By Ed Muniz with contributions from John Walsh-Photos by Kathy Jones
As summer draws to a close and baseball games dwindle around the country, a smell of pigskins with laces, lightly wafts the air. Sounds, similar to beating a rug and orchestrated peals are heard. A slight tinge of color other than green has made appearance in some of the trees. We know what that means-
Football has arrived!
The Orland Park Pioneers, under the guidance of President Jenny Czerwonka, enter their 46th season, with Pads, Helmets, Whistles and practices commencing in abundance, preparing for the up-coming River Valley Youth Football League season.
“This year, our numbers are at league maximum, we have not had that before where all our teams are at the maximum,” said the fourth year President.
“We were not able to accommodate all the kids this year and that was hard. We had concerns over splitting our teams and our athletic directors voted against that for a number of reasons. We had concerns about practice space, having enough equipment or getting equipment on time as there’s a nation-wide shortage of helmets.”
Football numbers are back and for Crzerwonka and staff, it does make for hardships, but having those elevated numbers is great.
The Pioneers have been around for many years. In 1976 the Orland Park Pioneers Football Boosters (OPPFB) was incorporated in the State of Illinois as a Not-for-Profit Corporation. The corporation was incorporated to raise funds for the OPP.
Originally the OPP was formed, operated, and run by the Village of Orland Park – Parks and Recreation Department.
In 2002 the Village made the decision to abandon the Pioneers. Their decision was made without any advanced notice to the OPPFB. The entire Pioneer program made the decision to take over and continue.
Bob Sloan was the Initial Pioneer President with Mike Gaffigan as the Athletic Director to kick start their independent tenure. Sloan was followed as President by Greg Victor who then was replaced by Rey Guajardo,Jr . Once Guajardo Jr had relinquished leadership, Kevin Lowry became the new President.
Regina Glascott became the first woman President to lead the Pioneers. John Stefanos followed her and he continued on from 2013 to 2018 and then current President Jenny Czerwonka took over in 2018.
Each Contributing in their own way.
Stefanos set an example as President and as a coach, that will be hard to match including 39 wins in a row, and undefeated National Championship season, the introduction of the Wednesday Night Football League to give inexperience players an opportunity to perform and develop at their own pace with others like, Introduction of Flag Football, first Pioneer summer football camps. The list goes on.
Stefanos set the bar high. Current President Jenny Czerwonka has big shoes to fill, but is well on her way to creating her own mark on the Pioneer Organization.
Each year the Pioneers improved because of the countless contributions and numerous volunteers of Parents, Coaches and many others. It formed the base and successes it has had not only in the RVYFL, but also the winning ways it had in the Southwest Midget Football League.
“From our taking over the OPP since 2002, we have afforded the opportunity to participate in football and cheerleading to over 7,000 boys and girls from Orland Park and surrounding communities. We take our responsibility with pride and passion,” said longtime, original board member and active Pioneer treasurer, John Walsh.
From its inception until 2014, the Orland Park Pioneers were a member of the Southwest Midget Football League. In late 2014 under President John Stefanos, the need to better meet the requirements of their players based on age and weight, but not solely that, the Pioneers left the SWMFL and entered play in the River Valley Youth Football League.
The move has benefited the whole organization as players now faced kids similar to their size and age. Now playing games on a level playing field, the Pioneers have won numerous Championship and have been represented in Championship games every year.
Stefanos also implemented the Wednesday Night Football League. The brilliant idea gave kids with less experience or needing more time to develop and learn the game an opportunity to get more field time then they weren’t getting in regular scheduled games.
Kids were developing at their own pace while playing opponents of the same caliber in actual full games with referees and scores which concluded with a Championship game at the end of the season.
This is now held at every level of play.
The Pioneers have seen numerous players go on to have stellar High School, College and even Professional careers.
Among them includes Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern University Head Football Coach, Mike Scofield, Right Offensive Tackle – Chicago Bears, Steve Wirtel, Long Snapper – Green Bay Packers, Jake Lembke, won a National Championship with Auburn University as a long snapper. Many others who played or are currently playing at the college level.
The Pioneers have done a lot of winning, but it isn’t all about winning football games. Instruction is important to the Pioneers and the folks they have in place to do that. Learning the game and good sportsmanship is a high priority for the organization, it means plenty to them along with having fun playing a contact sport.
Safety is also of the highest priority to the Pioneer family. Ensuring that every player is fully equipped with the safest equipment out there is number one.
All coaches are certified in concussion protocols per the requirements of USA Football. Each year every coach must recertify. At every home game the Pioneers have a licensed trainer on hand to provide any medical assistance that may be necessary.
As a parent, it can be a relief to know your child, whether a football player or a cheerleader, is participating in an organization that takes safety seriously and can address any medical issue within seconds.
With just a few changes headlining the 2022 Pioneers, look for the same quality football you’ve gotten the last several years.
At Varsity, new commers to the level will hold the reigns this year. Although new to the Varsity level, Coaches Todd Shelton and Chris Stefanos are seasoned veterans. The Duo has led the Pioneers to several Championships. Winning titles at Super Lightweight and Junior Varsity, also the Pioneers first WNFL Championship at Lightweight.
They have accumulated quite a record of wins over their five-year span while coaching in three consecutive Championship games and counting.
“There’s a lot more on the plate this year, a lot more expectations,” said Varsity coach Todd Shelton. “All these kids advancing at the pinnacle of Youth football, getting them ready to play High School football. There’s a feeling of more pressure to succeed going in, yes, it ups it in many ways.”
