By Patrick McGavin- Photos by Jenn-Anne Gledhill and Kathy Jones
**Additional Photos are available for purchase at justallsports.zenfolio.com/2022pioneers.**
Sometimes the game is like chess with moves and counter actions. Sometimes the test itself is something far more elemental.
Nothing sharpens the mind like early adversity.
The Orland Park Pioneers Junior Varsity had the worst possible start against the Tinley Park Bulldogs.
The team failed to jump on the opening kickoff, and watched the Bulldogs recover the ball deep in their own territory.
Several plays later a long touchdown run played out, and the Pioneers were looking at the wrong side of the scoreboard.
The Pioneers took notice.
“When they scored on us, I just got mad, and I just wanted to take over the game,” linebacker Thomas Elliott said.
The Pioneers got mad. Then they got even.
Quarterback Jack Bullington threw for 179 yards and three touchdown passes as the Pioneers cruised to the 40-20 victory in a River Valley Youth Football League game at Fulton Field on Saturday, September 17.
The Pioneers’ hot Junior Varsity (3-1) won its third straight game.
“The way our line played and how they blocked, what happened on the opening kickoff and even their first touchdown didn’t really matter,” running back Mason Marable said.
Marable was one of the catalysts for the comeback.
On the team’s third play, Bullington swung a quick pass into the left flat that Marable caught in space.
He made a quick juke and got to the sideline. He maneuvered past two more defenders and tight roped downs the sideline for a spectacular 49-yard scoring pass.
The moment reversed the early Bulldogs’ advantage.
“After my first touchdown, everything went really well,” he said.
The point after attempt showed the developing savvy of the team. Lined up for a kick, the snap went high and holder Jack Bullington, the quarterback, improvised on the spot.
“We haven’t really worked on that, but we know if that ever happens, just scream, ‘Fire,’ and then we have guys rolling out,” Bullington said.
He ran to his right, and found Ayden Toth in the end zone for the 7-6 lead. The Pioneers never trailed again.
The Orland Park squad showed versatility, toughness, speed and alert playmaking in all three phases of the game.
After the early setbacks, the team just dialed in.
After a strong defensive stand where he made two tackles, Vincent Annel flashed his own elusiveness and hard running style by returned the ensuing punt 40 yards.
“I knew after we made that simple mistake on the kickoff, we were going to come right back at them, and we were going to blow them out,” Annel said.
He was also motivated by the way Marable exploded in space on that early touchdown catch and run.
“Since I saw Mason score on that first play, I knew how their defense was going to be,” he said. “Between me and Mason, their defense didn’t know what was coming.”
A 17-yard end round by Kyree Gills set up Annel’s four-yard touchdown run.
Offense is almost always behind the defense at the start of the year. That was certainly the case in the Pioneers’ season-opening shutout loss.
Jack Bullington replaced Samuel Basiorka at quarterback. The offense has just moved into a higher gear. It’s more explosive.
“Running is more natural the longer the year goes,” Marable said. “The blocking also gets better.”
Marable, Annel and Toth also excelled on defense. The Pioneers never really allowed the Bulldogs’ offense to get loose the rest of the first half.
Marable also turned the tide with his own variation of the “scoop and score.”
With the Pioneers up 13-6 early in the second quarter, Marable seized a loose ball that had been knocked out of the Bulldogs’ back. He ran untouched down the right sideline for the 47-yard fumble recovery.
The tide had turned. There was no going back. The early difficulty was just a memory.
That is what the best teams do. They simply forget about early mistakes, and react as though it never happened. The Pioneers were focused and loose the rest of the game.
“After we got that first defensive stop and we scored on defense, we just took the game over,” Annel said.
Bullington showed poise and presence in the pocket. He eluded pressure, and found open receivers, mostly in the form of Marable out of the backfield.
“I just love the versatility that we have,” Bullington said. “We are able to run the ball, and mix it up with the play action passes, which is huge.
“We have Ayden who can run all the routes, and the play action passes draw the linebackers in.”
Bullington completed five of six passes for 179 yards and three touchdowns.
A fumble recovery on the kickoff by Jude Doftert continued the dominant Pioneers’ run. One play later, Bullington broke the game open midway through the second quarter, altering the call and sending Annel down the left sideline for a beautiful 50-yard touchdown bomb.
“We have a lot of good running backs and receivers, and we do either take the handoff or get the ball in the passing game,” Marable said.
Marable has more explosive speed. Annel is elusive and quick. The two make a dynamic package.
The Pioneers had one more beautiful sequence to punctuate the first half comeback. After Marable and Annel stopped the Bulldogs on fourth down, Bullington went back to work.
He orchestrated a four-play, 88-yard touchdown drive. After connecting with Toth for 22 yards, Bullington closed out the half with an electric 58-yard deep pass to Marable down the left sideline for the 33-6 halftime lead.
Returning to his more natural running back position, Basiorka closed out the scoring with a five-yard run in the third quarter.
Marable set up the touchdown with separate runs of 19 and 20 yards.
Elliot finished with six tackles for the defense. Ryan Almasri also had an outstanding game with three stops.
Defensive end Nathan Owei was a major disruptive force. He harassed the quarterback and helped slow down the Bulldogs’ star running back.
“I really didn’t care when they scored,” Owei said. “I knew we were going to come back. It was just one score, and I knew we had a lot of time left.”
Marable had five carries for 55 yards. He had two catches for 107 yards and two touchdowns. Annel had six carries for 29 yards. He caught the 50-yard TD pass.
“We switched quarterbacks after the first game to see if it might work, and so far it has,” Bullington said
In the Fifth Quarter, the developing players also had an opportunity to showcases their abilities.
Quarterback Ashton Brennan ran the offense well. Joshua Montell broke off several excellent runs. Ethan Vinson had a touchdown run. On defense, Ameen Rayan posted a quarterback sack.
The Orland Park Pioneers Junior Varsity had many compelling pieces and important players participating in the 40-20 victory. Other players who made contributions were Ryan Beeler, Colin Kluever, Colin McElligott, Kyle Krokos, Caden Votteler, Mason Overmyer, Wyatt Heinze, Henry Byrne, Christian Czerwonka, Matthew Bullington, Dominic Gigliotti, Layth Zughayer, Nichols Davis, Alex Kantzavelos, Eli Citlau, Terrin Lovitt, Nicholas Baniewicz, Nolan Burns, Luke O’Reilly, Mark Grech-Lisula, Santino Marrella, William Reilly, Jacob Oberman, Andrew Wojtanowicz, Dominic Rizza, Joey Driscoll, Nick Shamma, Michael Sraga, John Curran, and Brady Straka.
The players were not alone. They were celebrated, honored and motivated by the excellent routines, style and grace of the cheerleaders. Those included Alyssa Abed, Lily Carroll, Issabela Enriquez, Erica Gonsowski, Madeleine Heinz, Layla Jeffries, Madalyn Marable, Hailey McDonald, Liliana Minard, Lucy Moran, Avery Nugent, Maeve O’Connor, Paige Pomonis, Arianna Ramadani, Taylor Ruisz, Jordyn Shamma, Klaudia Willis.
