By Bobby Narang- Phptos by Jenn-Anne Geldhill
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** 8th Grade Photos are available at https://justallsports.zenfolio.com/p174496395 **
ORLAND PARK— Eighth grade recognition day turned out to a be a special day for the Orland Park Varsity football program.
After the third game of the afternoon, the varsity program had a special moment. Every player lined up with their parents to be introduced before the marquee game.
The parents and players had pictures taken together, and each player had a large poster picture of themselves with their full name on it hanging on the sideline fence around the stadium.
The varsity team also managed to make it a memorable night on the football field, too.
The Pioneers (5-2) played old-school, grind-it-out football on Sunday, relying on a stout defense, an excellent showing in special teams and one big play on the offense by Enzo Angone to pull out a 14-12 victory over the Mount Greenwood Colts.
The game had a big momentum shift late in the second quarter on Angone’s interception, which sparked the team for the rest of the game.
“It was a big win,” coach Andy Rybak said. “Enzo changed the game with his interception. It was a good game. We knew they were a good team. We knew we had to fight hard and it was going to be a brawl all game. Once your playmakers start making big plays, it’s contagious especially on this team.
“We have a lot of them. We were waiting for that moment and then the flip switches. Enzo’s interception and big run really changed the game. That’s the stuff that gives you momentum, which means so much in this game.”
Orland Park center Cade McNulty said the offensive line had an impressive performance in the win.
“The offensive line blocked great and we had it under control for the whole game,” McNulty said. “The backs hit the holes hard. The defense played strong, especially that last drive and kept on playing hard until the end. We’re the strongest team in the league and have the best running back room.”
Mount Greenwood stunned the large crowd by making a strong opening statement, driving down the field to close out a 50-yard possession with a touchdown for a 6-0 lead. But Ben Snider made a gigantic play, blocking the point-after-attempt to keep the deficit at 6-0 with 6:29 remaining in the quarter.
The Pioneers failed to move the ball on their first possession. Quarterback Charlie Enstrom suffered a big hit on a sack that shook him up, but he showed his grittiness by getting up and playing the rest of the game.
The visiting team had another long drive, but the Pioneers’ defense hung tough to stop the possession on downs. Aidan Rios had a key tackle while teammate Qais Naser was also in the thick of the action on the drive.
“We were hyped up late in the game and ready for anything because we wanted to stop them,” Rios said. “They had a good offensive line, but our defensive line played better. We’re very happy to win this game.”
Leading 6-0 late in the second quarter, Mount Greenwood made a colossal mistake that the Pioneers gladly took advantage on thanks to Angone. On first down with just a few seconds remaining in the half, Mount Greenwood tossed a long pass high in the air that Angone intercepted at the 50-yard line. Angone darted to his left and returned the pick to the 10-yard line.
Two plays later, Angone took a reverse and scored a 15-yard touchdown, turning on his speed while turning his back sideways to get into the end zone to tie the game at 6-6 with 6.1 left in the half.
Angone said he was surprised by the late first-half pass attempt by the visiting team.
“I thought there was way too much time on the clock for them to throw it up like that,” Angone said. “I was closer to the left, so that’s where my momentum was taking me and I just tried to get downfield as far as I could.”
Mount Greenwood rose to the occasion in the second half, intercepting a pass and returning it 55 yards for a touchdown to regain the lead at 12-16. The Pioneers didn’t let the mistake bother them, as Snider led the offense on an impressive drive for the winning touchdown.
Playing out the Wildcat, Snider had several runs to start the drive, including a 15-yard tough run through defenders. Angone added a 4-yard run, then ended the possession with a 50-yard TD sprint on third down and 11. Angone blew past defenders to hit the end zone to knot the score at 12-all.
“It was a reverse play and the other team was kind of surprised I was out there,” Angone said of his TD. “I was glad to get the touchdown. It’s really nice we could win with everyone here on this special night.”
Yousif Dahdal had a vital hand in the victory, drilling the point-after-attempt through the uprights for a 14-12 lead with 9:48 remaining in the game.
