By Francisco Avila- Photos by Lauren Gray
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Frankfort – After the game, during the team talk, Orland Park Pioneers Lightweight Red head coach Dan Kolodziej and the rest of the coaching staff repeatedly emphasized the belief and mentality their team displayed. It was a mentality that extends beyond sports and into everyday life. For the Orland Park Pioneers Lightweight Red, that belief was simple: “nothing is finished until the final whistle.” That mindset helped them battle through a back-and-forth contest and defeat the Homer Stallions 13-7.
Coach Kolodziej pointed to his team’s heart and refusal to give up after the game.
“We knew it was gonna be a tough game coming in. Homer’s always a tough battle. We told our boys, you don’t look past any week. Our defense really shut them down for the most part. They just had one play, that one long play that they scored on. We came up big time with the interceptions, MJ Groark, Gavin Garrity, and Jordy Kolodziej all getting one. Sort of all-around defense really showed up today.”
The Pioneers Lightweight opened the day with a strong showing during the fifth quarter, giving several players an opportunity to gain valuable experience.
Taym Nofal, Zacharia Nofal, Nicolas Vuolo and Royal Ward, also known as RJ, all made their presence felt defensively with tackles.
The Pioneers Lightweight found the end zone during the fifth quarter when Sean Johnson connected with RJ on a 35-yard touchdown, giving the Pioneers a 6-0 lead.
RJ spoke about the touchdown after the game.
“Actually, when I was supposed to play, my teammate went to the other side, so nobody was supposed to be right there. So I had to go around the other person. Then when I caught the ball, I just tried to keep going, but then when I broke the tackle, it was a touchdown.”
Coach Kolodziej also discussed the importance of the fifth quarter and the opportunities it provides younger players.
“That’s the greatest thing that this league does is have that fifth quarter for these kids to actually get in reps, see game scenarios. So there’s a lot of first-time players, a lot of first-time tackle players, or kids that came from flag. So having the fifth quarter to show their skills, showcase what they have, and then translate into Wednesdays. Like RJ’s a phenomenal player on Wednesdays as well. He runs hard, he hits hard, he’s aggressive. He’s just one example, Anthony Lang, he’s another kid that runs hard. I love having this for those kids to go out there and showcase and put on a show for everybody.”
Once the fifth quarter ended, the Pioneers quickly turned their attention to the game, opening with an active defensive effort from Gavin Garrity and Sean Kikilas.
Henry Wade and Jude Atieh continued that effort as the Pioneers Lightweight kept the Stallions from finding a rhythm offensively.
Homer’s quarterback then attempted a pass that was intercepted by Jordy Kolodziej, who returned possession to the Pioneers Lightweight.
Kolodziej explained what he saw on the play.
“So, I saw that it was a pass play, and they were lined up right like all around me. So I had a feeling that they were gonna throw it because they had no one or maybe two from the other side. So I saw the ball go up, but it wasn’t that good of a throw, and it was coming right to me. So I just jumped and caught it.”
Back on offense, Garrity worked with Taylan Morandi, Kikilas and Bennet Kersten as the Pioneers Lightweight looked to move the ball.
Homer’s defense, however, held firm and forced a punt.
Kikilas and RJ helped close out the opening quarter defensively, with the game remaining scoreless.
The Pioneers Lightweight continued to find answers on defense in the second quarter, with Garrity, CJ Hufford and Arthur Slabenak helping prevent Homer from sustaining a drive.
Midway through the quarter, MJ Groark came up with another interception after reacting quickly to a pass intended for a Stallions receiver.
Groark spoke about the play after the game.
“So I just saw number five. I saw he was wide open, and I saw the ball going right to him. It was low, and I knew that if I dove, then I would catch it, so I just dove and I got it.”
Garrity looked to move the offense with Morandi, but the Pioneers were unable to gain enough yardage and were forced to punt.
The defense responded once again, as Morandi, Kersten and Mahmoud Abu Alshaikh helped force a turnover on downs and return possession to the Pioneers Lightweight.
As the half approached, Garrity worked with Kikilas, Sean Johnson and Kolodziej, but Homer’s defense once again stopped the drive and forced a turnover on downs.
