By Francisco Avila-Photos by Lauren Gray
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NEW LENOX— The final whistle brought a sense of relief and excitement to the Illinois Jr Celtics 8U after they battled back from a narrow halftime lead to defeat the Harvey Jr. Wildcats 28-18 in their Chicagoland Pop Warner season opener.
Jr. Celtics head coach Matt Cesek praised his team’s overall performance after the game, highlighting the play of both the offense and defense.
“Overall, the team played great. Offense was firing off. The offensive line looked fantastic. The defense looked great as well. I just got to tidy up a couple things, but other than that, we had a pretty decent day.”
The Jr. Celtics’ offense was firing on all cylinders throughout the game, led by Logan Cesek, who scored three touchdowns while also contributing with several key runs and defensive tackles.
“He’s a hard worker, resilient, and one of the guys we definitely rely on moving forward. But nothing happens without that offensive line we have,” Coach Cesek said, highlighting both Logan Cesek and the offensive line’s contributions.
The Jr. Celtics came out of the gate with energy on both sides of the ball, establishing a strong physical presence that carried into the opening quarter.
From the opening possession, the Jr. Celtics’ rushing attack set the tone.
With just over a minute gone in the first quarter, Logan Cesek broke loose for a 30-yard run. Seconds later, Cesek connected with Liam Adent for a 15-yard gain before following it with a five-yard run that moved the Celtics closer to the goal line.
Just two minutes into the game, Cesek found the end zone on a 10-yard touchdown run, giving the Jr. Celtics the opening score and a 6-0 lead.
“The first touchdown, I just wanted to win so we could go to the next game and so we could be undefeated. Once I scored, I could then turn out to get more touchdowns,” Cesek said.
The Jr. Celtics attempted the extra point, but Mezzo Funk’s kick missed, keeping the score at 6-0.
The defense then continued the team’s strong start. Adent, Ryan Sanders and Funk all contributed with strong tackles, forcing the Wildcats to punt.
“We were feeling really good. I’m so happy. We were just so happy because we were playing well,” Funk said.
Late in the opening quarter, Cesek broke through for a 50-yard touchdown run to extend the lead to 12-0.
“I just really wanted to win and have a lot of touchdowns. So I did my best and got a second touchdown,” Cesek said. The kick try after fell short.
“I felt a little sad, but I knew I was going to get the next one because I had wanted to get the next one and help my team win,” Funk said.
The Mokena defense continued to control the game to end the opening quarter, with Ronan Gleason contributing another strong tackle headed to quarter two.
The Jr.Celtics continuing to make plays defensively to open the second quarter. Gleason recorded another tackle while Funk followed with another defensive stop.
With seven minutes remaining in the half, the Jr. Celtics’ offense returned to work. Adent broke loose for a strong run after pulling in a nine-yard pass from Cesek.
Seconds later, Cesek continued to make an impact with another run that moved the chains for a Celtics. Adent then added another strong run following a 15-yard completion from Cesek.
After a Wildcats timeout, Adent broke off another run bringing the hosts closer to adding another score.
Cesek followed with a 15-yard run. Runs by Adent and Cesek put Mokena inside the 10-yard line, but the Wildcats’ finally came up with a stop and forced a turnover on downs.
with just minutes before halftime, Gavin Poulos responded with a strong tackle while Adent followed with another physical stop.
However, the Wildcats broke free just before half on a 39-yard touchdown run, cutting the lead to 12-6.
With little time left in the opening half, Cesek connected with Mack Dillon for a four-yard gain before adding another run, but were unable to find the endzoneas time expired with the Jr. Celtics holding a 12-6 edge at half.
Coach Cesek acknowledged that the team lost some of its early intensity during the second quarter.
“We were up 12-0 in the first quarter. Then as we got in there, they kind of let off the gas pedal a little bit.”
The Wildcats came out of halftime with renewed energy, and within the opening minute of the third quarter, they tied the game with a 50-yard touchdown run.
With the game even, the Jr. Celtics’ offense looked to regain control. Cesek broke free soon after on a 13-yard run followed by another dash.
The Jr. Celtics continued to find success on offense. Adent picked up yardage following a three-yard pass from Cesek, while Cesek added a nine-yard run to move his team closer to the end zone.
Cesek then connected with Mezzo for a two-yard gain before breaking loose on a 23-yard run that put the host just three yards from the goal line. Dillon soon punched it into the end zone on a one-yard dive, putting the Jr. Celtics back in front, 18-12.
“It was a yard away or under a yard away, and I thought it was pretty easy. So I gave it up; my number 12, our center, snapped to me and then I just ran up the middle,” said Dillon.
This time, Funk converted the two-point kick, extending the Celtics’ lead to 20-12.
“I was really happy. I thought all happy stuff like keeping the ball with me, because I was happy I scored,” Funk said of the successful kick.
The Wildcats responded immediately, breaking loose for a 40-yard touchdown run, cutting the Celtics’ lead to 20-18.
The Wildcats then attempted to tie the game on the ensuing conversion, but Dillon came up with a huge tackle to prevent the score and preserve the Celtics’ two-point lead.
“At first I was scared that they were going to score an extra point and we were going to be tied. But then when there was a flag, I was glad that we got an extra chance and I just went in there and blew it up,” Dillon said.
The Celtics entered the fourth quarter holding a narrow 20-18 advantage, but the offense was determined to create separation and extend their lead.
The Jr. Celtics appeared to be building another promising drive, but a fumble threatened to end the possession. Sanders immediately stepped up with a big tackle that helped the Jr. Celtics recover the ball and maintain possession.
“I tried to do everything for my team, for them to win. I wanted to do whatever I could for them to win. So I gave it all the whole game, and I tried my best, and I got the tackle, which really helped our team,” Sanders said.
With minutes left in thegame, Cesek delivered another explosive play, breaking loose for a 40-yard touchdown run to extend the Celtics’ lead to 26-18.
“It feels good to get three touchdowns in the start of the season. I just felt I wanted to win the game,” Cesek said.
Funk then converted the extra point, giving the Celtics a 28-18 advantage.
“I felt really good because I kicked two in a row,” Funk said.
The Jr. Celtics’ defense took over and refused to allow the Wildcats back into the game. Gleason recorded another strong tackle before Bash Kouba came up with a crucial fumble recovery to give the Jr. Celtics possession once again.
“I just waited and saw where the ball’s going, and then I ran up the field, and I saw the ball so I went to go and get it and recovered it,” Kouba said.
Late in the game, Coach Cesek allowed several members of the offensive line to carry the ball, rewarding them for their hard work throughout the game. One of those players was “Big” Bennett Thompson, who took advantage of his opportunity.
“He puts a lot of hard work on the offensive line, and that’s how we reward our offensive line: getting the ball lets them have some fun. And that’s what football’s all about. When kids work hard, we reward them with getting to carry the ball and having some fun with it,” Coach Cesek said.
Thompson responded with a five-yard gain after taking the snap and powering through the Wildcats’ defense.
“It was pretty crazy. When I got the ball, I was pretty excited when I got that tackle off the ball against that guy, who was about the size of me. I was pretty much ecstatic, so it was pretty fun. I was really happy that we won 28-18; we won by like 10 points,” Thompson said.
The Celtics were unable to add another touchdown but their defense held firm as the clock expired. When the final whistle sounded, the Illinois Jr Celtics 8U celebrated a hard-fought 28-18 victory in their season opener.
After the game, Coach Cesek praised his team’s resilience after seeing its early 12-0 advantage disappear.
“Once we got some things corrected, back on the gas pedal, and after they tied it up, we had to put our foot back on the gas pedal and make it happen. And had to do that with our best players available, and we did.”
Logan Cesek’s three-touchdown performance led the way offensively, while the Celtics’ offensive line consistently opened running lanes and gave the offense opportunities to move the ball.
The Jr. Celtics received key contributions from multiple players which included: Anderson Tiwald, Blake Borus, Leo Sweis, Gavin Poulos, Cooper Pel, Knox Kucala, Jackson Baker, Kelab Cloutier, Henry Gloster, Fitz Blythe, Patrick Hollis, Cameron Susay, and Leo Christou.
