Saints Overwhelm Gators in 12U Playoff Opener, 34-7

By Bobby Narang- Photos by Raj Chavda

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PLAINFIELD– Thunder and lightning struck on Sunday morning in Plainfield.
Or was it lightning and thunder?

Either way, on a sunny, summer-like day, the Plainfield Saints’ running back duo of Haven Davison and Ti’an Moore each made a habit of delivering electric performances on the football field. Davison and Moore were must-see material on NFL Sunday, showcasing immense potential to be among the top players to watch in their age group in Chicagoland.

Any praise, on Davison and Moore, is just a snippet of their vast athleticism and football potential. Davison ran for 137 yards and two touchdowns and Moore added 83 yards and a long TD run to spark the Plainfield Saints’ 12U team to a 34-7 victory over the Aurora Gators in a first-round playoff game in the Pop Warner playoffs.

“We’re like thunder and lightning,” joked Davison. “I’m thunder and he’s lightning.”

Twenty minutes following their victory, after guzzling down some Gatorade and snacks on the hot day, Davison and Moore joked about their nicknames in a jovial manner behind the goal posts at Plainfield Central High School.

Davison thrilled the fans of the Saints with his two long runs, carrying the ball just five times but making the most of each carry. He showcased his speed, running wide before turning up the field and blazing to the end zone with a 64-yard TD run for a 14-0 lead in the second quarter.

Not to be outdone, Moore started the TD parade with a prolific 53-yard TD run in the first quarter, breaking free on the edge to race along the sidelines for a score. He had just five carries but managed 83 yards.

“I saw one guy coming toward me, so I put my stiff arm out and just ran hard to the end zone,” Moore said of his TD. “That run felt great. It was the playoffs.”

Midway through the third quarter, Davison followed the same formula, going wide until unleashing with a full sprint en route to a memorable 79-yard touchdown run for a 22-7 edge.

“I cut outside, really putting on the jets right there to get outside,” Davison said. “My coach told me to keep going wide and to trust it. I wanted to cut up on some runs, but I trusted the process. It was a great day. It was fun both me and

The Saints and Gators took completely different approaches in Sunday’s game, with the Saints riding big play after big play to thrill their fans with short drives. The Gators rode the rocket arm and big presence of their quarterback, Jesus Vasquez, to eat up small chunks of yards, taking up long drives and valuable clock time.

Plainfield Saints coach Brian Bain said his team said Moore and Davison are special players who will be among future stars to watch in high school. With the win, the Saints moved to 7-2 on the season heading into the second round of the playoffs.

“Moore and Davison are special kids with special talent and they just feed off each other,” Bain said. “They are great matchup for one another in practice. It’s a joy to coach two kids who are that special. It’s a lot of fun.”

“That team we played has been a two-time state champion the last two seasons, so we knew it would be a grind,” Bain said. “The one thing is we about is attitude, effort and trust. We just trust the process and trust the players and they trust us as coaches, so I was just proud of our boys. We made a great defensive stance before the half. Our defense played great. We prepared for the playoffs and put in different packages. We knew they were going to be big and physical. We don’t quit and this team knows how to quit, so it has become contagious. I’m proud of our team, a lot of teams don’t know us. We put this team together and didn’t know what to expect, but now we’re in the second round of the playoffs.”

Plainfield linebacker Emeka Ibekie had numerous big plays on defense, relying on his instincts, speed and strength to get in the middle of the action.

“Their quarterback was a big guy, so I just tried to tackle him hard,” Ibekie said. “The defense worked as a team. I just tried to read their plays and to see what gap to go through.”

Plainfield’s Joseph Stobaugh had the defensive play of the game, scooping up a fumble and racing 46 yards for a touchdown to pad the lead to 28-7 late in the third quarter.

“I was in the back of the zone and saw the fumble, so I picked it up and was so happy to score,” Stobaugh said. “That was my first touchdown. The defense had some good sacks and we played together and talked and did really good.”

The Gators might have suffered a lopsided defeat, but they had numerous stellar plays and drives in the defeat.  While the Saints totaled under 15 offensive plays, the Gators chewed up time with 40-plus plays, mixing up the pass and run with equal efficiency. Vasquez is another player with a high ceiling thanks to his height, strong arm and moxie. He will be a player with potential in high school due to his physical stature and ability to handle himself without fear in the pocket for his age.

