By Patrick Z. McGavin- Photos by Jenn-Anne Gledhill
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MOKENA— Everything fell in place for the third quarter to be special and memorable. The Jr Celtics U 12 squad pieced together a brilliant, grueling and painstaking possession that achieved everything imaginable. “Everybody was excited after that drive,” Caden Russell said.
It took only seconds for the entire effort to be snatched away. The epic drive could not overcome the big plays of the Lockport Porters in the Jr Celtics’ 26-14 Homecoming loss in Pop Warner League play at Main Park on Saturday, August 31. With the running of quarterback Michael Brown and backs Nakahti Thompson and Dominick Bennett, the Jr Celtics generated two separate leads during the game.
The third quarter was both the highlight and marked the bitter conclusion. The Jr Celtics took the second half kickoff trailing 12-6. The opening play of the half, a run by Bryce Robinsion, went for negative yards, followed quickly by a false start. The Jr Celtics appeared trapped.
Thompson ripped off a 15-yard run, breathing new life into the attack. Then everything started to flow together. Brown had three fourth down conversions, the most significant a seven-yard run around the right end on fourth and five. After a two-yard loss, Brown repeated his magic with another seven-yard carry on fourth down. Two plays later, Thompson took a pitch on the right side, weaved around two defenders and dove into the end zone. Brown’s two-point kick put the Jr Celtics up 14-12. The 17-play, 60-yard scoring drive consumed almost the entirety of the third quarter.
The Porters had just 12.5 seconds remaining. The excitement lasted just one play. The Porters’ speedy running back caught the Jr Celtics off guard by bursting down the right sideline for the stunning 55-yard touchdown run. After all the effort, toil and exceptional work, the Jr Celtics began the fourth quarter like the third, down six points (20-14) and now more desperate to mount a comeback.
“I think a lot of it was about mental preparation,” coach Bob Russell said. “We were not mentally prepared today. That starts with me. I told them after the game I’m not embarrassed about them at all as players. Just the opposite. I’m extremely proud of them. What I’m embarrassed about is the preparation, and I’m responsible for that.”
The Porters’ big play attack, injuries and some uncharacteristic turnovers doomed the Jr Celtics. The players rued the missed opportunities and the breakdowns that led to the game-changing momentum.
“I felt like we could have done better, and adjusted better to their size and speed and not given up those big plays,” defensive lineman Kaiden Alexander said. “We could have done better.”
Bad luck and weird bounces also played a part. A Lockport kickoff inadvertently hit off a Celtics’ player and led to a turnover. Defensive leader Anthoni Stefos was ejected for unsportsmanlike behavior, an interpretation by the officials the Jr Celtics coaching staff vociferously disputed. Bryce Robinson missed a big part of the game after taking a hit to the head.
“We had some injuries, and guys had to go out, and some of the players that came in for them didn’t really know where to go,” Robinson said. “These were the most crucial positions. It’s tough if you haven’t really played or practiced those positions before.”
The Jr Celtics have been susceptible to the big play. The Porters had two 50-yard plays during the first half. A 52-yard yard run set up the Porters’ first touchdown, and they took the halftime lead on a spectacular 52-yard touchdown pass. The Jr Celtics played hard and competed. Alexander created defensive pressure, Thompson and Brown made some excellent stops in the open field, and Nolan Purtill also stepped up with some huge defensive stops.
“We’re just going to work harder in practice,” Caden Russell said. “We played hard, and we wanted to win. We just fell down, and had some mistakes.”
Amid the adversity, the Jr Celtics never wilted. A strong defensive stand from Alexander, Thompson, Kyle Tompkins and Andrew Lowry prevented any further damage at the end of the second quarter. Maximus Dukups and Adrian Friscia also played well defensively.
The beautiful and electric third quarter drive showed the Jr Celtics at their best.
“Offensively I thought we dominated and pounded the ball, and ran it very hard,” Bob Russell said. “We were pumped up. We have to do better on the defensive side of the ball, and shore some things up.”
Invigorated by their long touchdown run to end the third quarter, the Porters also stepped up defensively in the final quarter. The Jr Celtics could not replicate the magic of the third quarter drive. Under pressure, Brown threw an incomplete pass and Thompson was stopped short on fourth down. The Porters put the game away with a 29-yard touchdown run, spoiling the Homecoming festivities.
“I think we’re going to be more ready to play the next game,” Caden Russell said.
The team will learn from its mistakes, according to Alexander. “We’re going to work hard, keep practicing hard and pay better attention to the details,” he said. “We just want to keep it going.” Losing is never fun. The season is still in its infancy.
“These weren’t physical breakdowns,” Bob Russell said. “They were mental breakdowns. We know what we’re doing. We’ll bounce back, and we’ll go from there. You’re going to see a different team in our next game.”
Despite the Homecoming loss, the Jr Celtics 12U team had many spirited contributors. Those players included Brayden Firlit, Hunter Guisinger, Frank Vosholler IV, Christian Taphorn, Thomas Walsh, Ethan Vargas, Dominic Nenchausky, Jackson Shanahan, Robert Hauck, Jaxon Brown, Caleb Jablonski, Carter Gericke, Graham Salvador, Logan McGrtath and Lincoln Lopez.
The combined PeeWee and Junior Varsity cheerleaders brought passion, skill and athletic daring of their own in support of the team. The PeeWee members included Angelica Enright, Gabrielle Migacz, Luciana Kolenko, Teagan Smith, Bevin Scanlan, Mia Rhodes, Charlotte Fowler, Madison Baker, Anya Stojak, Alexis Vollman, Eloise Morrison, Madison Varnado, Ashlyn Woods, Olivia Freyer, Gianna Ponzi, Abigeal Shaughnessy, Gianna Picciola, Jessica Short, Penny Oeser, Chloe DiBennardi, Brianna Adair.
The Junior Varsity consisted of Audrey Larson, Grace Corwhurst, Alexis Firlit, Raelynn Anderson, Vivienne Andresen, Riley Hoffman, Elle Dobblehoff, Skyler Guinea, Roe Lubovich, Mia Calleros, Charlotte McDonald, Emma Hamstra, Maleah Capadona, Charlotte Ozinga, Gianna Kettwig.
