By Patrick McGavin- Photos by Lauren Gray
** Additional Photos are Available for Purchase at https://justallsports.zenfolio.com/p249378578 **
ORLAND PARK— A beautiful game of patterns and shapes featured the rhythm of a dance built off a gorgeous repetition.
The Lightweight Red team of the Orland Park Pioneers had all the right moves.
Specifically Henry Wade and Ethan Brandofino were like ideal partners who matched and performed everything in tandem.
One big play fed into another.
“We worked a lot in practice on hitting and tackling, and that worked out really well for us tonight,” Wade said.
Wade engineered a goal line stand and an interception that secured the Pioneers’ 6-0 victory over the Homer Stallions in Wednesday Night Football League action at Schussler Park on September 30.
Everything Wade did, Brandofino matched with his own spectacular play.
He had a fumble recovery in the first half that set up the only touchdown and preserved the shutout with his own big interception in the end zone during the second half.
“The coaches and all of my friends and family all motivated me to have a great game tonight,” Brandofino said.
“I just wanted to try my best and not fail out there.”
Running back Royal Ward delivered the necessary jolt to the Stallions with the most breathtaking offensive play.
Two plays after the Brandofino fumble recovery, he broke through the Stallions’ line and dashed 59 yards untouched down the right sideline for the game-winning score.
“The hole was wide, so I got through it and after that I just kept running,” he said.
“Once we had the lead, we could really go after their backs. I just made sure to run hard and go up and tackle them.”
Homer featured its own athletic and aggressive defense that largely kept the Pioneers in check.
Quarterback Sean Johnson and backs Anthony Lang and Ward tried their best to find open lanes or vulnerable areas to attack.
The first half was largely a defensive-oriented stalemate.
Fortunately for the Pioneers, the Red had plenty of inspired performers with standouts such as Wade, Brandofino, Lang, lineman Mahmoud Abu Alshaikh and defensive back Nicholas Vuolo.
Lang blitzed from the secondary for a big sack in the first half.
“We really practiced hard for these situations, and I think we earned that,” Vuolo said. “We knew we could stop them.”
Brandofino also did a great job filling holes playing safety.
In the final moments of the first half, he turned the momentum decisively in the favor of the Pioneers. A Stallions’ running back burst through a hole only to have the ball dislodged.
Brandofino was alert and ready.
“I was a little nervous at first, but then I saw the ball on the ground and nobody else was there,” he said. “I just went for it.”
Ward’s touchdown run was a thing of beauty, the way he pranced and darted in space, utilizing his breakaway speed to outrace the defenders who had the angle on him.
“That was fun,” he said.
The good news for the Pioneers was playing out in front. That became vital after the Stallions had the Red deep on its heels throughout much of the second half.
Homer dominated possession and opportunities in the second half.
The Pioneers bent more than once a couple of times. In the end, the scoreboard was always on their side. Players like Wade, Ward and Brandofino made the plays on the perimeter.
Abu Alshaikh was the defensive anchor. He finished with six tackles. Every time the Stallions threatened, he was seemingly there, shooting gaps or blowing the line of scrimmage.
He had three tackles for losses.
“I just tried to hit the hole or gap every time, and find the quarterback or stop their running backs,” he said. “I kept running at their quarterback, and made sure he didn’t get free or have time to throw.”
With the game in the balance, the Red was repeatedly up to the challenge and never overwhelmed by the moment. Ward made a touchdown saving tackle after a Stallions’ back broke right down the left side.
Austin D’Andrea, Amir Haddad and Abu Alshaikh stepped up and created the pressure that fired a couple of incomplete passes.
On the fourth down from the Pioneers’ 13-yard line, Brandofino was again in the right place at the right time. He made a thrilling and diving end zone interception on fourth down.
One big play fed into another.
“I had pretty good confidence after the fumble recovery in the first half,” he said. “I tried not to get too high because you can’t be social about winning all the time, because then you can get beat or sometimes lose.”
Moments later the defense faced its sternest challenge of the game. Two big Homer pass plays gave them first and goal at the Pioneers’ four-yard line.
Vuolo and Abu Alshaikh stepped up for a huge one-yard loss. Johnson broke up a pass in the end zone on third down.
Wade delivered the signature play with the Stallions facing fourth and goal from the two-yard line. He powered in for the huge tackle that stopped the Stallions’ back less than an inch from scoring.
“We practice for these moments, and we were ready and we were confident,” Johnson said. “Most of the time we knew where they were trying to go.”
Homer put together one last ditch effort by expending all of its timeouts to get one final possession with 43 seconds remaining.
Ward and Haddad forced incompletions on the first two attempts. On fourth down, Ward sealed the victory with his interception.
Just as Brandofino followed his fumble with his interception, Ward parlayed the goal line stand by forcing the game-winning turnover.
“We had a lot of confidence after that goal line stand,” he said.
The Lightweight Red team of the Orland Park Pioneers had many standout contributors and regular starters who dressed to show support in the 6-0 victory.
Those players were Mahmoud Abu Alshaikh, Taylan Morandi, Nicolas Lang, Sean Kikilas, MJ Groark, Zacharia Nofal, Jude Atieh, CJ Hufford, Shane Sternberg, Bennett Kersten, Henry Simons, Taym Nofal, Gavin Garrity, Arthur Slabenak, Jonathan Mizera, William Sraga, Nathan Schultz, William Jordan, Thomas McCann, Jordy Kolodziej, Luke McDoniel, Paul Rylan Davies and Yazen Nijem.
