By Pat McGavin- Photos by Renee Kaspar
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TINLEY PARK— Pride has always taken hold of each player of the Lightweight Red program.
The Orland Park Pioneers were not going to go gently or simply fade away and accept defeat.
“We kept fighting until the whistle blew, and I think that will always put us in a great position,” Shane Sternberg said. That will help us do a lot better in the next game.”
The Red program staged a valiant rally that came up just short in the 12-8 defeat against Tinley Park Bulldogs in River Valley Youth Football League play at Fulton Elementary School on Sunday, October 18.
Zoom out from the final, the game illustrated the continued growth and improvement of the Red team. Most significantly, the passing game of quarterback Gavin Garrity took a huge leap forward and showed off a vertical threat that will make the program dangerous going forward.
The playmakers have come of age, and have developed a trust and rapport with the talented quarterback.
“We definitely fought very hard until the last whistle,” two-way standout Sean Kikilis said. When we were at the start of the season, some people didn’t even know how to catch or throw a football properly. But now we can throw it really far.”
With Taylan Morandi flying out of the backfield or Jordy Kolodziej dashing off the edge, the offense is less predictable, more explosive and open to every possibility.
Down two scores late in the game, the Pioneers exhibited the kind of fight and daring that every coach looks for. Garrity rolled right and eluded a strong Bulldogs’ pass rush to get the necessary breathing space on the outside. He lofted a ball that Kolodziej caught in stride for the breathtaking 58-yard touchdown catch.
“I saw him about to get tackled, and the person guarding me also started running towards him, and I started running back,” Kolodziej said. He threw it to me, and I caught it and scored.”
William Sraga drilled the two-point kick to pull the Pioneers with four points. The only problem was the scoreboard, specifically the clock, and lack of time. Just 15.3 seconds remained in the game.
The Bulldogs recovered the onside kick to hold on for the victory.
What separates success is often the narrowest of divides, in this case, literally inches.
Sternberg breathed life into the Pioneers with a fumble recovery at the Bulldogs’ 18-yard line in the closing moments of the first half.
“It’s all about even if the game is not going your way, you always have to battle and never give up,” Sternberg said. “I saw the quarterback and noticed the fumble. I just wanted to get on the ball so we could recover it.
Morandi broke free over the middle for a gorgeous 12-yard catch. Moments later, he appeared on the verge of a score. The ball hung in the air a second too long, giving the Bulldogs’ defensive back a chance to recover and wrestle the ball away from Morandi in the end zone.
Up 6-0 to start the third quarter, Tinley Park built on the lead, in the identical spot of the interception to close out the first half. The particulars were pretty much the same.
The Bulldogs scored on a nine-yard halfback option pass that narrowly eluded the grasp of a Pioneers’ defender.
The two plays rhymed and fed off each other, in the wrong manner for the Pioneers. A chance to go up at the break instead turned into a two-score deficit. The good outweighed the bad, regardless of the final margin.
The Bulldogs have some very skilled playmakers of their own. For the most part, the Red team contained them.
Lineman Arthur Slabenak was a force of nature, finishing with five tackles. He had a sack and another stop for loss. His effort was outstanding.
“The defense plays like a family, all-together, so Michael Patterson and I usually shoot a gap together, and sometimes get a sack or let other people get in there,” he said. “We’re all playing together really well, and I think we’re finally getting that Super Bowl connection. We look for another chance to play them again.”
The defense was solid and steady, overcoming some disadvantages in field position that provided little chance for error. Bennett Kersten was another standout who created some pressure off the edge.
Kikilas was a tackling machine in the middle of the field. Mahmoud Abu Alshaikh, Jude Atieh, CJ Hufford, Morandi and Kolodziej also showed up with some top-level performances.
“I think during the middle of the game we got a little too comfortable, and thought we’d easily win the game,” Kolodziej said. “At the end of the game, we realized they were tougher than we were thinking. We had to flip the switch.”
The game-changer was the passing game. It had been incubating for a while, and the game against the Bulldogs unleashed the promise and excitement.
The Pioneers staged their best first half drive late in the second quarter, the punctuation mark a 27-yard dart over the middle that Morandi nearly turned into a touchdown.
“On those passing plays, the middle was wide open,” Morandi said. “The first time, it was there, but my quarterback didn’t have enough time back there. The second play, the linemen did great, and I trusted my quarterback to pass it there.”
The final score was disappointing. As a tune up to the playoffs, the game spoke volumes.
“If we keep this mentality going and give it our way, I think we could make it pretty far,” Kikilas said.
During Fifth Quarter action, running back Nicholas Vuolo was part of a strong group of running backs.
“Our line didn’t have a great start, but then they really stepped it up and they really put in the work today,” he said. “After that we could run through our holes properly.”
Zoey France was part of the accomplished and terrific performance of the cheerleaders.
“I really like the stunning and the tumbling,” she said. “I’ve been doing it for three years now. I had some friends who were doing it, and I just thought it would be fun to give it a try. I really liked it. I love learning a new stunt, or a new skill.”
The Lightweight Red program of the Orland Park Pioneers had many standout contributors. They included Royal Ward, Nicolas Lang, Anthony Lang, Ethan Brandofino, MJ Groark, Zacharia Nofal, Sean Johnson, Henry Simons, Taym Nofal, Austin D’Andrea, Henry Wade, Jonathan Mizera, Mohammed Abu Alshaikh, Nathan Schultz, William Jordan, Thomas McCann, Luke McDoniel, Paul Rylan Davies, Yazen Nijem and Amir Haddad.
The other cheerleaders also brought great energy and passion to their routines. They were Scarlett Sternberg, Kara O’Meara, Kennedy Krokos, Stella Bristow, Emerson Schweikert, Eleanor Koehn, Elena Schmaling, Isla Zelensek, Lucy Bohanek, Savannah Molina, Aleena Badwan, Vera Joda, Normandy Golden, Hazel Nichols, Mia Mizera, Maevry Harmatys, Mila Schweikert, Tessa Dunmore, Tessa Basek, Siena Lang, Callie Juarez-Radovanovic, Alaina Holoubek, Sadie Griffin, Lea Barbee, Ava Kolodziej, Eva Aubin, Sofie Annerino, Hailey Valan, Grace Poore, Eloise Sarhage, Anderson Foster, Meghan Shilney, Lillian Fudala, Rosie VanRaden and Giana Santos.