The Pioneers Lightweight then had one final opportunity on defense before halftime, and Garrity delivered with his own interception to give the Pioneers Lightweight their third interception of the half and send them into the break with momentum despite a 0-0 score.
Garrity reflected on the interception.
“The interception was big, so we had a good mindset going into the second half. I put my hands up and said, ‘Please catch it,’ and I did.”
Coach Kolodziej also discussed his team’s first-half performance.
“We came out firing right away. We knew it was gonna be physical. We were able to push the ball down, and then they made some adjustments, kind of shutting it down.
We’re keying on Sean Kikilas. Sean’s a tough, hard runner. So it was really hard for them to get him down, so we kept going back to him. Then we were throwing a couple passes here and there. We just missed, I think, one or two that were just barely overthrown over Bennett. So we just missed those. Otherwise, those would have been two other big plays.”
The Pioneers Lightweight opened the third quarter on defense, with Garrity and Shane Sternberg making tackles to help force another turnover on downs.
Offensively, Garrity continued working with Kikilas and Morandi as both teams battled through a defensive contest.
Late in the third quarter, Garrity broke through with a pair of runs for five and 15 yards, moving the Pioneers Lightweight inside the Stallions’ 5-yard line. He finished the drive himself with a 2-yard touchdown run, giving the Pioneers Lightweight a 6-0 advantage. The kick was missed, but the Pioneers Lightweight carried the lead into the final quarter.
Garrity described his approach on the scoring run.
“I just told myself. ‘It’s just one play, I’m going to score,’ and then we did.”
The Pioneers Lightweight opened the final quarter with tackles from Hufford and Slabenak, but Homer answered with a 44-yard touchdown and a successful extra point to take a 7-6 lead.
The setback did not change the Pioneers Lightweight approach, as the team’s “nothing is finished until the final whistle” mentality remained evident.
Garrity and the Pioneers’ Lightweight returned to offense, as he connected with Kikilas and Morandi as the Pioneers searched for an answer.
The offense eventually moved the ball down to the 32-yard line, setting up one final opportunity to reclaim the lead.
Garrity then found Kolodziej for a 32-yard touchdown, giving Pioneers Lightweight a 12-7 lead and sparking a celebration along the sideline among players, coaches and parents.
Kolodziej spoke about the game-winning touchdown.
“So before that play, he (Garrity) called a hike. I was hoping that they would all be on him and I’d be wide open, but then I saw how the safety was still out there ready, so then I started running, and then I just jumped up and caught it. It feels good because, like, the only really good thing I had was that interception. Then the second, third, and most of the fourth quarter I wasn’t doing that good, so I was hoping that I could do good on one of the last plays, and I did.”
Following the touchdown, Garrity connected with Morandi on the extra-point play to give the Pioneers a 13-7 victory.
Morandi explained the trick play.
“They all thought like Sean Kikilas was going to receive the ball, but it was a fake, and I saw an open hole, and I just sprinted to get in, and I got it. It felt really good.”
Coach Kolodziej reflected on the victory and what it means for a team featuring several new players.
“This is the Pioneers’ first year that we split; we have two teams. So we have a lot of new kids out here. A lot of kids are stepping up on Sundays, playing on Wednesdays. So a win is definitely great for where we’re at and where this organization’s going. So we knew it was gonna be a battle, and we’re happy to come away with that win.”
The victory featured contributions from Nicolas Lang, Ethan Brandofino, Henry Simons, Austin D’Andrea, Jonathan Mizera, Mohammed Abu Alshaikh, William Sraga, Nathan Schultz, William Jordan, Thomas McCann, Luke McDoniel, Paul Rylan Davies, Yazen Nijem and Amir Haddad.
Pioneers Lightweight also received support from their cheerleading squad, led by Rhea Sternberg.
Kara O’Meara spoke about the group’s role in supporting the team.
“We all were super loud. We all gave confidence to them, and it was just really fun.”
Other cheerleaders who supported the Pioneers Lightweight included Scarlett Sternberg, Kennedy Krokos, Stella Bristow, Emerson Schweikert, Eleanor Koehn, Elena Schmaling, Isla Zelensek, Lucy Bohanek, Zoey France, 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.