Vasquez passed for 52 yards and ran for 37 yards to spark the Gators’ offense. He spread the ball to three receivers, hitting Jayce Tolliver for three passes for 22 yards and Khalid Howard II for four receptions for 23 yards.

Aurora Gators coach Drew Tolliver said it was an unfortunate way to end the season, especially considering how his offense moved the ball down the field with ease against a quality defense.

“We had a lot of positives and a few negatives,” Tolliver said. “We played here last time in the state championship game, losing to Addison last year. The kids came back and fought hard and got better. We just had a few hiccups. We had one of the hardest schedules. The odds are stacked against us. We lost our first two games and then went on a five-game winning streak. They stuck together and never gave up. “The loss is tough, but we got reinforcements coming next year. Vasquez has been with us since 2019, was a lineman and a baseball pitcher. He’s got a great arm. That kid is going to be one of the best quarterbacks in the state of Illinois. He’s a special kid, laid-back but he has a swag to him. He’s the grown man. I’m proud of these kids. We have a lot of leaders and they never give up. This team is very special.”

Vasquez had a special day in the defeat, firing off passes all over the field and showing off his legs with his running ability to move the chains. He stayed tough throughout the game against an aggressive Saints’ defense that made his work for every yard.

“I feel good because we executed,” Vasquez said. “We had to do better. We came into here with high hopes.”

Aurora Gators’ Khalid Howard II was a big-play machine, carrying the ball six times for 42 yards, highlighted by runs of 12 yards, 9 and 10 yards to help his team.

“I feel like we put a lot of effort in and we tried to execute but just didn’t come out with the win,” Howard II said. “We moved the ball, but we couldn’t execute on fourth down or in the red zone. We made some tough mistakes.”

Jaycob Banks helped spark the Gators’ fans with an awesome 74-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to open up the second half, the only TD by the Gators all game. He used his speed, finding a hole and darting his way to the end zone just 18 seconds into the third quarter to bring some life to his team.

“We’ve been working on the kickoff return all year and our players did a fake reverse, and we got to the opposite side of the wedge being set up,” Banks said. “I got the ball and went to the opposite side, faked it to my teammate, Jayce Tolliver, and my teammates did a great job blocking and all I had to do was beat one man and go up the sidelines.”

Luke Wirtz was one of the standouts on defense for the Gators, getting in the middle of several plays to slow down the Saints’ offense. Wirtz said the Saints’ speed hurt his team.

“I think we did pretty good, but we struggled with contain,” Wirtz said. “I got through but struggled with my speed. I could get a hand on them but couldn’t bring them down. They were good with their fakes.”

The Saints’ were a team all the way to the end, sharing snacks and drinks. On the field, they also had contributions from Amir Jackson, Pete Honiotes, Mason Becka, James Moore, Brandon Allen, Dominic Airoldi, Bryce Pallija, Aidan Gonzalez, Charles Hampton III, Charlie Reuterskiold, Easton Fitzgerald, Bernard Nkay, Vincent Masco, Connor Matyas, Andrew Winga, Rashad White Jr., Ben Colella, Jameson Turvey and Jacob Thompson.

The Gators had a long postgame celebrating their season in the far end zone. The Gators had numerous players help out in the game and during practices, including Cruz Buford, Josiah Correa, Peyton Cowles, Carter Edmonds, James Hill, Alex Kovalev, Meiko Lawson, Noah Marshall, Liam Meaderdes, Chase Morris, Jaxon Parker, Adrian Quinones, Elias Reta, Ramon Ruiz, Ritter Sell, Elijah Thigpen, David Williams and Taj Williams Jr.

Also addinhg their skills on teh playoff day were the Tiny Mite Plainfield Saints Cheerleaders. They kept the sidelines entertained for the home crowd and also performed at halftime. They Include Adela Parks, Madison Gould, Canryn White, Abigail Stehlin, Anastasja and Ewelina Blachut, Kenzie Quintero, Finleigh Judd, Ma kenzie Hauge, Khloe Reyes, Mackenzie Moore, Aviana Salazar, Scarlett Purviance, Mackenzie Loukota, Kaiya Scofield and Mackenzie Reyes.