By Patrick Z McGavin- Photos by Jenn-Anne Gledhill
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ORLAND PARK— If the final score was unwelcome, a moment in the sun belonged to the Varsity players of the Orland Park Pioneers for their opportunity to celebrate and honor their careers, dedication and sacrifices.
Winning is crucial, but never the be and end all. In the joyous onfield moments between the players and cheerleaders with their families, a camaraderie and quality came into sharp focus.
The 8th graders took part in their final home game, giving back to a community that has sustained and nurtured them—through the ups and downs of a volatile season.
“Seeing all of my teammates going out and giving their moms the flowers, or being out there with their dads, that was special,” Nicky Davis said.
“It looked great.”
Davis’s 69-yard touchdown reception on the Pioneers’ third play of scrimmage against the Frankfort Falcons turned out to be the most exhilarating play.
The Pioneers came up short in the 22-8 loss in the final regular season game of a in a River Valley Youth Football League game at Sandburg High School on Sunday, October 20.
“I think the first drive in the first quarter was perfect,” quarterback Thomas Elliott said. “The play call was really good. Our receiver, Nicky, ran his route perfectly. I knew that ball was going to be there.
“We’ve been practicing that a lot for two weeks. Overall, I think we played well, but we’re a little disappointed. A lot of us feel like we should have beaten that team.”
The Pioneers lost the game in the margins, and in the smallest of details, a ball slightly overthrown, a missed tackle, or Ryan Almasri stepping out on the far sideline by an inch and a half that took away a potential kickoff return touchdown.
“We came in thinking it was going to be a good match up, and it was,” Colin McElliott said. “We were with them the whole way, and I felt like we could have beaten them.
“We can’t get down on ourselves. We are in the playoffs, and now we just need to keep working hard in practice, focus and do our jobs.”
After the Falcons used their opening drive to go up 8-0 on an 8-yard touchdown pass, Orland Park delivered a true haymaker.
As he has all season, Elliott shared the quarterbacking duties with starter Ashton Brennan. Elliott lined up in the backfield, at receiver, and also alternated behind the center.
Davis broke free, and Elliott’s perfectly lofted ball found him in stride.
“On that third down, I was just locked in on a good route, and just burning the guy who was trying to cover me,” Davis said.
“I was just happy at how everything worked out. I think it was my speed that helped me get by the cornerback. Thomas and the offensive line did a great job, and Thomas threw a great ball to me.”
Elliott also secured the game’s only tie by drilling the PAT kick for the 8-8 deadlock.
Trailing 16-8 early in the second quarter, the Pioneers again looked to answer. On the ensuing kickoff, Almasri broke through and cut it wide, having open space down the sideline.
His right foot edged the sideline, turning a possible touchdown into a 25-yard gain.
Brennan connected with Jude Doftert for a 7-yard gain, and Elliott had another 3-yard burst. The drive ended with Elliott and Brennan missing three straight passing attempts.
The defense more than held their own.
Nate Owei was a disruptive force with eight tackles. Josiah Johnson, Ezennaya Nwachukwu, Jack Bordelon, William Reilly, Doftert, Elliott, Almasri and McElligott also stepped up to the challenge of containing the Falcons’ athletic running backs.
“We can’t allow any mistakes,” Owei said. “That’s why we lose most of our games. We play really well, but then we make mistakes, like not tackling, or something like that.”
Losing is a state of mind, causing doubt to bleed in and teams to get off-track. The players are the first to recognize the consequences.
“I think sometimes, if we get down a touchdown or two, we sometimes give up a little bit,” Doftert said. “We need to stay focused, and keep our heads up.
“We were trying really hard to get the win. We started out with the worst varsity record in Pioneers’ history, and we wanted to come back and do something well in the playoffs. When we’re locked in and playing our best, we can beat almost any team.”
McElligott helped maintain a one-score possession with an interception just before halftime that developed off the quarterback pressure generated by Reilly and Owei.
“I saw it, and I tried to high point so the guy behind me couldn’t get it,” McElliogott said.
The third quarter start was not ideal as the Pioneers were forced to punt, returning possession to the Falcons, who needed just five plays to score the final touchdown.
The Pioneers played hard and showed spirit and toughness. Jack Driscoll came off the bench and made runs of 10 and 8 yards.
Bad snaps, or breakdowns in the fundamentals, hampered the Orland Park team’s ability to get back into the game.
Brady Straka and Owei put an end to any hopes of a final Falcons’ score.
The Pioneers mustered one final push, directing an 8-play drive that symbolically featured Elliott catching a pass in the flat from Brennan. The last gasp at a comeback ended with Elliott coming up short on a fourth down conversion attempt with 2:20 remaining.
The playoff berth seemed fleeting after the team’s slow start. The level of play has clearly improved. Now the team just needs to inject some confidence and belief the Pioneers have what it takes to make a deep playoff run.
The playoffs mark a new beginning, a fresh chance to wipe away the disappointment of the regular season.
“After the Vipers’ game we won a couple of weeks ago and now today, I think our team has better motivation to go out and play well coming into the playoffs,” Davis said.
“We wanted to play well, and just ball out today. We didn’t get the victory, but I think we do have that momentum now going into next week.”
In the Fifth Quarter, Driscoll offered a prelude to his excellent fourth quarter running with a long touchdown run that was the offensive highlight.
“It feels nice, because I work really hard in practice to get those opportunities,” Driscoll said. “It’s great to play with the starters. I also like the Fifth Quarter a lot.
“I’m athletic, and I’m pretty happy with what I was able to do out there.”
The Varsity team of the Orland Park Pioneers had many standout performers in the regular-season closing game. Their members included Ryan Beeler, Connor Ward, Colin Kluever, David Kopec, Santino Marrella, Kyle Krokos, Caden Votteler, Mason Overmyer, Wyatt Heinze, Luke Rybak, Henry Byrne, Keegan Fogarty, Layth Zughayer, Harley Camargo, Noah O’Kennard, Terrin Lovitt (injured), Nicholas Baniewicz, Michael Sraga, Luke O’Reilly, Mark Grech-Lisula, Brandon Castillo, Aidan Rios, Jacob Morakinyo, Cameron Taylor, Abdallah Abuhamda, William Gardner, John Macros, Nolan Burns, Cristian Arevalo, Daniel Evers and Rhett Capps.
The Varsity Cheerleader, who also took part in the celebration, also showed great enthusiasm and passion. Their members are Alyssa Abed, Lily Carroll, Erica Gonsowski, Layla Jeffries, Hope Majdecki, Madalyn Marable, AnaSophia Martin, Hailey McDonald, Ava Mendoza, Avery Nugent, Maeve O’Connor, Ava Pastiak, Paige Pomonis, Arianna Ramadani, Leah Ramos, Jordyn Shamma, Jozelyn Tamayo and Klaudia Willis.
