The Palatine Pirates fell in the second playoff game to Glenbard West last Saturday. Palatine was the forseen underdog and while the team was prepared to give it their all, it just wasn’t enough. The Pirates played hard through the whole game even after losing key player Cam Cornelius late in the third. The final score Saturday afternoon was 42-7 Hilltoppers.

The Pirates came out with gusto, they managed a touchdown only minutes into the first quarter. The fans were on their feet and cheering all the way through the first quarter. The Pirate defense had a lot of work to do, but stayed sharp against a tough Glenbard offense. Glenbard’s players outnumbered and outweighed the Pirares by a landslide; but all the way through the first quarter it seemed as if Palatine was able to hold them back. The score at the end of first was 7-0 Palatine.

Palatine, though, tired quickly. It seemed as if the momentum quickly shifted after Glenbard scored the first touchdown with 6:30 left until half. The hope seemed to drain out of the fans as the Hilltoppers another touchdown quickly after. The Pirates seemed as if they couldn’t quite catch up, with three consecutive almost-interceptions by number 30, Josh Mackie.

Palatine’s offense also found itself just on the brink of success, but never quite made it. The Palatine offense seemed hesitant the entire game, and intimidated by an effective Glenbard West defense. Who wouldn’t be with more than half of their roster weighing in at 200 plus pounds? Leading into half the score was 14-7 Glenbard, with a tired Palatine team.

The Hilltoppers came right out of the gate in the third quarter with an almost 50 yard touchdown. Half way through the third fans started to pack up; it seemed as if the capitulation of the fans was also reflected onto the Palatine team. It seemed as the team could do nothing to stop the Hilltoppers as they scored three more touchdowns through the rest of the third and fourth quarter. The Palatine team fought till the end; but with a final blow in the form of Cam Cornelius’ injury, the Pirates were out of the game.

The final score was 42-7 Glenbard. While the Palatine team will not advance to the next round of playoffs, the school and fans are very proud of all that they’ve accomplished. After 11 weeks the football season finally comes to a close. Though the team will lose so many hardworking and accomplished seniors, the Pirates will be ready to do great things next year with a promising roster of Juniors and Sophomores. Go Pirates!!