By Ed Muniz-Photos by Morgan Gonzales
**Additional Photos are Available for Purchase at https://justallsports.zenfolio.com/p943185358 **
Watching Enzo Angone over the last two seasons, you will notice the improvement with each game.
His agility and that nose for the endzone has been a stalwart of his development with each season.
He has the capability of scoring every touch of the football. Throw in his vision of the field when he has the football cradled in his arms, the chances of him scoring are quite likely.
He now shows the instincts that great running backs need to excel. Speed, elusiveness, awareness and finding and making the right cut at the right time.
He runs expertly but also has the soft and sure hands of a receiver to finish off pass-plays.
His whole skill set was on display this past Sunday in Orland Park during the Junior Varsity Pioneers 19-0 victory over the visiting NWI Vipers.
Angone scored all three of the Pioneers touchdowns and made it look easy. Touchdown runs of 54 and 43-yards seemed effortless. A pass from Ashton Brennan, saw Angone race 67-yards to the endzone for his third score of the game.
“I guess it was easy to get through them and past them, they really weren’t flowing with the play fast enough,” said Angone. “Getting to the open field has worked well for me. I try and practice as hard as I can. It helped that we had really good lineman today. All really played well in the game.”
The first play of the game saw the Pioneers jump ahead within seconds. Angone took the handoff, got through the line and ran up the middle 54-yards for the opening score and a quick 7-0 lead after adding the point-after.
Defensively, the Pioneers set the tome early with a pair of tackles from Terrin Lovitt and tackles by Mason Overmyer and Angone.
With the stop, the Pioneers took over at mid field.
A run by Ben Snider and an incomplete pass proceeded Angone taking another handoff, weave in and out to the near sideline and continue to the endzone 43-yards later for the Pioneers second touchdown and a 13-0 lead.
The Vipers shot themselves in the foot on their next series. After a tackle by Lovitt, Michael Sraga recovered a fumble by the Viper heading into the second quarter.
The Pioneers weren’t perfect too. Three plays produced an incomplete pass, a sack of Brennan and a wounded duck throw that was easily intercepted by a Vipers defender.
The turnover the Vipers snagged was wasted just two plays later. Lovitt was at it again using his quickness and ability to close for the tackle, followed by Ryan Duckhorn recovering another Viper fumble on the next play.
A bad exchange saw Brennan fumble on first down, immediately giving the Vipers the ball back..
The exchange of turnovers stalled the game some.
Again, back to their defense, the Pioneers worked quickly with tackles from Lovitt, Angone, Beeler and Brennan to return possession to the Pioneer offense after four plays.
Things were not clicking as the half was ending. The Pioneers offense now looked sloppy as exchanges and little things were disrupting what had worked so well earlier. Angone picked up a fumble snap, then was tackled for a yard, Brennan was not accurate on his passes.
With fourth and long, the Pioneers connection of Brennan to Angone was hypnotic as the pass-play would elude all the Viper defenders and go the 67-yard distance for the Pioneers third touchdown of the first half for the 19-0 lead just as the first half was about to end.
Beginning the second half, the Pioneers defense allowed the Vipers offense negative three yards after Duckhorn, Dylan Butler, Overmyer and Drake Ulaszek made stops.
Going to Kyle Krokos at quarterback, the Pioneers called a reverse and gained 16-yards by Henry Byrne.
Runs by John Werner and Krokos and an incomplete pass, saw the Pioneers give up the football on downs.
Using second unit players, the Pioneers defense bent but didn’t break and held their own against the Vipers first unit.
Tackles by Wyatt Heinze, Qais Naser, Ulaszek, Colin Kluever and Logan Helman.
The Pioneers offense again took to the field trying to build on their lead.
Byrnes again opened with a run of 13-yards. That was followed with Werner bursting for 12 more.
Just when the Pioneers were building some momentum offensively, a costly penalty stops the flow of positivity and derails the promising start.
The next three Pioneer tries produced just a single yard as time expired in the game.
The first half’s success showed what the Pioneers are capable of doing. When things click, talent and skill show why the Pioneers can be a contender this year. Offensively, the offense showed they can score.
Defensively, the Pioneers can shut down teams with their prowess and pursuit. Leading the defensive play in this game was Terrin Lovitt.
Lovitt showed improvement in his game, with his aggressive play easily noticed.
“I just started going downhill more,” said Lovitt. “I get them back more, it’s easier to make the tackle. On the flow of the play, I just read one of the backers and they just bring me to the play most of the time. It’s been really fun playing defense. I don’t think I’m struggling with anything defensively, can’t think of anything. I feel I’m doing well.”
With the 19-0 win, the Pioneers improved to 2-2 on the season headed towards next week’s Homecoming game.
There were also several Pioneers that gave their all in this game. They are Jude Doftert, Gavin Loman, David Kopec, Colin McElligott, Cade McNulty, Charlie Enstrom, Evan Lovelle, Luke Rybak, Finnian Redmond, Keegan Fogarty, Layth Zughayer, Nicholas Davis, Luke Makuch, Dylan Gavin, Nicholas Baniewicz, Luke O’Reilly, Ryan Marek, Brock Lenzen, William Reilly, Adian Rios, Qais Naser, Steven Mullins, Nicholas Hertzog, Jack Bordelon, Justin McNamara, Erik Barran and Rhett Capps.
The Pioneers players were also cheered on by the JV Pioneer cheerleaders. Carys Atraje, Aubrey Baran, Keira Barrera, Brittney Blazys, Brooke Blazys, Annabelle Briseno, Hayden Campbell, Giulia Cangelosi, Avery Carroll, Elliyana Connors, Charlotte Day, Annabelle Deloya, Darcy Dorigan, Frankie Ficaro, Emma Golonka, Delaney Grenda, Arabella Hernandez, Ariana Hinton, Leah Janota, Bianca Kapusciarz, Ella Kluever, Brinley Laniosz, Malayna Marable, Emily Minard, Natalie Ocon, Emma Overman, Gia Parisi, Emily Pastiak, Makayla Roman, Emma Ruisz, Luciana Rupp, Alyse Sparacino, Kamilla Ulaszek and Nora Velez.
