By Patrick Z. McGavin- Photos by Jenn-Anne Gledhill
** Additional Photos are Available for Purchase at https://justallsports.zenfolio.com/p749566101 **
Maddox Sperry dreams about his achievements as part of the perfect prelude.
He is meticulous in his preparation, and thinks about the game, and how he might shape or influence the action.
“I was feeling great,” he said. “It all starts with how I prepare myself for the day before. I have to eat and drink right, and get into the mindset of having to win.”
His brilliant play turned into a nightmare the Algonquin Argonauts could not escape. Sperry rushed for two touchdowns and returned a kickoff for a third score in the 32-0 victorby by the Jr Celtics 12U team at Main Park on Saturday, September 16.
Running backs are like musicians who feed off rhythm and routine. Everything is intertwined.
The scoreless first quarter marked a kind of feeling out period. Sperry had to get his feet underneath him.
“The more you get the ball, the more comfortable you feel,” he said. “After you get that first hit, you’re in the game, you’re in the zone. I just felt it.”
He turned the second possession of the Jr Celtics into a master class.
Showing quickness, elusiveness an the ability to run through tackles, he alternated runs of eight, four and eight yards.
It set up the defining play, his 13-yard touchdown burst around the left edge with 7:17 remaining in the first half.
As if that weren’t enough, he added the conversion run for the 7-0 lead.
“After the first touchdown run, I felt the adrenaline rush,” he said. “I was here to play.”
Cordae White was the defensive equivalent of Sperry, a versatile and skilled player who supercharged the defense.
He recovered a fumble, blocked a punt, and registered six tackles. Three of his tackles were for negative yardage.
“I like to play my game with some heart, but I am very intense and emotional,” White said. “My head was down after the way we lost last week, but I picked it back up.”
The defense was explosive and quick to the ball, overpowering the Argonauts, who picked up just one first down in the opening half.
Jeremiah Turman, Tyler Fox, Kelly Slucki, Victor LaPointe and Anthony Aldworth were the other defensive standouts.
“Defensively, we were definitely fired up after those long runs,” Turman said.
The ability to Aldworth to control the line of scrimmage underscored the primacy of the defense.
“We were really fired up,” Aldworth said. “I was really excited to play this game. Our new defensive style is very aggressive, and all the gaps were filled every single time.”
Sperry forms a super combination backfield with Dylan Fox. Fox had a 20-yard run that helped set up his first touchdown.
After the Jr Celtics forced a turnover on downs, Sperry went back to business.
In the aftermath of a 16-yard burst by Fox, Sperry put the Jr Celtics up 13-0 at the break with his blazing fast 36-yard touchdown run down the left edge.
“Those plays were the game-changers,” quarterback Kalan McCarron said.
“We would not have won the game without those long runs.”
The drives enabled the Jr Celtics to control tempo and play the game at their pace.
“We had a lot of success with the plays that we ran,” McCarron said. “We’ve improved a lot since the start of the season, or compared with last year.”
The team was eager to make amends after suffering a cruel last-second loss the week before.
“We could not stand the thought of losing on Homecoming,” Fox said. “Just because we didn’t score 40-yard touchdowns doesn’t mean we weren’t moving the ball. We just scored in different ways.”
If his open field running create one form of excitement, Sperry ostensibly put the game away with his most spectacular individual play.
He caught the second half kickoff, patiently waiting for the hole to open and made a hard cut left in moving untouched 66 yards for the touchdown.
He also added the conversion run for the 20-0 lead. He needed just 11 seconds.
“It starts with the blocking, on the offensive line and the kickoff team,” he said. We have been practicing it, and we just perfected it. We were so motivated, because we didn’t want to lose two in a row. We had to bounce back.”
The Jr Celtics played close to perfect, save for one turnover in the third quarter.
McCarron took advantage of the blocked punt for a two-yard scoring run. Dylan Fox, who was brilliant on defense with his tackling and ability in coverage, put the finishing touches on the victory with his own 24-yard touchdown run.
“I’d say that we played an amazing game,” Dylan Fox said. “Our defense was fantastic. If the ball was over there, we were there. “The effort was great.”
The Jr Celtics 12U team featured many standout contributors in the 32-0 victory. They included Tyler Fox, Jayden Hollins, Patrick Conroy, Christopher Gavitt, Tegan Walsh, Quinton Hoffman, Robert Gena, Michael Fryza, Andrew Feith, Jaxon Chalupa, Christian Flores, Henry Rettberg, Victor LaPointe and Lincoln Lopez.
The game also featured two combined cheerleading groups, who showed off some artistic moves and flair. The Pee Wee did the first half, including Brianna Adair, Madison Baker, Chloe DiBennardi, Angelica Enright, Charlotte Fowler, Madison Janik, Luciana Kolenko, Gabrielle Migacz, Eloise Morrison, Penny Oeser, Gianna Picciola, Gianna Ponzi, Mia Rhodes, Bevin Scanlan, Jessica Short, Teagan Smith, Anya Stojak, Madison Varnado, Alexis Vollman
The Junior Varsity helped drive home the victory in the second half. Their members are Raelynn Anderson, Vivienne Andresen, Kalista Balenciaga, Mia Calleros, Maleah Capadona, Grace Crowhurst, Ella Dobbelhoff, Alexis Firlit, Skyler Guinea, Emma Hamstra, Riley Hoffman, Audrey Larson, Roe Lubovich, Gracelyn Marienllo, Charlotte McDonald, Charlotte Ozinga, Giulianna Ramus and Elle Taylor.
