By Bobby Narang- Photos by Renee Kaspar
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ORLAND PARK— On a surprisingly and unexpected hot late Sunday morning, the Orland Park Pioneers managed their best effort on the first week of the NFL regular season.
The Pioneers played stout defense, took advantage of an eye-opening run by Peyton Barbee and managed a tough-as-nails attitude in a four-quarter battle against H-F United at Sandburg High School.
Barbee scored on a memorable 30-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, and the defense held tight for a 6-0 win over H-F United in the Super Lightweights Division.
The Pioneers (4-0) celebrated their victory after Suhaib Ballouta ended the game with a chase down tackle in the backfield for a two-yard loss as the final buzzer sounded.
“He was doing a reverse and I saw the ball and ran at him and stayed low to get that tackle,” Ballouta said. “It felt great. The defense played great. It was our best defense of the season, even last year. It was good defense. H-F is a really good team. Last year that quarterback was very good, but this year we got them and we weren’t scared anymore.”
Orland Park coach Pat Richardson said the game was special for many reasons, mainly because all three facets of the team played near flawless football for four quarters.
“This is a great team because H-F is big and physical,” Richardson said. “Our defense came in prepared to stop them. We did everything and then some. Mahmoud Abu (AlShaikh) had his best game. I’m super proud of him. Ballouta is a rock star. All of our linebackers played awesome. Quinn McCarthy was amazing, and Niko Scumaci was incredible. Across the board, it was an awesome game.
“For all of the coaches who do all of the work, those guys have turned this group into a football team. It’s awesome to watch them get better. All the credit goes to the kids and those other five coaches. What a way to start our Homecoming.”
The Pioneers looked like an NFL team in a way on Sunday, piecing together a grind-it-out run game, solid offensive line play, strong defense, made opportunistic plays and did well on special teams – along with getting an excellent game plan from the coaches and executing it.
All season, Barbee has been one of the leaders on the offense, sparking the unit with his game-changing speed and cutting ability. H-F United had a tough defense and stacked the box, daring the home team to pass the ball.
Barbee had several tough moments, especially trying to find space to hit the gaps. But his one lone highlight turned out to be all that the Pioneers would need on this day.
After the Pioneers recovered a fumble in H-F territory, Barbee took a handoff on third down. He ran into a wall of defenders at the line of scrimmage, bounced outside and raced untouched the rest of the way for a 30-yard touchdown. His speed was evident, pulling away from the visiting team with each step for a 6-0 lead with 2:30 left before halftime.
“All I saw on that run was green grass,” Barbee said, smiling. “I was happy. That touchdown felt great. They had a really good defense and are a really good team.”
Richardson said it’s hard to contain Barbee for all four quarters.
“Peyton is such a different player,” Richardson said. “When he gets some room, it’s fun to watch him.”
The final two-plus quarters of the game turned into a defensive battle. Both offensive units geared to a halt, managing only small yards on each play if not negative yards. The Pioneers had a number of impressive defensive plays through the game that helped earn the shutout over the talented H-F United team.
Niko Scumaci had a big sack late in the third quarter to stop a threat by the visiting team, smashing the quarterback with a picture-perfect tackle. Scumaci also had a big tackle on first down to open the fourth quarter.
Barbee produced a TD-saving tackle on H-F United’s first possession of the second half, chasing down a runner from behind at the 33-yard line following a long run late in the third.
Barbee overcame two lost fumbles in the second half to be a force on defense. Defensive end Quinn McCarthy was a wrecking ball on defense, disrupting plays with his speed and power. McCarthy had a key sack on fourth down with just under four minutes left in the game to end a drive.
“I saw he was running and I got through the block,” McCarthy said of his highlight play. “I saw he speeded up, so I jumped at him and wrapped him down. We played amazing on defense. We got through those holes and did great. This feels very good. This is the best the defense has played all year. They have a very good offense.”
On H-F’s final possession, Scumaci recorded an impressive tackle to keep the ball from moving forward to set up Ballouta’s game-ending tackle.
“The defense played good and got in the backfield. We have good chemistry,” Abu AlShaikh said.
Michael Maurella said the defense came together to pitch the shutout.
“I feel really good,” Maurella said. “The coaches really helped us play well in this game. I never played tackle and they put me in and blow them up, so I did that.”
In the fifth quarter game, the Pioneers played outstanding to build some momentum heading into the primary game.
The Pioneers moved around a few players, putting Wren Rucinski at running back on Thursday for the first time. Rucinski showed off his moves and speed with a 30-yard touchdown on his first play after playing tight end earlier in the season.
“The fifth-quarter game was also awesome,” Richardson said. “Wren’s run was fantastic and set the tone for the rest of the day. It was awesome from top to bottom. What a great way for the Pioneers.”
The Orland Park Pioneers’ captured their fourth win of the season via an entire team effort, which also includedStanley Bielawski, Royal Ward, Jax Thomas, Max Kalker, Logan Biskup, Ryker Tyrakowski, Cade Rucinski, George Buffo, Joey Guest, Kitai Hubbard, Suhaib Ballouta, Ethan Brandofino, Noah Hammad, Mahmoud Hinnawi, Niko Scumaci, Sean Johnson, Vincent LaPapa, Michael Maurella, Henry Wade, Dominic Dronzek, Abdallah Hasan, Henry Kruse, Shane McDermott, Thomas Richardson, Nicholas Vuolo and Jibreel Morrar.
The Orland Park Pioneers’ cheerleading team entertained the fans by getting some extra work in on plot of grass that was roped off right in front of the main grandstand, allowing the cheerleaders an opportunity to practice their routines and do cartwheels. The roster includes 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.
