Two teams entered the game 4-0. Palatine left the game at Hoffman Estates with a perfect record.

Quarterback, Zach Oles threw for 300 yards, ran for another 80, and had 4 total touchdowns as the Pirates won 49-13 making them 5-0 (1-0 in conference). When asked about why he was so successful, he said, “It is just doing the little things and being the most physical team we can be.” He went on to thank this offensive line and coaching staff for helping him succeed on a weekly basis.

In the beginning it seemed to be the close game people expected as both teams were unbeaten; however that was not the case Friday night.

A 29 yard pass from Oles to Josh Turner gave the visiting Pirates a 7-0 lead.

Hoffman answered quickly to tie the game in the first quarter at 7 apiece.

After that Coach Splitt’s “bend don’t break” defensive philosophy came into play. The Hawks offense could not produce any productive against our defense. An interception by Matt Garner, sacks by Mackenzie Balanganayi, and big hits by Dylan Tapia held the “high scoring” Hawks’ offense to only 13 points.

The Pirates held the skilled Hoffman Estates offense to only 3 points in the second half. Three year defensive varsity starter Dylan Tapia followed the game with, “We made the appropriate adjustments at halftime and never backed down after that.”

From that moment on, the Pirate’s offense and defense flipped the switch and did not look back. A 77 yard run from Courtland Cornelius that illustrated his track and field speed gave the Pirates a 14-7 lead. Followed by a 1 yard run by Zach Oles which put them up by 14.

A field goal ending the second quarter by Hoffman made the game 21-10 at half.

Second half scores by Turner, Cornelius, and Grochowski helped the Pirates lead by as many as 30 points. Hoffman Estates kicked another field goal to bring them to a total of 13 points for the night.

Next week the Pirates will host cross town rivals Fremd for Palatine’s homecoming. The theme for the game will be a grey out. Kickoff will be at 7:30.

Are our playoff eligible Pirates ready? Yes they are. Last years All-State QB Zach Oles said, “It’s a game we’ve had marked on our schedule for a while. Lots of things at stake but we are excited.” #ThisIsOurTown