By Patrick Z McGavin- Photos by Jenn-Anne Gledhill
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NEW LENOX— No game is ever clean or perfect, and adversity threatens or lurks at every juncture of the game, whether the beginning, middle or the end.
The Orland Park Pioneers Varsity has always played with a never-say die attitude and a fighter’s natural moxie and spirit. They simply rolled with the punches.
“We played our hearts out, and the beginning of the game was not how we wanted it to go,” quarterback Charlie Enstrom said. “We finally got our blocks and our runs, and we had momentum for a little bit, and then it fell apart at the end.”
The Pioneers’ quest for a Super Bowl berth ended with the 24-14 loss against the New Lenox Jr Warriors in the semifinal round of the River Valley Youth Football League playoffs at Lincoln-Way Central here on Sunday, October 26.
“We stood together and played as a team the whole season, and we fought for everything,” Enstrom said.
Mistakes at the start of each half took a cumulative toll the Pioneers could not overcome.
“We were in a position multiple times after getting down early after the mistakes and turnovers and blown coverage,” coach Andy Rybak said. “We were in this game all the way until the fourth quarter.
“It’s a testament to the kids and the coaches.”
In an extraordinary final performance, Enzo Angone scored two touchdowns and had an interception on the goal line.
“It’s kind of sad in a way but it’s also happy that I was able to experience it,” he said. “I’m happy we were able to get this far.
“I wish we’d gotten farther.”
The Pioneers were also undone by some very questionable and seemingly one-sided officiating that created a vast disparity in penalties, and a clearly illegal forward pass on the Jr Knights’ second touchdown that was not called.
The Varsity’s biggest mistakes were self-induced, including a fumble on the fourth play from scrimmage that set up the Jr Knights’ opening touchdown.
On the ensuing kick off, the Pioneers botched a loose ball that led to a second short field for the Jr Knights at the 29-yard line.
Despite the difficult start and staring down at the 12-0 deficit, the Varsity stormed back with the electrifying Angone taking a kickoff in the shadow of his own end zone.
He found a crease and broke through for the 93-yard touchdown return.
“I thought the blocks were really good on the run,” Angone said. “I was excited that it got us back. I was happy that I was able to change the momentum and get something working and get us back into the game.”
Two questionable unsportsmanlike penalties pushed the two-point kick back. Yousif Dahdal had the distance, but was just wide left.
Angone again stepped up to prevent any further damage with his interception in the closing seconds of the first half that maintained the one-score differential.
Jake Marzullo and Angone combined for a huge stop on first and goal. Defensive linemen Ahmed Ali, Michael Sraga and Qais Naser also stood out for their pressure at the point of attack.
The Naser pressure helped force the tough throw that Angone intercepted.
“I was glad we stopped them there, because that might have made us fall apart or get behind even farther,” he said.
The Pioneers could not take the momentum into the start of the third quarter. On the first play of the second half, a coverage mix up resulted in a 64-yard touchdown pass by the Jr Knights for the 18-6 advantage.
The Varsity again showed toughness and resolve, and dominated the rest of the quarter.
The Pioneers opened up the attack with running back Ben Snider operating out of the Wildcat, or taking direct snaps in an effort to catch the Jr Knights off guard.
The momentum clearly shifted near the end of the third quarter, sparked by big plays on defense by Syncere Preshon and Sraga, and a pass break up by Dylan Butler that forced a Jr Knights punt.
The offense engineered its best drive of the game, with Snider ripping off a six-yard run and Angone following with runs of seven, nine and four yards.
Angone broke two tackles and burst outside for the 42-yard touchdown run with 1:18 to play in the third quarter. The Dahdal kick pulled the Pioneers within 18-14.
“I’m happy everybody kept their head and everybody was still out there ready to play and kept us in the game,” Angone said.
The Pioneers had their first chance to take the lead since the opening drive of the game after Sraga recovered a fumble on the opening play of the fourth quarter.
A holding call put the team in second and long, and Angone was stopped on the fourth down conversion. The Jr Knights put the game away with their final touchdown drive.
The Pioneers staged one final chance with receiver Logan Helman catching a couple of passes from Enstrom. A fourth down incompletion sealed their fate, and ended the season.
“We just never gave up, and that shows how hard we work as a team,” Helman said. “We knew we had to play hard and be tough the whole game. That was our game plan. We knew we had to execute.
“This is our biggest team as far as size. We just couldn’t quite get the job done.”
The team was a melange of familiar and new faces. Players like kicker Dahdal and two-way tackle Ali were playing organized football for the first time.
“It means everything to know these guys and finish the year,” Ali said. “It’s a sad loss, but we’re going to move on. Coming up and lining up against these guys who have been playing for many years was obviously a bit scary, but I think I’ve done great.
“I was happy to play for this team.”
Andy Rybak has come up with most of the players on the same timeline, having previously coached at the Super Lightweight, Lightweight and Junior Varsity level.
“It was a great year,” he said. “Great teams are led by the players, and those guys were out there getting each other up. You could hear it on the field. The camaraderie, leadership and work ethic, there are going to be a lot of successful football players.
“That whole starting group, the way they play, and the way they talk to each other, it was great to see the maturity of these kids. Having these kids learn that at 13-years old is just awesome.”
Despite the playoff semifinal loss, the Orland Park Pioneers Varsity had many excellent contributors. They are Riley Atzman, Brock Lenzen, Gavin Loman, Cade McNulty, Sean Buer, Liam West, Evan Lavelle, Justin McNamara, Luke Rybak, Finn Redmond, David Burgert, John Werner, Gage Cucci, Drake Ulaszek, Adam Naser, Maverick Vander Veer, Benjamin Schwarz, Ryan Duckhorn, Malcolm McGonegal, Mohammad Abedalrahman, Gianluca Arceo, Brandon Castillo, Aidan Rios, Diego Aguilar, Steven Mullins, Michael Stefancic, Nicholas Hertzog, Camden Czarnecki, Julian Trevino, Ryan Pempek, Erik Baran and Brian Curran.
The cheerleaders also brought great energy, passion and enthusiasm with their performances. Their members are 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.
