By Bobby Narang- Photos by Jenn-Anne Gledhill
** Additional Photos are Available for Purchase at https://justallsports.zenfolio.com/p24434697 **
ORLAND PARK— The Orland Park Super Lightweight football team set the tone on Sunday afternoon.
The Pioneers were all smiles during the postgame on Sunday. The Pioneers rode a strong running game, tough defense and mainly mistake-free football to a dominating 28-13 victory over the Mount Greenwood Colts at Seliga Field.
Orland Park coach Pat Richardson brought more smiles to the faces of his players, praising them for their hard work for the last two months. Richardson shocked the team by awarding them a few days off for their tireless effort this season.
“The kids deserve the break because they are warriors,” Richardson said. “We’ve not had a break since we started on day one. They deserve a break and keep fighting. They are still little kids at heart. We have to treat them that way. Today was a good way to get back on track. They all played strong and showed a lot of heart. I’m so proud of the entire team. Everyone is improving and working hard.”
After dropping their second game in a row last week, the Pioneers (5-2) returned to the winning column by striking first and not slowing down the rest of the game. The Pioneers scored a touchdown on their first drive, helping erase the sting of last week’s 14-0 shutout loss to the New Lenox Jr. Knights.
On their third play from scrimmage, star running back Peyton Barbee bounced outside and sped 55 yards for a touchdown for a 7-0 lead with 3:32 left in the first quarter. Barbee stiff-armed a defender, broke a tackle and raced along the sidelines.
Barbee showed he can do it all on the football field, recording back-to-back tackles on the visiting team’s next drive. Barbee’s second tackle saved a TD, forcing a punt to end the drive.
It was Peyton Barbee time on the offense, again.
Teammate Sean Johnson brought the crowd to its feet with an impressive 76-yard TD run that was called back due to a penalty. Johnson inspired his teammates and coaches by breaking numerous tackles.
“I just tried to run hard all the time, not stop my feet and try to keep going,” Johnson said. “I ran hard to the corner and made sure not to stop. We worked hard to get a win. The offense played really good. It was good. Everyone got to play. We earned a good win.”
On the next play, Barbee jumped to the rescue of his teammate, sprinting along the right side for an 85-yard TD run for a 14-0 lead.
“I just tried to get to the outside,” Barbee said. “It’s fun. I like running outside. I know I can score most of the time. This is one of my better games. I also like playing defense.”
Up 14-0, the Pioneers went to work to add more points early in the third quarter. Thomas Richardson tossed a long pass to Royal Ward to set up another score. Five plays later, Johnson showed his toughness, busting through several arm tackles on the right side for a 17-yard TD to pad his team’s lead.
Richardson said the Barbee and Jackson duo is one to watch in upcoming years.
“We had a conversation, where we wanted the kids to stick to their lanes and to stop worrying about getting outside all the time and to run up the middle, which is what they did today,” Richardson said. “We only took the outside if we had to. Once those guys get outside, no one is going to catch them. It was a good day for all of them.”
Johnson is definitely a player to watch in the future. His combination of toughness and speed helped him overpower the visiting team.
“We’ve been pushing Johnson a lot lately,” Richardson said. “We pushed him hard this year because we know how good he is. Today he finally decided to play and to never give up on his runs. He’s so good, great to see him come out of his shell.”
The Pioneers’ D came up with a fumble recovery on the next drive, when George Buffo bounced on the loose ball. Barbee struck again, this time jetting 33 yards for a touchdown to increase the lead to 28-0. Jax Thomas made a highlight-reel tackle on Mount Greenwood’s next drive.
But Thomas was happy with his work in defense.
“My whole career I like to score, win games and get a lot of tackles,” Thomas said. “I really enjoyed tackling today.”
Royal Ward said the team needed a blowout win to get back on track after two disappointing losses.
“It was a fun game,” Ward said. “I really liked running and our passing. I ran well because my teammates were blocking.”
In the fifth quarter game, Ryker Tyrakowski was one of the standouts who helped build some momentum for the rest of his teammates. The offense moved the ball and the defense played tough in the sweltering heat.
“I liked scoring my first touchdown and it felt good,” Tyrakowski said. “I’m very happy. It was a fun game. I’m very excited and happy.”
Richardson credited the fifth-quarter kids for starting the team off with the right mentality.
“We had a lot of guys do awesome in the fifth quarter,” he said. “Ryker was big for us. He’s really been playing hard lately and in a lot of positions. Jax Thomas made some tackles in the fifth quarter. All of those guys are getting better and better. It’s been a good week for them.”
The Super Lightweights had a strong week of practice which showed in Sunday’s win. Also contributing to Sunday’s game were Mahmoud Abu AlShaikh, Stanley Bielawski, Max Kalker, Quinn McCarthy, Logan Biskup, , Cade Rucinski, George Buffo, Joey Guest, Nicholas Vuolo, Kitai Hubbard, Suhaib Ballouta, Ethan Brandofino, Wren Rucinski, Noah Hammad, Mahmoud Hinnawi, Niko Scumaci, Sean Johnson, Vincent LaPapa, Michael Maurella, Henry Wade, Dominic Dronzek, Abdallah Hasan, Henry Kruse, Shane McDermott, Thomas Richardson and Jibreel Morrar.
The cheerleading team did an awesome job making the crowd stay engaged. The team consists of Normandy Golden, Maddie Battaglia, Everleigh Holdsworth, Hazel Nichols, Emersyn Ramirez, Piper Darin, Savannah Molina, Eva Garza-Perez, Olivia Raggio, Morgan Griffin, Nella Leithleiter, Charlotte Koehn, Lanie Hermann, Emmy Burger, Mia Mizera, Meghan Shilney, Lea Barbee, Chloe Fregeau, Haley Erwin, Eva Aubin, Siena Lang, Olivia Peters, Sofie Annerino, Hailey Valan, Jessa Alvarez, Grace Latronica, Ava Kolodziej and Emma Podoreski.
