By Francisco Avila- Photos by Kathy Jones
** Additional Photos are Available for Purchase at https://justallsports.zenfolio.com/p878242417 **
TINLEY PARK — With their Wednesday Night Football League campaign coming to a close, the Orland Park Pioneers Lightweight Red had little at stake. Yet their effort against the Tinley Park Bulldogs told a different story. The Pioneers Lightweight competed through every possession, made critical defensive stops, and held the Bulldogs scoreless to finish their WNF league action with a 0-0 draw.
Nicholas Lang highlighted his team’s effort while acknowledging an area that could improve.
“I thought we played well; we just have to work more on blocking in practice. We started pretty slow, then we kind of picked it up at the end.”
The Pioneers Lightweight opened with an active defensive effort, as Ethan Brandofino and Anthony Lang made early tackles to disrupt the Bulldogs’ offense.
Midway through the first half, Tinley Park advanced to the 30-yard line and threatened to find the end zone. With a touchdown seemingly within reach, Royal Ward, also known as RJ, made a crucial tackle on the Bulldogs’ running back to prevent the score.
RJ described the play after the game.
“They were blocking well enough on that one, but I just ran out there and tackled him.”
Taym Nofal and Nicholas Lang added tackles as the Pioneers Lightweight held their ground and forced a turnover on downs.
With possession back in their hands, the Pioneers Lightweight looked to generate offense before halftime.
RJ contributed to the passing attack with Lang, while Lang also connected with Sean Johnson on several plays to gain yardage. However, neither side found the end zone before the halftime whistle, leaving the score tied at 0-0.
The Pioneers Lightweight opened the second half on offense, with Lang working alongside Henry Wade, RJ, and Nicholas Vuolo. The Bulldogs’ defense limited their progress, though, forcing another turnover on downs.
Back on defense, Anthony Lang, Brandofino, RJ, Jonathan Mizera, William Sraga and Amir Haddad helped contain the Bulldogs and force a change of possession.
The Pioneers Lightweight then tried to establish their offense once more. Lang looked for openings with Wade and Johnson, but the Bulldogs kept the Pioneers Lightweight at bay.
On the ensuing possession, the Pioneers Lightweight lost a fumble, allowing Tinley Park to recover the ball at the 18-yard line and take over in a dangerous position.
Wade reflected on the team’s reaction to the turnover.
“After they recovered it, we felt kind of down on ourselves.”
That feeling did not last long. The Pioneers’ defense immediately responded, with
Wade delivering a hard tackle that pushed the ball loose. Lang recovered the fumble, returning possession to the Pioneers and giving the offense another opportunity.
Wade explained how the defensive play shifted the team’s mood.
“I didn’t really punch; I just ran him over. He fumbled, and then Nicholas just jumped on it with nobody there. When I pancaked him and he fumbled, we felt confident.”
Lang also described the recovery and what it meant to the team.
“Henry Wade punched that out. I just jumped on the ball and saw nobody in the area, so I was safe to jump. I jumped on it, a bunch of people jumped on me, and I feel like it was a great opportunity to help my team try to score and win.”
With the clock winding down, the Pioneers Lightweight returned to offense and continued searching for a breakthrough through Lang, Wade and RJ.
After briefly leaving the game with an ankle injury, RJ returned to the field and made an immediate impact. Lang connected with him on a pass, and RJ broke off a 14-yard run to move the chains and give the Pioneers Lightweight a first down.
RJ discussed the run and his decision to return despite the injury.
“Yeah, I think my ankle still hurts, but I felt good and was able to come back in. They were blocking well, so when they started blocking, it was a wide hole, but it wasn’t a hole I was supposed to go through, so I just went through it and was able to get some yards.”
The Pioneers Lightweight continued their possession, but an incomplete pass was followed by a Bulldogs interception, sending the defense back onto the field.
Tinley Park soon threatened again, advancing from the 38-yard line and moving into position to potentially score the game-winning touchdown. Once more, RJ stepped up with a crucial tackle, keeping the Bulldogs out of the end zone and preserving the scoreless tie.
RJ spoke about the effort behind his defensive performance.
“I just really pushed myself to get the chain (Orland Park Pioneers chain). The chain signified that I did well.”
The Pioneers Lightweight held firm through the remaining plays, with Anthony Lang, Austin D’Andrea, Sean Kikilas, Nofal and RJ contributing tackles to secure the 0-0 draw.
The Pioneers Lightweight Red also received contributions from Mahmoud Abu Alshaikh, Taylan Morandi, MJ Groark, Zacharia Nofal, Jude Atieh, CJ Hufford, Shane Sternberg, Bennett Kersten, Henry Simons, Gavin Garrity, Arthur Slabenak, Mohammed Abu Alshaikh, Nathan Schultz, William Jordan, Thomas McCann, Jordy Kolodziej, Luke McDoniel, Paul Rylan Davies and Yazen Nijem.