“This group is fear free. They know what they’re in for and they’re not scared in any way. I think the pressure falls on us coaches. It’s going to take every one of our players this year because we aren’t going for one Championship, we’re going for two and we’re going to finishing off with everything we got with two Championships!”
Shelton also mentioned “I feel the Sigels’, the Toddy Sheltons’ the Jack Cliftons’, the Jordan Masinos’, along with Ruisz and the Durkins are the pieces of this pie, it’s going to take every 42 of these kids for us to do well.”
This is a talent laden team. Led by quarterback Sean Ruisz and running back Quinn Durkin, throw in receiver Barret Sigel and two-way demolition player Jordan Masino along with line play of Toddy Shelton and several others, this is a formidable opponent for anyone they face.
Three years ago, Shelton and Stefanos nearly pulled the Double Championships off. Can they accomplish that in 2022?
The Junior Varsity will also have a new leader at the helm. Tim O’Reilly welcomes the opportunity to once again lead a Pioneer squad.
“We have 44 players this year, with several kids returning that made great contribution to last year’s Championship.”
“I’m expecting good things from our sixth and seventh graders, having seventh graders returning with that experience is a plus. To have that many people returning especially at the skill position is a nice luxury to have. We will see what we have and see the skill-set, the strength and weaknesses of the team and then it’s us as coaches to come up with a scheme that maximizes what we have each week to give us the best chance to be successful.”
Returning Vinnie Annel and Mason Marable are a big plus for the JV squad. Their skills on both defense and offense will bring leadership to each side of the ball. Throw in the other JV returning players, and the nucleus to succeed is there. Figuring out the in-betweens can be the difference in a successful season.
Coach O’Reilly has Vincent Annel assisting him as Co-Head Coach and defensive coordinator along with other coaching help. Will returning experience be enough to propel the JV to a title? We will see.
The Pioneer Lightweights will be guided by Andy Rybak.
“Big changes this year, huge numbers, I think it’s great with depth in mind,” said Coach Rybak. “Its exciting with lots of kids and you think of the program and football in general, it’s awesome! With the Wednesday Night League, its going to be great.”
“I expect to win every game, I think it’s a realistic expectation and I also think we’ll have success in the WNFL, I’m very confident. We have a lot of big kids and a lot of new kids with great assistant coaches who help a lot.”
Returning backfield and Co-MVPs Ben Snider and Nakahti Thompson will help. Their play both ways will boost any team. The speed and elusiveness of Thompson gives the Pioneers a chance at scoring on every touch as does the power and speed of Snider who has a knack of breaking tackle. Throw both on the defensive side, hard hitting is what you get. Obviously, there are others that will contribute greatly to the success of the team which could result in many wins this year for Rybak and staff.
The Super Lightweights have Coach Al Krokos returning for the Pioneers. Last season his team of Pioneers showed they could compete with anyone and were a “Never Quit” team in every game. He loses key players in Nick Peisker and speedster Maximus Streets-Pruitt but with many returning starters on the Roster, Coach Krokos could field a high-quality team.
Jase Enstrom, Vinnie Spizzarri, Luke Krokos and Michael O’Connor return along with others. They look to lead the team to many victories this season.
With many new faces, the SLW Pioneers will look for big contributions from other budding stars, count on that happening!
The Pioneers have had a successful time in the RVYFL. This is a program headed for bigger and better things from Cheer to Football. The Pioneers are doing it right. Youth sports like football and Cheerleading are learning experiences but the Pioneer organization makes it fun. The number of participants is a statement to that.
The Pioneers also have a top Cheerleading program. Betsy Sejud enters her second year as Cheer director and will field four squads again. This year The Pioneers will have over 80 girls participating and cheering at games while also competing in Cheer competitions.
Last year the Pioneers had three squads that won bids to the ICA State Championship, with all three advancing to the second day of competition. Assuring that they were among the top four in their division. The SLW team took 4th place overall in their division, Varsity took 2nd overall in their division, and JV took 1st place in their division. The Varsity team placing second was an amazing feat as they had to adjust their whole routine just 2 days before they competed due to an athlete unable to compete at the last minute because of Covid.
“This football season we are looking forward to hopefully cheering our football teams on to a River Valley championship. Our goals for the 2022 competition season are for all four of our teams to earn bids to the State Championship again this year and hopefully bring home four 1st place trophies,” said Betsy Sejud.
Since taking over leadership, Jenny Czerwonka has moved the program forward. Her use of social media and technology places the Pioneer Program front and center. She is all about promoting and displaying the accomplishments of the Pioneers. Her willingness to lead by example is quite evident.
She exemplifies what leadership is and goes beyond. She cares for the players and cheerleaders as if they were her own and has even been with them in hospitals after suffering injuries. On several occasions, Jenny Czerwonka sent care packages to players who were recovering from surgeries. She even sent an opposing player a care package after being hurt at a game.
Her commitment to make the Pioneers the premiere youth Football and Cheer organization takes up much of her time and she willingly does that.
Is it a wonder that the Pioneers will have the league maximum per team along with four team playing flag and over 80 cheerleaders this year?
“I really try to make an impact on a kid’s life. I’m committed to improving the Pioneers and building on what others had done before me. I just love the lessons football teaches kids and so that’s why this is so important to me. I want those who play and played for the Pioneers to always know they are part of the Pioneer family, so I show my support for them always. I give my all for that reason.”
The Pioneers will begin play this Sunday on August 28 when they host the Homer Stallions at Sandburg High School.
Many thanks to John Walsh. He provided much of the history presented in this article.
**Additional Photos are available for purchase at justallsports.zenfolio.com/2022pioneers link on home page in photos.**
