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Sofia Klein

“Regardless of what happens on the football field, we always play hard and physical and try to represent Palatine high school and the community to the best of our abilities,” PHS football coach Sergio Lund said.

With 30 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Pirate #10 Nate Brach sprinted towards Neuqua High School’s end zone to score a touchdown by Palatine High School, then transitioning to a successful two point connection to wide receiver #1 Jacob Bostick in round two of the Illinois High School Association’s football playoffs. The final score is 8-31, advancing NHS to the quarterfinals against Maine South High School. 

“I think every team in [division] 8A besides one team is going to be disappointed in the end,” PHS head football coach Corey Olson said.

At the start of the first quarter, Neuqua kicked off the game to set off the night of jam-packed action at Chuck Anderson Stadium. Palatine was able to keep the NHS Wildcats out of the end zone with interceptions by the defense. However, with five minutes left in the first quarter, the Wildcats were able to get past PHS with a touchdown, leading them 0-7. By the end of the first quarter, NHS extended their lead in the game to 0-14. 

“I think we just struggled to get momentum early in the game,” Olson said.

In the third quarter, the Pirate’s defense improved with play from #78 Jhermari Mabry’s aggressive tackles. Towards the end of the quarter there was a complete pass to Bostick, who has come back from extended athletic leave.

“It felt great to be back,” Bostick said about returning to play his last high school football. “ I missed the game a lot. I missed playing for my brothers [teammates] too.”

Despite the difficult loss, Olson focused on the positives of the game and congratulated his players on a hard working season. 

“My team fought hard, like they did every game they played,” Olson said. “I was proud of how they carried themselves till the end.”

With football being a big part of the Palatine community, the defeat was bittersweet for the school. Having been back in the play-offs again since 2017, it was truly a season to celebrate for the Pirates, especially for the seniors.

“This team was able to achieve a co-conference championship and making it to the second round of the playoffs because of our senior leadership,” PHS football coach Sergio Lund said. “Hard work and perseverance helped us this football season and it will also help these players in life.”