Snider said the entire team was motivated to pull out a win.
“In our last game, we couldn’t come out with a win, so this was a great game and great we came back in the second half and beat them physically and mentally,” Snider said. “Our blocking got better later in the game. We were more physical than them.”
Clinging to the two-point lead late in the fourth quarter, the Pioneers relied on their defensive line to win the game. Mount Greenwood slowly marched the ball down the field, relying on a key third-down play to extend the drive and enter the red zone. With the ball at the 8-yard line, Jake Marzullo made a game-turning play to get in the backfield and bust up a play, showing tremendous speed on the effort for a loss of six yards. The visiting team completed a pass to get inside the 10-yard line, but after a short gain, Mount Greenwood elected to attempt a game-winning field goal.
Marzullo said the defense was motivated and focused on the final drive of the game.
“We were really locked in on that final drive and we came up big by not letting them score,” Marzullo said. “We got the job done today.”
The 25-yarder went wide right with just under 40 seconds left in regulation, setting off a wild celebration on the Pioneers’ sidelines. Enstrom ended the game with a Victory Formation play to ice the victory.
Syncere Preshon was a big-time player in the win, sparking the defense with his energy and aggressiveness. Preshon had a vital tackle early in the fourth quarter and also recovered a fumble with 6:20 on the clock.
“I just went in and got the fumble after one of my teammates knocked it out,” Preshon said of his fumble recovery. “Our defense was motivated and I kept pushing my team to get the win. We played really well on defense.”
In the fifth-quarter game – only the second fifth-quarter game of the day – the Pioneers had strong efforts from several players. Yousif Dahdal intercepted a pass with 6:07 left in the defensive portion of the Pioneers’ segment. Gavin Loman just missed earning an interception as the pass hit his fingertips. Diego Aguilar had two big tackles early in the game. David Burgert burst loose for a long run to the opponents’ 3-yard line, while Ryan Pempek ended the drive with a touchdown.
In the end, Rybak said his entire team contributed to the victory. Rybak pointed to several key plays that most likely were overlooked the win, but all were critical factors in the game.
“All three phases played well again today,” Rybak said. “The big kick on extra point, the punt and it all came together and the blocking to get those off. That was the difference in the game. The defensive line came together when we needed them to and played outstanding and they were really good at the end of the game.”
Ahmed Ali did a lot of work on the offensive line to step in for an injured player.
“I’ve been working hard in practice to know the plays, so I can execute in the games,” Ali said. “It felt good knowing I took my friend’s job because he’s hurt and I have to execute for him.”
The Pioneers celebrated after the win, as the whole team was happy to be a part of the victory, including teammates, Riley Atzman, Brock Lenzen, Gavin Loman, Dylan Butler, Sean Buer, Liam West, Evan Lavelle, Justin McNamara, Luke Rybak, Finn Redmond, Logan Helman, John Werner, Gage Cucci, Drake Ulaszek, Adam Naser, Maverick Vander Veer, Benjamin Schwarz, Ryan Duckhorn, Malcolm McGonegal, Michael Sraga, Mohammad Abedalrahman, Gianluca Arceo, Brandon Castillo, Diego Aguilar, Steven Mullins, Michael Stefancic, Nicholas Hertzog, Camden Czarnecki, Yousif Dahdal, Julian Trevino, Ryan Pempek, Erik Baran and Brian Curran.
The varsity cheerleaders were a source of positivity and energy in the close win. The team includes Oliwia Burda, Aviana Briseno, Aubrey Baran, Brooklyn Richardson, Hailey McDonald, Keira Barrera, Ava Mendoza, Kaelyn Albright, Jordyn Shamma, Brittney Blazys, Brooke Blazys, Gia Parisi, Avery Nugent, Arianna Ramadani, Layla Jeffries, Giulia Cangelosi, Madalyn Marable, Flora Lane, Sofia Castillo, Julia Stekala, Violet Fino, Riley Meekma, Serena Murray and Sofia Murray.
