By Patrick Z. McGavin- Photos by Jenn-Anne Gledhill
** Additional Photos are Available for Purchase for 2 weeks at https://justallsports.zenfolio.com/p369836817 **
ORLAND PARK— Two are more versatile, unpredictable and harder to slow down than just one talented playmaker.
The Varsity side of the Orland Park Pioneers have just the right mixture at the most important position with Thomas Elliott and Ashton Brennan. The quarterbacks complement and play off each other.
“I like how we have two quarterbacks,” Elliott said. “The other team sees the film or scouts us, and they see how well Ashton throws the ball. We both can run and throw. The other team doesn’t know how to come out or what to expect.”
The only downside is when neither player has enough chances to show what they are capable of doing with the ball.
The New Lenox Jr Warriors had a very good quarterback and an athletic, slashing and bruising running back who was hard to bring down with just one player.
“Our drives were very short if we weren’t able to convert,” Pioneers’ coach Andy Ryback said. “Their drives were extremely long, and they were controlling the ground game.”
The disadvantages went against the Pioneers with the 26-6 loss that spoiled Homecoming in River Valley Youth Football League play on Sunday, September 7 at Sandburg High School.
Elliott and Brennan had some spectacular plays, often in concert with each other. An early strip-sack touchdown return by the Jr Warriors proved a deficit that was too significant to overcome.
“I feel like we’re getting frustrated, and there are a lot of mistakes we need to clean up,” Nathaniel Owei said. “One thing we need to improve on is our blocking. That’s something that slowed us down today.”
Elliott and Brennan had to be able to throw the ball vertically. The running game never took off, and that made the team too predictable and one-sided.
“They had good balance, and they had the ball for probably three quarters of the game,” Rybak said. “We were dependent on the big plays, and we connected on a few. We couldn’t get anything going on the ground, and you have to have balance in order to win. At this level, you need to be able to pound it. We just couldn’t do that today.”
Ryback repeatedly found innovative ways to utilize each of his quarterbacks. Elliott opened the game with a 3-yard run, and then took a swing pass from Brennan for 19 yards. On the next play, Elliott returned to quarterback and threw a 5-yard pass to Owei.
“I like it a lot because when I’m the quarterback they think Thomas is going to run it, and he gets to the ball,” Brennan said. “We switch it up, and the other team doesn’t always know what to do.”
After the teams exchanged the ball on their opening possessions, the Jr Warriors took command with the forced fumble they returned for the 6-0 lead.
Their own quarterback was lanky and agile, and he could throw on the run. He engineered a follow up scoring drive for the 14-0 second quarter lead.
The Pioneers responded with their most impressive sequence of the day, a galvanizing three-play scoring drive that showed the peak potential of the two quarterback system.
Elliott made a spectacular 28-yard sideline catch after the Pioneers were pinned back at their 18-yard line. He then rolled out and found Connor Ward for a 38-yard completion.
With Brennan under the controls, he connected with Jude Doftert over the middle for a gorgeous 15-yard scoring drive.
“It was a great drive,” Ward said. “After we had that drive, I thought we were going to keep on scoring, but we couldn’t really move the ball as much as we wanted.”
Doftert, Elliott, Owei, Brady Straka, Josiah Johnson, Ryan Beeler and Nicholas Davis tried to slow down the two-way attack of the Jr Warriors. They were left reeling, and looking for answers.
One of the team’s top defenders, interior lineman Terrin Lovitt, had a bicycle accident, and is recovering from his injuries.
The hope and optimism of the lightning drive faded as the Jr Warriors engineered another methodical drive that perfectly blended their running and passing game. Their fast and tough running back pulverized the Pioneers. The drive ended with a 1-yard plunge that restored the two touchdown lead.
A glimmer of hope emerged after Elliott connected with Davis for a 50-yard throw to the 30-yard line of the Jr Warriors. With one play remaining, Elliott’s throw into the end zone was incomplete.
Orland Park trailed 20-6 at the break.
“I think we could have been more physical on the defensive line,” Josiah Johnson said. “We could have gotten more pressure, and gotten into the backfield more times than we did. We need to wrap up and do better with our technique and tackling.”
For every positive action, the Pioneers were doomed by an equally negative reaction. Keyed by a 3-yard loss from Elliott, the Varsity staged a spirited defensive stand at the start of the third quarter that denied the Jr Warriors on fourth and goal.
With time running out, the Pioneers had to go for broke, throwing risky passes or going for it on fourth down. They suffered an interception, fumble and were denied on fourth down.
Several players, notably William Reilly and Jack Bordelon, stepped up with their defensive pressure in the second half. The hole was too great to climb out of.
The team played hard and relentlessly until the final moments.
“We’ve gained a lot of team chemistry, and we’re good and confident that all of us will get better,” Johnson said. “I’m really confident in our defense.”
The players remain adamant at their ability to turn their fortunes around.
“I feel like if we keep working hard in practice, we’re going to turn this around and get some wins,” Ward said. “We need to find out what we need to do better than what we’re doing right now.”
The fundamentals of the game never change. Preparation and execution are the order of the day.
“We have so many people moving around and we’re still getting used to each other,” Elliott said. “It’s the simple mistakes that we have to clean up. We just have to get our heads on right. Next week we’re going to come out really hard.”
Colin Kluever, Layth Zughayer and Henry Byrne were the standouts in the Fifth Quarter.
Despite the disappointing loss on Homecoming, the Orland Park Pioneers received excellent play and strong contributions from its entire roster. Those players included Colin McElligott, David Kopec, Santino Marrella, Kyle Krokos, Caden Votteler, Mason Overmyer, Wyatt Heinze, Luke Rybak, Keegan Fogarty, Ryan Almasri, Harley Camargo, Noah O’Kennard, Nicholas Baniewicz, Michael Sraga, Luke O’Reilly, Mark Grech-Lisula, Brandon Castillo, Aidan Rios, Jacob Morakinyo, Cameron Taylor, Abdallah Abuhamda, William Gardner, Ezennaya Nwachukwu, John Macros, Nolan Burns, Cristian Arevalo, Daniel Evers, Joey Driscoll and Rhett Capps.
The cheerleaders were a crucial part of the special festivities with their colorful open range outfits and stylized routines. They were 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.
