salah with a 6-yard pass to move inside the 15. Moments later, Krokos found Salah again, this time for a 15-yard touchdown, giving the Pioneers a 6-0 lead.
“I was supposed to cross into the middle and then get the pass, but he fired it early, right when I hit the middle,” said Salah. “I caught it and just ran for the touchdown.”
Andrew “AJ” Richardson nailed the two-point kick, extending the lead to 8-0.
“AJ’s been kicking for years; he’s almost automatic,” said Coach Krokos. “For an 11-year-old, his percentage is off the charts. It’s a game-changer when we can convert those.”
Peisker, Tonra, and Connors shut things down late in the half. Connors delivered a clutch sack and nearly forced a fumble seconds later.
“I couldn’t have done it without my teammates,” Connors said. “I stayed on him and came around to get the sack.”
The Pioneers opened the second half determined to protect their lead. Dylan Ahmer, Peisker, Doftert, and Noah Cordoba made vital tackles, with Luke Tonra and Garrity adding a touchdown-saving stop.
After the Knights were forced to punt, the Pioneers regained possession but were unable to convert offensively and punted it back.
The Knights, looking to even the score, drove downfield late in the third quarter. From the 2-yard line, they punched in a touchdown and converted the two-point attempt to tie it 8-8, setting up a dramatic fourth quarter.
The Pioneers wasted no time going back on the offensive.
Krokos hit Doftert for a 6-yard gain, and Doftert followed with a 2-yard rush. A defensive offside moved the chains again. Doftert continued to grind out tough yards, setting up a key 9-yard pass from Krokos to Ahmer.
After Salah powered the ball to the 6-yard line, Krokos connected with Ahmer once more for a 6-yard touchdown, giving the Pioneers a 14-8 lead with five minutes to play.
“Coach told me to run the same play again,” said Ahmer. “I broke a few tackles and just got into the end zone.”
With the lead in hand, the defense locked in.
Michael Galivan and Ahmer stepped up with key tackles. The Knights fumbled a snap but recovered it. Tonra followed with a big stop, and after a timeout, Peisker delivered back-to-back clutch tackles to stifle the Knights’ last push.
With time winding down, the Knights launched one final attempt to tie the game.
Their quarterback scrambled, looking for an opening, but with seconds left, Peisker came up huge with an interception to seal the win.
“We were all screaming and yelling, it was crazy,” said Ahmer. “Now we just gotta lock in at practice.”
Coach Krokos also praised the effort of players in the “fifth quarter,” where developing players get valuable reps.
“The 5th quarter guys did really well,” he said. “George Petraitis had a good offensive run. Vinny Ficaro played hard. We had strong linebacker and cornerback play, Cade Rucinski and Caden Kolodziej even saved a touchdown on a big play. We’re aiming to get two touchdowns in that segment next week.”
With the win, the Pioneers move into the playoffs with momentum and belief, not just in their playmaking, but in their team-first mentality.
They’ve shown grit. They’ve shown heart. And now, they’re ready for what’s next.
The Orland Park Pioneers Junior Varsity side had many contributors who contributed to the 12-8 win. The other crucial participants were Maximum Streets-Pruitt, Vinny Ficaro, Cole Baldridge, Paños Kyros, John Sutter, Dylan Enríquez, Jase Enstrom, Carter Erwin, Carter Peluso, Tyjuan Hagler, Karam Olyyan, Nick Mase, Andrew Richardson, Moody Abudan, Christian Paulson, Scott Gumienny, Noah Maslowiec, Cody Godliewski, Nicholas Dertz, Samuel Horeluk, James Okrasinski, Ameen Musa, Dominic Lach, Collin Vallan, Bradley Patterson, Avery Vermilyea, Michael Ordman, Jude Morrar, Rayder Slabenak, and Owen Garrity.
The JV Pioneer cheerleaders were a large reason for the victory which consists of 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 Kishtac, Lily Hahn, Olivia Hufford, Giuliana Bertucci, Annie Milosovic, Hayden Campbell, Katelyn Gallina, Avarie Schwartz, Peyton Meekma, Eivan Willis, Marguerite Ryan, Emilia Krol.
