By Ed Muniz- Photos by Lauren Gray
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FRANKFORT SQUARE- In Wednesday Night Football League action, week five saw the SLW Pioneers traveling to Frankfort Square to take on the Wildcats on September 17.
What started off looking like the two teams would be evenly matched trading scores in the first half soon ballooned into a lop-sided contest with the home team using size and muscle to overwhelm the visiting Pioneers, 40-13.
The Pioneers opened the game offensively but ony lasted two plays after fumbling the football and seeing the host Wildcats recover it.
But three plays later, the Pioneers would vault ahead on defensive “Pick Six” by Royal Ward. Ward was able to step infront of a pass and streaked 97-yards the other direction untouched for the touchdown and a 6-0 Pioneer lead.
Reeling from the turnover score, the Wildcats would take their next possession and use up the remainder of the first qurter marching upfield.
Instead of going to the air, the Wildcats went to thier ground game.
They capatalized on strength of numbers as they handed off to their slot back while using their backfield to block ahead. With a lone corner and the inability to get linebackers out to the edge, the Pioneers gave up big chunks to Wildcats, who marched from their own 30-yard-line and scored the go ahead score from the Pioneers 3-yardline alernating their runs right and left.
The ensuing Pioneers possession saw some trickeration. Their third play of the series saw the Pioneers execute a perfect double reverse with Ward again out pacing every defender on the 65-yard run for a touchdown and the 13-7 lead after Wren Rucinski powered in the extra-point.
I felt good running the ball today,” said Ward. “But it was hard a lot of the time. They had a big guys that were fast. We were first winning after a pick six and another touchdown after that, thats when they caught up and the rest of the game they had big people on the line and running the ball. They kept running to the outside but none of our people could stop them, They couldn’t make the tackle. I’m disappointed in the loss. We have to play better to win next week.”
The Pioneers defense was working hard to make stops and tackles. Logan Biskup, Wren Rucinski, Ward and Vincent LaPapa were doing all they could to stop the Wildcats offense with limited success.
The Wildcats kept running to the edge both ways using blocking numbers to keep advancing the football, eventually scoring again from 15-yards out, again adding the extra-point and taking a 14-13 lead into halftime.
A long run by the Wildcats opened the second half. Two plays later, the Wildcats upped their lead to 21-13 after a 34-yard sprint to the endzone.
Using the same formula that already scored them two previous touchdowns, the Wildcats kept piling on the scores and the yards against an overwhelmed Pioneer defense.
The Wildcats lead was increasing every time they had the football while the Pioneers struggled to get out of their own way. After an fumbled snap on first down, Wren Rucinski blasted for 12-yards, the Pioneers fumbled two of the next four plays which resulted in the Pioneers turning the ball over on downs
The Wildcats closed out the third quarter with a 48-yard touchdown run again to the edge and up the sideline. with their fourth score of the game, the host now led 28-13 after three stanzas.
The Pioneers defense did all they could and continued to give great efforts against the larger Wildcats offense. Ward, Biskup and Kitai Hubbard each came up with stops but offensively, the Pioneers were sputtering and didnt find much success trying to get back into the game. The Wildcats were now working at preventing the Pioneers from sniffing the endzone.
Our defense wasn’t doing very good but our offense was at first,” said Wren Rucinski. “They had big players on the line and we had small players on the line so that helped them more than us. We couldn’t really block them. The coaches put different players on the outside and they kept running there and our guys didnt really know what to do. I like running the ball because if you get a big run, everyone cheers for you, but it was hard running against them.”
On the Pioneers next possession, a fumble ended that drive as soon as it began, forcing the Pioneers defense back on the field.
LaPapa again made the Wildcats know he was still there and Mahmoud Hinnawi added a tackle. stopping the Wildcats runner after losing 5-yards but it was the smallest player on the field that may have provided the Hit of the game when he smashed the Wildcats runner for the tackle. Diminutive’ Jibreel Morrar made the stop.
The Wildcats next play went went 33-yards to up their lead to 34-13 after the failed point-after attempt.
With a running clock, the Pioneers only had one other possession in the game and couldnt do much with it as Ryder Tyrakowski, LaPapa and Jax Thomas couldnt gain enough on four tries to extend their drive.
The Wildcats did add another score on the last play of the game, elevating the final to 40-13.
Although the game got away from the Pioneers, the effort and grit they showed against a bigger, stronger, older team bodes well for this young regement of Pioneers. Several other players gave their all and continued playing hard till the final whistle or gave their support from the sidelines.
They include Peyton Barbee, Mahmoud Abu AlShaikh, Stanley Bielawski, Max Kalker, Quinn McCarthy, Cade Rucinski, George Buffo, Joey Guest, Nicholas Vuolo, Scooby Ballouta, Ethan Brandofino, Noah Hammad, Niko Scumaci, Sean Johnson, Michael Maurella, Henry Wade, Dominic Dronzek, Abdallah Hasan, Henry Kruse, Shane McDermott and Thomas Richardson.
