By Patrick Z. McGavin- Photos by Renee Kaspar
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ORLAND PARK— The worst kind of harbinger was captured in the first play by the Orland Park Pioneers Junior Varsity program.
An errant snap sailed over the head of quarterback Luke Krokos and resulted in a 14-yard loss. The game went quickly downhill from there.
“That was not the first drive of the game that we wanted or what we were looking for,” coach Al Krokos said. “We just never got into a rhythm offensively. The game is hard, but it’s also pretty simple. We have to do a better job of executing our offense.”
The Junior Varsity never caught up in suffering the 20-0 loss against the New Lenox Warriors in River Valley Youth Football league at Sandburg High School on Sunday, August 31.
The first quarter proved a collective nightmare the team never shook off. Taking advantage of the short field, the Warriors pushed through for an early score and 8-0.
The Pioneers fumbled the ensuing kickoff. The Warriors punished them, taking the next lay 55 yards to the end zone for the 14-0 lead.
Orland Park was desperately playing catch up against a quality opponent.
“We were nervous at the beginning of the game, and we were shocked by what was happening out there, with the ball getting loose or stuff like that,” Luke Krokos said. “We were down the whole game. We were a little timid and nervous, and they were coming at us very hard and making plays. They were very physical.”
The normally precise and technically sharp tackling of the defense was also off. Too many times, the Warriors’ running backs broke off first or second hits.
Middle linebacker Nicholas Peisker had eight tackles. Too many of them were off the ball and downfield.
“I think we underestimated them,” Peisker said. “We have to learn how to come out stronger and harder and be able to play right away. We have to play our game. We’re not going to win with arm tackles and going high. We have to go low and take them out. We have to get better execution, practice hard and keep going.”
Peisker is also the center and the key to the offensive line. The Warriors stymied the Pioneers with a series of stunts and blitzes that threw Orland Park off.
The team was off balance, and never able to get into a cogent offensive rhythm.
“I think we have to do a better job of calling out who we’re blocking,” Peisker said. “I think some of the linemen didn’t know how they were supposed to be blocking. We had some confusion. We have to get that fixed.”
Running backs Hudson Doftert and Max Streets-Pruitt rarely had open lanes or clean looks to attack the perimeter of the Warriors. Zackary Salah, a normally strong inside threat, was also blocked or stuffed at the line of scrimmage.
Streets-Pruitt was a standout with two interceptions in the end zone that kept the Pioneers competitive. Late in the second quarter, he broke the passing lane and made a great read on the ball.
“I saw the pass,” Streets-Pruitt said. “The referee actually had to duck down, and it was open from there. Football is football. We weren’t able to show off our full talent. We’re much better than how we played today.”
In retrospect the play also marked the Pioneers’ best chance at scoring. Streets-Pruitt broke down the right edge and appeared headed for a return score.
A Warriors player came from the weakside and tackled him after the 66-yard return. Trying to get on the scoreboard before the break, Doftert broke loose on an eight-yard reception.
That was the deepest penetration the Pioneers managed the whole game.
The offense was also missing a key talent in Anderson Matthews, an athletic and skilled receiver who scored a touchdown in the victory over Mt. Greenwood last week.
Two-way lineman Noah Maslowiec continued to impress with his excellent play, especially on the defensive side. He was the most effective of the Pioneers’ down lineman, posting six tackles.
Karam Olyyan and John Sutter also played hard and with conviction defensively.
“They’d overload the left or right side, and they’d confuse our routes,” Olyyan said. “Their backs were tough, and hard to bring down. We have to do a better job of closing the gaps.”
Streets-Pruitt injected another dose of optimism with another end zone interception at the start of the third quarter. The offense never got untackled or was able to take advantage of the turnovers.
“We just had too many breakdowns on offense to really do anything out there,” Salah said. “We should have been able to run the ball a lot and score touchdowns, but we weren’t executing the right way. We have to play harder, run the ball harder, protect and pass the ball better and score touchdowns.”
Luke Krokos was frequently under duress. No matter who carried the ball, Streets-Pruitt, Doftert, Salah or Dylan Ahmer, the result was pretty much the same.
The Pioneers were stuck in their own tracks. The Warriors took advantage, putting the game out of reach with their third touchdown with 7:54 remaining.
The Junior Varsity played hard, and never gave up. In a game marked by emotion and momentum, the Pioneers were always on the outside looking in.
Like the opening play summarized, the team was constantly in third and long.
“I think we’ll respond and play harder, faster and stronger,” Peisker said. “We’re going to be much better.”
During the Fifth Quarter, Vinny Ficaro showed his versatility as a multiple threat who toggled between playing quarterback, running back and receiver.
He created a highlight with his touchdown pass from Carter Erwin.
“I’ve been practicing at quarterback, and Carter Erwin is more of a passer,” he said. “I’m more of a runner and getting open, and doing things with my legs. He has a really good passing connection with me. It was great to have that score.”
Despite the 20-0 loss, the Junior Varsity received strong contributions up and down the roster. Those players include Cole Baldridge, Panos Kyros, Luke Tonra, Dylan Enriquez, Jase Enstrom, Carter Peluso, Tyjuan Hagler, Lucca Morandi, Noah Cordoba, Nick Mase, Andrew Richardson, Gavin Connors, Caden Kolodziej, Moody Abudan, Christian Paulson, Scott Gumienny, Cody Godlewski, Nicholas Dertz, Nick Pomonis, Samuel Horeluk, James Okrasinski, Ameen Musa, Dominic Lach, George Petraitis, Collin Valan, Bradley Patterson, Avery Vermilyea, Michael Ordman, Michael Galivan, Jude Morrar, Rayder Slabenak and Owen Garrity.
The cheerleaders also brought great energy and passion to their routines and performances. They are 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.
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