By Bobby Narang- Photos by Laura Stubbs
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NEW LENOX – The Junior Varsity Pioneers have already been part of three shutouts after playing in three River Valley Youth Football League games. After this past Sundays game, they’ve been kept off the scoreboard twice and kept last weeks opponent scoreless.
Playing at Lincoln-Way West High School, the JV Pioneers had some problems moving the ball, but played lights-out on defense.
Still, the Warriors rode a second-quarter touchdown to a 7-0 victory over the JV Pioneers on Sunday morning. The JV Pioneers defeated the Frankfort Square Wildcats 12-0 in their second week game of the season.
Even in the loss, the JV Pioneers showed several growth points. The offense limited turnovers and penalties and the O-line kept pushing throughout the game, moving the ball in spurts. The defense was outstanding, not allowing a score over the final two-plus quarters. The defensive line was constantly in the backfield of the Warriors, forcing them into long situations to give the offense a chance to tie the game.
“The defense was really good today,” JV Pioneers coach John Duckhorn said. “That was the best part. We had key guys go down, but had some guys step up. I think that’s the biggest part is that you have a situation in which you know in a moment’s notice, then you are in. We had several players who are backups and all of a sudden were starters. It was cool to see them come in and contribute today.”
The JV Pioneers, who consist of sixth and seventh graders, were blanked for the second time in three games, but they kept their heads up and fought until the final whistle.
Quarterback Charlie Enstrom completed three of his four first-half passes for 13 yards, then added completions of 13 yards and five yards in the second half, but tossed two interceptions. The running game managed 28 total yards, with Enzo Angone leading the attack with 24 yards rushing to go with four receptions for 26 yards.
“Charlie Enstrom orchestrated the offense as good as I can possibly ask him to do,” Duckhorn said. “We ran off our tackles well. I’m proud of the kids for battling really hard and appreciate all the effort the kids did to play all four quarters and put us in a position to win all game. I think our kids did a great job in the fifth quarter.”
Ryan Duckhorn was a beast on defense, constantly busting his way to spoil plays for the Warriors before they materialized. He was a menace all game, ruining the home team’s first drive of the game with a few key plays. He had a great tackle on Lincoln-Way West’s third drive to force a punt and made a stellar effort on a tackle early in the fourth quarter.
“I fired off the ball and wanted to get tackles,” Ryan Duckhorn said. “I felt good and wanted to make a big play. I knew I had to step up. We didn’t let them score a second time and held them. Everyone did their job. Our offensive line also played good. We made a couple of mistakes but held them.”
Evan Lavelle said the defense sparked the team throughout the tough game. The Warriors’ lone score came thanks to a short field that allowed them to punch the ball in the end zone in only a few plays in the second quarter. The defense, though, kept their strength by staying disciplined, not falling for fakes or reverses nor giving up the big play.
“The defense played great and we stepped up on the line,” Lavelle said. “We fired off the ball strong and kept the team playing big.”
Cade McNulty came up big on both sides of the ball, playing strong at left guard and defensive tackle. His strong job was essential in keeping the game close for the JV Pioneers.
“We played really well and the defense fired off the ball really quickly and we got into the backfield and made some plays,” McNulty said. “On offense, the offensive line made a good push and did really good. We were super close and we held them all game on defense. They didn’t really get anything on us. That one score really lit a fire underneath us. The linebackers were hitting hard and it was a really good defensive game.”
In the fifth quarter game, the Pioneers struck first with an exciting 70-yard touchdown jaunt by Maximus Streets-Pruitt on the first play of the game. Streets-Pruitt showed off his skills by
running full speed and untouched along the sidelines. He dodged a couple of defenders, managed to keep his feet in bounds to cap off the prolific run for an early 6-0 lead.
From that moment, the Pioneers endured a rough first quarter on offense, managing just one yard of total offense. The defense, in the fifth quarter, played strong throughout the 12-minute period. Nicholas Dertz made the defensive play of the game, forcing a fumble and recovering in on Lincoln-Way West’s first offensive possession. Marco Orozco closed out the game with a interception on a nifty catch.
The Pioneers had a host of contributors throughout the practice week and during the game, including Maximus Streets-Pruitt, Marco Orozco, Gavin Loman, Dylan Butler, Vinny Ficaro, Charlie Enstrom, Evan Lavelle, Luke Tonra, John Sweis, Finn Redmond, Carter Peluso, Panos Kyros, Karam Olyyan, Nick Mase, Zackary Salah, Gavin Connors, Maverick Vander Veer, Jacon Hyla, Brock Lenzen, Qais and Adam Naser, Steven Mullins, Ryan Duckhorn, Nicholas Herzog, Dylan Ahmer, Avery Vermilyea, Justin McNamara, Erik Baran, Jayden Spiotto, Brian Curran and John Sutter.
The Pioneers Junior Varsity Cheerleaders grabbed the spotlight with their stellar routines. The team includes 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 and Kassandra Vazquez-Gutierrez, Nora Velez.
