By Patrick Z McGavin- Photos by Jenn-Anne Gledhill
** Additional Photos are Available for Purchase for 2 Weeks at https://justallsports.zenfolio.com/p188771057 **
NEW LENOX— Fortune favors the bold, and sometimes the lucky.
The Super Lightweight division of the Orland Park Pioneers played with a heart, toughness and desire throughout their glorious season. Regardless of the outcome, the team never lacked inspiration or effort.
The Pioneers were eager and ready to take on the next stage of the season against the New Lenox Jr Knights. Their defense dominated, and the offense worked hard and aggressively to find the end zone.
Everything came down to one play.
One fourth down from the 1-yard line, the Pioneers went to their bread and butter play of standout running back Sean Kikilas motioning left and ready to take the handoff from quarterback Gavin Garrity.
The ball bobbled, and Kikilas never had a clean look.
“I was going in motion, and Gavin just kind of hit my hip,” Kikilas said.
Kikilas was stopped short in the Pioneers’ heartbreaking 12-6 overtime loss in a first-round River Valley Youth League playoff game at Lincoln-Way West on Saturday, October 26.
“Our boys gave a heck of an effort today,” Super Lightweights’ coach Pat Richardson said. “It’s just tough. Somebody has to win, and we just didn’t.”
The fourth and goal call was identical to the 38-yard touchdown Kikilas scored on a fourth-and-2 play late in the fourth quarter. Off the motion, the elite runner took the handoff and broke around the left sidelines for the exhilarating touchdown.
“Their best player, No. 9 on the Knights, wrapped me up, but I kept my feet moving and I stiff-armed him off of me,” Kikilas said. “I knew there were people chasing me.
“I had to run faster into the end zone.”
Running back Taylan Morandi was stopped on the conversion run.
Even so, the 6-0 Pioneers lead with just 3:24 appeared safe and insurmountable given how dominant the Pioneers’ defense had played.
The Knights had just two first downs up until that point.
“Our coaches taught us a new defense for this game where we had to follow two specific numbers,” Kikilas said. “Whenever either of those numbers got the ball, we’d always run to them.
“We wanted to follow No. 10 and No. 32.”
Kikilas had a sack and two tackles for loss during the first half. Morandi had a fumble recovery at the start of the second half.
Defensive linemen Amari Adigun, Dominic Maurella and Luke McDoniel patrolled the interiors, disrupting the Jr Knights at the point of attack.
Garrity, Kikilas, Luke Bosack, Zachariah Ballouta, Arthur Slabanek, Michael Patterson and Alex Kopec frequently ran uninterrupted to whichever Jr Knights’ ball carrier tried to advance.
On the previous possession by the Jr Knights, Patterson, Adigun, Ballouata and Slabernak collaborated on a fourth down stop that set up the Kikilas touchdown run.
“We just played hard as a team,” Patterson said. “We got into their gaps. We blitzed hard, and made sure they never got anything going. We just got on top of them, and tackled them.
“We knew when they went to the left or right or even down the middle, what they were going to try and do. We knew what to look out for. We knew where they were every time.”
Kopec appeared to secure the victory with a nine-yard sack on third down that set up an improbable fourth-and-19 for the Jr Knights. With the Pioneers bearing down, the quarterback threw a ball into the left flat.
Amid the uncertainty, a Pioneers player belatedly picked up the ball and then dropped it.
“The officials ruled it was a live ball, and our kid couldn’t hear anybody to run with the ball,” Richardson said. “He dropped it, and they called it a change of possession.”
Given the reprieve, the Jr Knights managed their only significant offensive play of the game on third down. Their best player, a big, mobile running back, turned the right edge and broke free for an 86-yard touchdown run.
“They had one play the whole game,” Richardson said.
After Adigun and Patterson denied the conversation attempt, the Pioneers had one final chance in regulation.
“Everybody still had a lot of juice left, and wanted to do really well out there,” Slabanek said. “The way they scored got us down a little bit. We just wanted to play through until the very end.
“We tried to push through.”
Getting one final possession with just over a minute to play, Peyton Barbee broke free 24-yards on a reverse. The Pioneers ran out of time, setting up the overtime, where each team was given four downs from the 10-yard line.
The Jr Knights had the first possession, their best player again scoring from the 9-yard line on second down. The Pioneers faced a crucial test, either equalizing on their possession or having their season end.
Kikilas ran for two yards on first down, and Morandi gained a yard. Garrity set the stage for the dramatic finish with a six-yard burst around the left edge that put the ball at the 1-yard line.
“It was crazy,” Kikilas said.
“Everybody knew that we all had gas left in our tank, and we wanted to keep going. Even though we lost, I’m going to remember all of my teammates and coaches.”
If the score ultimately turned against them, the Pioneers had much to celebrate. The mix of new and returning players made for camaraderie, teamwork and great chemistry, on and off the field.
Adigun signified the growth and development of each player. A 7-year old, he never played the game until joining the Super Lightweights’ program.
By the end of the season, he was a two-way starter, opening holes for Kikilas, Garrity and Morandi on the offensive line, and pressuring the quarterback at defensive end.
“All of my teammates were doing a great job, and I was able to get into the gaps today,” Adigun said. “I just love to play, and seeing us score, or making athletic plays on defense.”
The Fifth Quarter also featured excellent play on both sides of the ball. Running back Sean Johnson had a series of long runs, gaining about 47 yards on six carries.
“It was fun to get here,” Johnson said. “I was just really happy the players on the Red team could get some action here, because otherwise I wouldn’t be playing.
“I’m blessed to do it, and I’m happy that I got to play. It was a lot of fun.”
Defensively, Michael Maurella dominated with two sacks and a tackle for loss. “Nobody was blocking me, so I just went into the backfield and tackled people,” he said.
“All the guys from the Red teams, or the ones who play in the Wednesday Night league have a really good friendship.”
Despite the heartbreaking 12-6 season-ending loss in overtime, the Super Lightweights featured many standout contributors. Their members were JJ Abuzir, Nate Abbs, Moody Jaber, Quinn McCarthy, Wyatt Kipper, Suhaib Ballouta, Xyan Bell, Lawson Capps, Martin Groark, Brady Higgins, Zakariya Jaber, CJ Hufford, Shane Sternberg, Luke Holoubek, Bennett Kersten, Vinny LaPapa, Michael Ramos, Lorcan Redmond, Henry Wade, Paxton Leithleiter, Ian Frost, Jonathan Mizera, Ammar Abdelmuti, William Jordan, Michael Sweis, Jordy Kolodziej, Thomas Richardson and Paul Rylan Davies.
The Super Lightweights Cheerleaders also brought tremendous passion and energy to their performances. Their members are Sofie Annerino, Nora Astor, Aleena Badwan, Lea Barbee, Lucy Bohanek, Stella Bristow, Gianna Bryk, Evelyn Byrne, Charlotte Dorigan, Zoey France, Normandy Golden, Sadie Griffin, Stella Guerrero, Alaina Holoubek, Callie Juarez-Radovanovic, Eleanor Koehn, Kennedy Krokos, Siena Lang, Mia Mizera, Savannah Molina, Hazel Nicholas, Grace Poore, Falyn Simon and Isla Zelensek.
