By Patrick Z. McGavin-Photos by Renee Kaspar
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Football is like real estate in that location matters.
Rhett Johnson upends the traditional line of thinking, having supreme confidence in his team and their full-scale offensive capabilities that possession privileges everything else.
As the quarterback of the Jr Celtics 9U powerhouse, he has the perfect perspective of where things stand.
“We feel like we can score anytime we get into the red zone,” Johnson said. “Then our defense stops them, and we get the ball back.
“We knew we’d keep piling it on.”
Johnson scripted everything to form, using the full advantage of his offensive weapons in another complete and utterly dominant two-way performance.
Johnson scored one touchdown during a clean and efficient takedown in the 31-6 Homecoming victory over the Algonquin Argonauts in a Pop Warner league game at Main Park on Saturday, September 16.
The offense produced both the big play and the sustained drive, keeping its defense fresh and active. Save for one fluke play, the defense was equally magnificent, creating turnovers and shutting down the Argonauts.
“I think the defense started out strong, and the offense caught up,” Johnson said.
Two-way star Ryan Ripolo underscored the all-around dominance, starting the scoring onslaught with a 26-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter.
He closed out the victory with a second half interception.
“I’m 100 percent confident we are going to win every game when it comes to the way this team plays,” coach Dave Brown said.
“We make adjustments when we need to. We come together so well, on both sides of the ball. The boys give us everything they’ve got.”
Led by its massive and athletic interior stone wall of linemen Ryder Runia, Liam Kruse and Camden Dvorak, the Jr Celtics created mismatches on both sides of the ball.
“I really like to play fast,” Dvorak said. “I like to shed blocks, get into the backfield and cause havoc back there. It felt really great that we could get back there, and make those tackles.”
They shut down the running lanes of the Argonauts, and created wide open spaces for their own backs to find daylight.
“I think our defensive line was shedding through their offensive line,” Johnson said. “Even if the first person didn’t get the tackle, we’d slow them down and other kids would come in and finish them off.”
Until the closing play of the first half, the Argonauts failed to post a first down. Johnson, Runia, Dvorak, Jake Tompkins, William Guinea, Dominik Brown, Thomas Kroll and Andrew Darnell overwhelmed the Argonauts at the point of attack.
A sack by Kroll yielded a loss of downs, setting up the second scoring drive.
“Our line was able to get to the quarterback, and our middle linebackers got the backs down,” Kroll said.
“We keep on getting better and better with each game. We are very competitive.”
Johnson used the wealth of backs, playing off the contrasting styles with the quickness of speed of Tyson Gagan and the William Guinea and the inside threat of Tompkins.
Johnson broke free for a 16-yard gain, setting up the 24-yard scoring run of Guinea.
Runia not only dominated each side of the line of scrimmage, his kicking provided extra points. He was 3-for-3 on two-point kicks.
Johnson ran in the conversion following the Guinea touchdown for the 15-0 lead.
Dvorak helped break the game open with a fumble recovery on the next series. That set up an eight-play, 33-yard scoring drive.
Johnson again utilized the mix of runners brilliantly, using the off-tackle runs of Guinea with his own keepers that culminated with his three-yard keeper.
The only off moment for the Jr Celtics came on a lapsed assignment on the final play of the first half that allowed the Argonauts to complete an improbable touchdown pass with just 2.7 seconds on the clock.
The performance was otherwise flawless, balanced, aggressive and tough.
The sting of the defensive breakdown evaporated with the Argonauts’ opening second half drive. Runia, Brown and Kroll created the interior pressure.
The pass rush of Michael Lehnerer created the fourth down incomplete pass.
Johnson orchestrated one final scoring drive, a sharp and deftly executed nine-play drive. Ripoli’s 12-yard burst was the only big play, the rest an accretion of steady gains that produced first downs.
Tompkins finished the drive with a two-yard plunge.
“We can really score from anywhere,” he said. “It’s really great to have so many good backs,” he said.
“Whenever I run the ball, I always get at least a couple of yards. I’m really happy about scoring in a Homecoming game. No matter who we play, we are going to just keep practicing hard, and always get better and better.”
Like the scoring, confidence is contagious.
“We just have a perfect group of kids who give us great effort and heart,” Brown said. “They play for each other, they play for the coaches. At the end of the day we come out on top with that mentality.
“They love what they do, and it shows on the football field.”
The Jr Celtics 9U team featured many standout players in their 31-6 Homecoming victory. Those other players included Casey Gahan, Dean Copack, Gabriel Glover, Vincent Bennett, Knixon Hazdra, Evan Doman, Geno Vosholler, Brayden Luczynski, Christian Carlson, William Janik, Brady Lindholm and Cameron Richards.
The Jr. Pee Wee cheerleaders brought great style and flair to the game with their beautiful routines and high energy. They included Elizabeth Costello, Angel Delgau, Reese Erickson, Olivia Gonzalez, Brooklyn Gorenstein, Ava Gorman, Liliana Gotkowski, Emmy Holland, Brooke Jacobson, Brynn Kaplan, Charlotte Kelly, Harper Kloiber, Adriannna Magana, Natalie Mellon, Ella Pearson, Briella Price, Mariana Santoro, Valentina Santoro, Valentino Santoro, Josselyn Smith, Mckenna Smith, Mackenzie Tunney, Maya Varnado and Lillian White.
