By Bobby Narang- Photos by Jenn-Anne Gledhill
** Additional Photos are Available for Purchase at https://justallsports.zenfolio.com/p795594079 **
TINLEY PARK— Mike Oconnor wanted to find a place to rest.
A key two-way starter for the Orland Park Pioneers Lightweight football team, Oconnor is a foundational player for his team. His athleticism, team-first mentality and toughness are part of the Pioneers’ fabric – a leader who gives his all on the field for the team.
But Oconnor suffered a slight knee injury in the game, which limited his play against the Franklin Square Wildcats on Sunday afternoon.
But Oconnor did enough to help carry the Pioneers to a 26-8 win over the Franklin Square Wildcats in Mokena.
“I had a couple of good runs,” Oconnor said. “The team helped me a lot. I got little stronger and faster since last year. I was happy to break tackles and see the open field a lot today.”
Orland Park coach Dan Kolodziej heaped praise on his entire team, including the do-it-all play from Oconnor.
“We knew it was going to be a physical game and Franklin would be a tough test for us,” Kolodziej said. “Our boys showed up and came out and played hard. Michael is our workhouse and loves to hit and play the game and he brings it all on the field. Jason (Erwin) did really well and Oconnor and our offense is clicking and our defense is just stream-rolling up and down.
“The defense shut them down and our line was in the gaps and corners contained the outside. The defense was outstanding.”
Oconnor waited until the end of the game, then deciding to sit down on a plot of grass on a shady hill behind a goal post to rest his aching knee.
Oconnor sparked the Pioneers (2-0) on their first drive of the game, carrying the ball five times on the 10-day drive that ended with a five-yard touchdown keeper by quarterback Jason Erwin. The long drive set the tone of the game, chewing up nearly 10 minutes and covering 52 yards.
Oconnor had an 11-yard run that kept the possession moving forward on the fifth play. His seven-yard jaunt set up Erwin’s touchdown with 1:40 left in the first quarter for a 7-0 lead.
After Franklin Square ended its first drive on downs, Oconnor sprung back to action. He broke free for a 27-yard touchdown run on the seventh play to pad the lead to 13-0. Oconnor, though, wasn’t done just yet. The speedster struck again, taking a handoff and blazing his way 51 yards for a touchdown to increase the lead to 20-0 late in the second quarter.
Erwin showed potential piloting the offense and moving the chains at quarterback, while his running skills gave the Pioneers a two-headed threat that overwhelmed the Wildcats. Erwin scored on the second play of the first drive in the third quarter, breaking tackles for a 28-yard run.
The Pioneers had one more offensive highlight, as Jordy Kolodziej rumbled for a 20-yard plus game with just under two minutes left in the game.
The Pioneers defensive line played tough, not allowing the home team to get any traction nor sustain long drives. The defensive line consisted of Jimmy Elsberg, Ellis Hubbard, Sean Kikilas, Gunner McCarthy, Thomas Sutter and Laith Hammami.
Orland Park’s Brooks Foster had a solid game on both sides of the ball, contributing big plays to keep the momentum on his team’s side. Foster had a memorable tackle on third down stop a scoring chance by the home team with just under 30 seconds left before halftime.
“The defense was really good and we got a great effort from everybody and it was a good effort from everybody,” Foster said. “Our offense has been studying the plays and just learning the offense. We all have been playing hard and going full speed on every play.”
Jackson Biskup, who plays running back and linebacker, said the Pioneers picked up the win thanks to a total team effort.
“The defense was really good this game,” Biskup said. “It was a great game and everybody played good. We got a lot of good plays from the team.”
Orland Park’s Adam Krokos was busy all afternoon, playing cornerback, wide receiver and running back to be an instrumental player in the victory.
When I was playing corner, I was getting a lot of help and tried to force them inside where the help was at,” Krokos said. “That really helped on defense for me. When I was at running back, the one play where I broke free for a lot of yards, we had really good blocking on that play. It was a great and fun game and a lot of good blocking and we had a lot of open field tackles by everyone.”
The fifth-quarter game included back-and-forth action that helped spark the crowd before the main game. The Pioneers’ defense stepped up with numerous keys plays, highlighted by an interception by Ryan Lukas.
Lukas thrilled the Pioneers’ sidelines, when he beat a receiver to a pass, ripping the ball out of the hands of the receiver, then dashing 70 yards for an interception return for a touchdown. Nate Abbs concluded the game with a tackle-saving touchdown for the Pioneers.
The Pioneers also had contributions from several other players which included Jaweed Abuzir, Nate Abbs, Keith Piekarz, Taylan Morandi, Joey Zotto, Will Poore, Luke Bosack, Ryan Lukas, Zachariah Ballouta, Martin Groark, Brady Higgins, Alex Kopec, CJ Hufford, Christopher Medina Jr., Shane Sternberg, Luke Holoubek, Bennett Kersten, Michael Patterson, Gavin Garrity, Arthur Slabenak, Anthony LaPapa, Paxson Leithleiter, Ian Frost, Jonathan Mizera, Dominic Gabriele, Ammar Abdelmuti, William Jordan, Luke McDoniel, Paul Rylan Davies, Amari Adigun and Dominic Maurella .
The Orland Park Pioneers’ cheerleading team performed several outstanding routines during the game and at halftime to the delight of the large crowd. The team consists of Lucy Bohanek, Kaitlyn Minick, Alexandra Burda, Mabel Lukasiewicz, Elena Schmaling, Adaline Johnson, Zoey France, Emerson Schweikert, Eleanor Koehn, Stella Bristow, Brooklyn Loman, Eila Richter, Aaliyah Medina, Ava Janota, Molly McGeever, Skylar Shlepakov, Makayla Sotelo, Vera Joda, Kara O’Meara, Sophia Molina, Emily Okrasinski, Ainsley Moore, Maevry Harmatys, Marissa Gumuls, Madison Hedger, Morgan Collins, Aleena Badwan, Scarlett Sternberg, Sadie Griffin, Grace Poore, Kennedy Krokos, Olivia Ally, Liliana Holmes, Morgan Burger, Evelyn Byrne, Lillian Fudala, Alaina Holoubek, Anderson Foster, Selena Rios, Gwendolyn Moffatt, Margaret Moffatt, Evelyn Moffatt, Quinn Heinze, Callie Juarez-Radovanovic, Eloise Sarhage, Jenna Michalczewski and Charlotte Dorigan.
