By Bobby Narang- Photos by Kathy Jones
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FLOSSMOOR – As the third game of four on Sunday, the Orland Park Pioneers were motivated to not stop the momentum on the junior varsity level.
The Pioneers had the misfortune of a longer-than-expected wait due to the first two games running late, forcing them to endure the sweltering temperatures a bit longer before their football game.
Nevertheless, the Pioneers mounted a second-half comeback to pull out a 28-18 victory over host HF United at Homewood-Flossmoor High School on September 15.
The Pioneers’ offense took some time to get warmed up, not scoring in the first quarter and managing just six points in the second quarter.
But the Pioneers had a breakthrough in the second half, tallying 22 points to shock the large pro-HF crowd on their Homecoming. It was the second win of the day for the Orland Park Pioneers football program, with the visiting Lightweights team notching an 8-6 win in the second game.
Running back Enzo Angone is starting to attract a lot of attention due to his outstanding play on offense and defense. His tough running, never-say-die attitude on the field and unrelenting drive sparked the Pioneers on Sunday.
Angone, a strong and durable runner, paced the offense with 111 yards rushing, including touchdown runs of eight and 28 yards. He also was flying around the field making tackles and disrupting HF United’s offensive flow.
Angone said his second TD, a 28-yarder jaunt in the middle of the fourth quarter, was his favorite of the afternoon.
“I liked the touchdown at the end of the game because it was a longer run and I made more moves,” Angone said. “After we were down at halftime, I knew I had to go hard and try really hard running the ball. I just ran as hard as I could and break tackles to get more yards. I wanted to keep our team in the game.”
Quarterback Charlie Enstrom showed poise in the pocket, avoiding a heavy rush by the home team throughout the close game. With HF United leading in the third quarter, Enstrom closed out an impressive scoring drive with a 20-yard TD run. Enstrom dropped back, then saw an opening, darting forward to glide into the end zone with 3:07 left in the third quarter for a 14-12 lead. Enstrom had three nice runs on the day, piling up 35 yards on the ground.
The Pioneers gained a big edge on their third quarter drive which started with 7:48 left at their own 41-yard line. Enstrom ended the drive with his lone touchdown run.
The drive included a key third-down conversion and a 10-yard run by Angone.
“I got nervous before the play, got the ball and saw a huge hole and just ran right through it,” Enstrom said of his TD. “I saw their safety go left, so I went right. It felt great because it was my first touchdown of the season. We had a great day on offense. It was the highest we’ve scored all season. When we were down at halftime, I kept telling everybody to keep going and going. After I scored, we all played better and kept scoring.”
Running back Ben Snider was a standout for the Pioneers. His toughness in the trenches extended several drives and caused the home team to put a few extra players in the box at times. Snider finished with 45 yards rushing to cap a stellar performance for the running game.
Not to be overlooked, kicker Brian Curran was steady in making several extra point attempts to give his team some breathing room. Curran displayed a strong and accurate leg, nailing his PATs with consistency to keep the momentum on the side of the Pioneers.
“My first kick I was feeling little too good and just missed,” Curran said. “I knew I could get it the next time. I knew there was a lot of pressure on me because it was a close game. It was a great feeling to make my second kick, then I made another one. The team was really amped up. We had a great game today, scoring 28 was great. We got electric and started steamrolling in the second half.”
With the defense playing lights-out, highlighted by an amazing sack by Dylan Butler in the second quarter for a 15-yard loss, the Pioneers managed to keep HF United from the end zone for most of the game despite their big-play offense.
On their first drive of the fourth quarter, the Pioneers put the game out of reach with an impressive mix of plays. Snider set up the key drive with a prolific punt return. Angone ended the drive with 1-yard TD with 7:59 left for a 22-12 lead.
A few minutes later, Angone scored his second touchdown to cap the scoring for the visiting team.
“I’m extremely proud of the kids for playing strong in offense, defense and special teams,” Orland Park coach John Duckhorn said. “We played as a team in every aspect. That’s what I’m most proud of. We found something special in this game. I’m proud of my kids and coaches.”
Finn Redmond was one of the players enjoying the festive postgame. Redmond was a key contributor with his onside kicks. The Pioneers repeatedly attempted onside kicks on Sunday afternoon. The Pioneers recovered Redmond’s early fourth quarter onside attempt to set up their final touchdown of the game.
“I practiced my onside kicks so much, but it was such a blur,” Redmond said. “I was surprised to do it four times. I wanted to do onside kicks all year. I had chances and came so close throughout the game to get one. I finally got one, when I kicked it to the (far) side and it worked on I think the fourth onside one. I kicked it perfectly and it took a big bounce and hit the other team’s facemask and saw Hudson (Doftert) jump on the ball. That drive we scored, so that made me feel really good.”
In the fifth quarter game, the Pioneers battled tough conditions and a solid home team to play crisp football to help motivate the players for the next game.
The Junior Varsity of the Orland Park Pioneers won as a team due to nearly every player contributing throughout the week of practices and in Sunday’s game. The team included Marco Orozco, Cade McNulty, Vinny Ficaro, Luke Tonra, John Sweis, Finn Redmond, Carter Peluso, Logan Helman, John Werner, Karam Olyyan, Drake Ulaszek (injured), Nick Mase, Zackary Salah, Gavin Connors, Dylan Gavin, Jacob Hyla, Noah Maslowiec, Brock Lenzen, Nicholas Dertz, Steven Mullins, Nicholas Hertzog, Charlie Miele, Dylan Ahmer, Avery Vermilyea, Adam Naser, Erik Baran, Jayden Spiotto and John Sutter.
The cheerleading team played a role in the victory by the Pioneers with their strong spirit and routines that inspired the crowd and the football team. The cheerleading team included Kaelyn Albright, Aubrey Baran, Brittney Blazys, Brooke Blazys, Aviana Briseno, Annabelle Briseno, Oliwia Burda, Hayden Campbell, Giulia Cangelosi, Avery Carroll, Ellyana Connors, Charlotte Day, Annabelle Deloya, Darcy Dorigan, Frankie Ficaro, Emma Golonka, Arabella Hernandez, Ariana Hinton, Leah Janota, Bianca Kapusciarz, Flora Lane, Brinley Laniosz, Malayna Marable, Addison Meyers, Serena Murray, Sofia Murray, Emma Overman, Gia Parisi, Emily Pastiak, Charlotte Raubolt, Maklaya Roman, Emma Ruisz, Luciana Rupp, Alyse Sparacino, Kamilla Ulaszek, Kassandra Vazquez-Gutierrez and Nora Velez.
