By Bobby Narang-Photos by Jenn-Anne Gledhill
**Additional Photos are Available for Purchase at https://justallsports.zenfolio.com/p159848106 **
On a glorious Sunday morning filled with summer-like sunshine and temperatures rising to the mid-80s, Jason Erwin wasn’t bothered by the oppressive heat.
The quarterback of the Orland Park Pioneers was all over the field, attempting to lead his team toward a victory in the first of four youth games held at Sandburg High School. Erwin set the tone for a memorable showing by the Pioneers in the Super Lightweights football game with his hard charging running style, toughness, leadership and ability to read the defense.
Erwin plunged through a crowd of defenders on the New Lenox Warriors team to score on a 1-yard touchdown run with 7:03 left in the first quarter.
Unfortunately, the Pioneers couldn’t build off the strong start, dropping a 13-7 decision to the New Lenox Warriors before a large crowd at Mike Navarro Stadium.
“I felt I did good today,” Erwin said. “There was really good blocking on the play I scored. I played quarterback, running back and punted today. I did good. I felt happy to play good.”
Coach Pat Richardson said he was very pleased with how the team showed heart and battled against a very talented New Lenox team destined for the playoffs.
“We got that turnover right away and then put a good drive to get that touchdown,” he said. “New Lenox played very disciplined on defense. We were struggling blocking and were little flat on the line today. We will make improvements on that. We had a bunch of kids who stepped up and played some positions that they don’t normally play. It was a battle. We came up a little short but we will move on and get better. The team played well.”
Indeed, the first quarter was memorable for the Pioneers. The New Lenox Warriors lost a fumble on the first possession of the game, which was scooped up by a defender to give the home team some momentum and energy against the talented Warriors.
Erwin ended the short drive with his highlight touchdown for a 7-0 lead. Michael O’Connor played a big part in the outstanding game by the Pioneers. O’Connor was a busy football player, carrying the ball 16 times for 41 yards, including a highlight-reel 13-yard early in the game on third down to the drive. He also was a force on defense, handing his middle linebacker duties with toughness and notching several big tackles.
“It was sweep and we were kind of close to the touchdown, so I was trying to get a first down because it was third down and I was able to get a lot of yards,” O’Connor said of his long run. “We had a good start with good running and blocking, and we all did a good job. It was a good game by all of us.”
The Pioneers weren’t able to find paydirt again, but they played tough defense throughout the four quarters. The Warriors cut the deficit to 7-6 on a second-quarter touchdown pass but they missed the extra-point attempt. New Lenox seized the lead in the third quarter on a 3-yard touchdown run to go up 13-7.
The Warriors battled back behind a stingy defense, led by O’Connor making three key tackles to end a drive by the visitors with just under three minutes left in the game. The Pioneers had an opportunity to seize the lead with their final drive starting at their own 36-yard line with 2:41 left.
A hurry-up offense caused some problems for the Warriors, as the Pioneers slowly marched down the field until a key defensive stop in the final minute by the Warriors ended the possibility of a comeback win by the home team. After the game, the Pioneers were in a joyous mood while listening to speeches from their coaches.
For the Orland Park Pioneers, Arthur Slabenak was a solid player on the lines, earning the postgame Axe trophy from his coaches for his solid performance.
“I tried to do really good blocking on offense and on defense I made a couple of tackles,” Slabenak said.
In the fifth quarter game, the Orland Park Pioneers received a good effort from all of their players to set the stage for the next game. Arun Mallavarapu was one of the key players in the fifth quarter game.
“It was a good game,” Mallavarapu said. “I think the team did good. I had some (good) passes and tackles.”
Thomas Richardson was also happy with his showing in the fifth quarter game.
“I got two long passes to Arun,” Richardson said. “That felt good.”
The Orland Park Pioneers picked up contributions from the entire team, including Peyton Barbee, Jaweed Abuzir, Aaron McCarthy, Nathan Abbs, Keith Piekarz, Thomas Sutter, Jack DuBois, Taylan Morandi, Moody Janet, Luke Bosack, Sean Kikilas, Zachariah Ballouta, Wyatt Kipper, Vito Cangelosi, Seth Cobbs, Ellis Hubbard, Michael O’Connor, Dominic Sophia, Jackson Biskup, Jason Erwin, Zakariyeh Jaber, Alex Kopec, CJ Hufford, Christopher Medina, Jr., Shane Sternberg, Arun Mallavarapu, Brooks Foster, Gavin Garrett, Tyler Wilkie, Arthur Slabenak, Anthony LaPapa, Blake Nance, Dean Kassel, Laith Hammami, Jonathan Mizera, Dominic Gabriele, Jordy Kolodziej, Jimmy Elsberg, Connor Kvelland, Thomas Richardson, Logan Cohen, Dominic Maurella and Adam Krokos.
The cheerleaders thrilled the late morning crowd with an outstanding short routine, earning a big applause for their hard work and togetherness during their performance. The team included Lea Barbee, Charlotte Dorigan, Anderson Foster, Alaina Holoubek, Clarke Jones, Callie Juarez-Radovanovic, Gianna Kipper, Grace Kvelland, Mia Mizera, Grace Poore, Elena Schmaling and Scarlett Sternberg.
