By Patrick Z. McGavin-Photos by Kathy Jones
** Additional Photos are Available for Purchase at https://justallsports.zenfolio.com/p317889527 **
In a game with data and numbers, Max Streets had the perfect answer.
Go deep enough inside the numbers, and a great story inevitably emerges.
His jersey number is “0,” fitting given that he was Ground Zero for the show stopping and chart-topping Homecoming performance by the Lightweights program of the Orland Park Pioneers.
“This week during practice, our coach said it was okay to score on the first play,” Streets said.
“I did what he told me to do.”
Street set the rollicking and dominating narrative with a touchdown on the opening play of the Lightweights’ 36-12 victory over the Seger Storm in a River Valley Youth Football League game at Sandburg on Sunday, September 17.
Jase Enstrom started the Pioneers off hot with a terrific opening kickoff return to the Storm’s 33-yard line.
Streets had just one play from scrimmage, and that was all that was necessary in creating the Pioneers’ path forward. Taking the pitch on the outside, he made a quick step and broke free and untouched down the sideline for the defining score.
“I felt like I set the momentum with that play, and we could go out from there and win,” Streets said. “We could fight and play hard, and do whatever we needed to achieve out there.
“We are making progress every week, and I have gotten much better with my balance, and I also feel a little faster out there.”
The Storm was at a serious disadvantage, fielding just enough players to put 11 players on each side of the ball. That meant bringing up some players from its Super Lightweights team.
“We were able to shove them back on our offensive line,” running back John Sutter said.
The lightning-fast run by Streets illustrated the capabilities of the offense. The defense played at the highest level, starting the game by drilling a Storm running back for a 19-yard loss.
The Pioneers took advantage of the short fields through special teams play and creating turnovers or loss of downs against the Storm.
Zackary Salah followed, literally, the same path as Streets on the opening possession.
Taking over the 19-yard line, he took the pitch out wide right and ran untouched for the second touchdown.
“My coach took me out on defense, and he told me he was going to put me in at running back,” Salah said. “I ran the same play that Max got, the 28 sweep. The outside was wide open, and I just took it and scored.
“I never really get the opportunity to score, so I was really excited there and happy when I scored the touchdown. I thought we did great on both sides of the ball. With the defense playing like that, and not really giving up any points, that just really helped the offense.”
With linebacker Nichols Peisker controlling the middle, the Pioneers created a constant state of pressure, putting the Storm under constant duress.
The Steger program never had a chance to push forward. Everything was a negative reaction. Peisker, Salah, Andrew Richardson, Lucca Morandi, Cole Baldridge, Michael Ordman III and Owen Garrity made life distinctly unpleasant.
The first seven plays run by the Storm ended with negative yardage or no gain.
Garrity came up with the defensive play of the game on the final play of the first quarter. Rushing the quarterback, he ripped the ball out of his hands and returned the fumble 37 yards for a touchdown.
“I did the same thing last year on Homecoming,” Garrity said. “The quarterback exposed the ball, and he turned his back. My friend, John Sutter, was right behind me, and I just ripped it out of his hands and scored.
“I think the way we played today just shows that we’re a really good team, and we’re going to ride this momentum.”
The Pioneers even turned their only off-moment into a bright spot. After fumbling at the edge of the Storm’s goal line, Luke Tonra and Carter Peluso blasted through for the trapped the Storm runner in the end zone for a safety.
Sutter completed the nearly flawless first half with a nine-yard touchdown run. His 21-yard set up his own score. On the play, he lost his left shoe, and never looked back, a telling detail of the Lightweights’ dominance.
“I just kept running,” Sutter said.
“I like to grab the ball, and go full speed toward the hole, or sometimes I just have to wait and go a little slower and wait for the hole to open. I always want to keep running.”
If the game began with a great kickoff return by Enstrom, Hudson Doftert put the ideal finishing touch on the game.
His 72-yard kickoff return touchdown in the third quarter offset the Storm’s first touchdown. It was that kind of night.
Best of all, for a Homecoming game, the entire roster saw action, with quarterback Bennett Brown having a chance to run in the second half. Sutter, Ordman III, Baldridge and Caden Kolodziej also saw time at running back.
“I think we did really well,” Brown said. “Everybody was quiet in the huddle, and listening. Last week we weren’t really like that. That helped the offense today.
“I think those long touchdown runs we had today just showed that we are really dangerous. We are going to just keep practicing and working hard.”
The team is playing free, confident and open. That is a liberating way bound to get positive results.
“In week one, I still feel like we were very good, but that was our first game, and we still had to get good games under our minds,” Garrity said.
“Now we are just showing what we could do out there.”
The game also featured an intrasquad scrimmage in place of the traditional Fifth Quarter. Brown and Enstrom were sharp running the offenses, with strong blocking from Nathan Campos and Michael Galivan. Vinny Spizzirri ran hard up the middle. Linebacker Nick Mase was a force defensively.
The Lightweights featured many significant contributors in the Homecoming victory. They included Kristian Willis, Anthony Baniewicz, Blake Schuler, Vinny Ficaro, Luke Krokos, Carter Erwin, Carter Peluso, Karam Olyyan, Noah Cordoba, Gavin Connors, Christian Paulson, Scott Gumienny, Cody Godlewski, Nicholas Dertz, Nick Pomonis, Yousef Yasin, Samuel Horeluk, James Okrasinski, Dominic Lach, Collin Valan, Muhammad Kassel, Dylan Ajmer, Avery Vermilyea, Jude Morrar, Raider Slabenak and Brian Curran.
With their passions and beautifully choreographed routines, the cheerleaders also brought a tremendous energy and grace to the game. The cheerleaders were Gabriela Cabela, Isabella Cartolano, Madison Davis, Eleanor Dorigan, Kaylee Gaj, Paulina Goryl, Madison Hedger, Quinn Heinze, Margot Joda, Vera Joda, Adaline Johnson, Gemma Laniosz, Brielle Lenzen, Brooklyn Loman, Lily Maday, Santina Mannino, Molly McGeever, Emily Okrasinski, Kara O’Meara, Ayya Ramadani, Meryn Rucinski, Sydney Scharpf, Avery Seliga, Peyton Tomasik, Molly Utz and Alivia Zawada.
