By Pat McGavin-Photos by Kathy Jones
**Additional Photos are available for purchase at justallsports.zenfolio.com/2022pioneers.**
ORLAND PARK—
Sports metaphors abound, allowing for easy cross reference or ways to distill something to its essence.
The Junior Varsity of the Orland Park Pioneers stretched back time and space against the Frankfort Square Wildcats.
Imagine a shotgun marriage of the White Sox famous “Win Ugly,” era with the notorious “Miracle in the Meadowlands,” NFL game of November 1978.
It’s like a carousel ride that floats and whirls in the imagination.
“We had to be ready in that situation and not let them down,” standout Mason Marable said.
Picture the following scenario—just seconds to go before the half, already trailing and seeing the Wildcats move the ball.
“We just knew we had to stop them in that situation, and not let them score again,” Marable said.
The Pioneers did one better.
Off a forced turnover by Thomas Elliott and Nick Shamma, Marable scored on a 55-yard fumble recovery touchdown for the 7-6 comeback victory in a River Valley Youth League Football game at Sandburg High School on Sunday, October 16.
“It was an important win, that’s for sure,” Marable said.
The winning score came with just 1.6 seconds remaining in the first half.
In a beautifully designed conversion, Marable took the direct snap and pitched to Vincent Annel for the winning point-after.
On a cold and windy night, with the offense undone by penalties and breakdowns, the defense carried the night.
“It was a great performance by our defense,” Annel said.
“It felt like we were on the defensive side the whole game. We just had too many drives with second or third and long, and had too many long yardage plays to try and pick up.”
The wind turned every pass attempt by quarterback Jack Bullington into an adventure.
It meant staying close to the line of scrimmage. The Wildcats jammed the box, and dared the Pioneers to run.
Bullington was sacked for a six-yard loss on the first play of the game. Marable followed suit with another negative yardage carry.
By contrast, the Wildcats started out on fire—from both sides of the ball.
They quickly matriculated down the field, exploding for a 40-yard touchdown run on their opening series.
The Pioneers wondered what Mack truck hit them.
The most important equation was the response. The ball-hawking Pioneers’ defense proved virtually impenetrable after the opening scoring drive by the Wildcats.
Shamma played the greatest game of his life.
He recovered another fumble at the start of the second quarter that snuffed out a promising Wildcats’ possession.
He had seven tackles, the forced fumble and the fumble recovery.
“I use my quickness and my IQ for the game to get to the quarterback,” Shamma said.
“I just went out there to do whatever I had to stop them from scoring.”
The earlier fumble recovery proved a riveting foreshadowing of the game-changing sequence.
The Frankfort Square team was blessed with some superb athletes, team quickness and explosive potential.
Shamma was a disruptive and destabilizing force who shredded the Wildcats’ offensive line.
After the opening sequence, the team lacked the necessary time to run its offense to perfection.
Marable got in for the blitz with just over 15 seconds to play in the second quarter.
The players demonstrated admirable savvy and game clock management.
“I told the whole defense since it was like fourth and 15, they weren’t going to just run it in.
“They didn’t have the time. I knew they were probably going to throw it.”
Elliott and Shamma peeled back and collaborated on the team’s play of the year.
“My main shot was to get in there, and I was surprised because nobody blocked me,” Elliott said.
“Along with Nick, I just hit him as hard as I could. The play just pumped up the whole team.”
The hit jarred the ball loose. The Wildcats’ quarterback hit the ground.
The ball just stood there, as if suspended in time.
Marable alertly scooped up the ball and dashed down the field untouched.
The game proved several critical ideas. This iteration of the Junior Varsity is made up of tough, disciplined and hard working players.
They are starting to come of age, learning how to withstand adversity and tough circumstances.
Earlier in the season, the Pioneers probably lacked the will power and fortitude to figure a way out.
This is a different, battle-tested team.
Like the notorious “Miracle of the Meadowlands,” the game was decided by a fumble return touchdown.
In that NFL game, the critical play happened in the closing seconds.
Orland Park still had to get through the rest of the second half.
They survived some heart in your throat moments.
A failed fourth down attempt deep in their own territory appeared to spell doom.
Two plays later, the internal pressure of the Pioneers’ defensive line caused another fumble.
Orland Park appeared to survive, massing its longest drive of the day with a seven-play series.
Disaster struck on a fourth down play that resulted in the Pioneers giving up a fumble.
The Wildcats had enough time on the clock, and took possession over at the Pioneers’ 46-yard line.
One more time, Marable was up to the challenge, blitzing from his outside hybrid linebacker/safety spot for a huge takedown.
Fittingly, Shamma ended the game with his third sack.
“It was probably my greatest game ever,” Shamma siad. “The coaches put me in a great position to succeed.
“We had to be mentally prepared and ready for any situation there. We just had to do whatever was necessary.”
The win was neither aesthetically beautiful nor pleasing to look at. It was sideways, errant.
It was a victory.
“Sometimes the offense picks up the defense,” Annel said.
“Today it was the defense.”
In the Fifth Quarter, running back Joshua Montell was a whirling dervish. He carved up the Wildcats’ defense with two long touchdown runs, and another deep run.
Nicholas Baniewicz also scored on a nice touchdown reception. On defense, Michael Sraga was a force.
In the Junior Varsity’s 7-6 victory over the Wildcats, there were many memorable and well deserved contributors. The other players who played a role in the victory were Ryan Beeler, Colin Kluever, Ethan Vinson, Colin McElligott, Kyle Krokos, Ashton Brennan, Caden Votteler, Mason Overmyer, Wyatt Heinze, Ayden Toth, Henry Byrne, Samuel Basiorka, Christian Czerwonka, Matthew Bullington, Dominic Gigliotti, Kyree Gills, Layth Zughayer, Nichols Davis, Ryan Almasri, Ameen Rayan, Alex Kantzavelos, Eli Citlau, Terrin Lovitt, Nolan Burns, Jude Doftert, Luke O’Reilly, Mark Grech-Lisula, Santino Marrella, Nathan Owei, William Reilly, Jacob Oberman, Andrew Wojtanowicz, Dominic Rizza, Joey Driscoll, John Curran and Brady Straka.
The cheerleaders also brought a passion and style with their routines and excitement. The group featured 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 and Klaudia Willis.
