Top-seeded Loyola (12-0) will travel to play No. 13 Palatine (10-2) in the semifinals of the Class 8A playoffs at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 21.
How they got here
Loyola beat Homewood-Flossmoor 34-28, and Palatine beat Brother Rice 28-24.
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Quarterfinal recap
Loyola faced its toughest opponent of the Class 8A playoffs Saturday, Nov. 14. For the first time this season, the Ramblers trailed, falling behind by as many as nine, 21-12, in the second half. But they scored 22 unanswered points to take control of the game. A 19-play, 97-yard scoring series that made it 34-21 with 4 minutes, 52 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter will go down as one of the best drives in program history, according to dozens of former Loyola football players and current coaches. The Ramblers converted five third downs — two on long passes to senior receiver Thomas Smart — and scored on a 10-yard pass to senior running back Jack Loper from senior quarterback Emmett Clifford. The quarterfinal game was the first for both Loper and Smart in the playoffs. For Loper, it was his first game since Week 2. But before Loyola embarked on its epic touchdown drive, the Ramblers stopped Homewood-Flossmoor on fourth-and-goal from their own 3 when senior cornerback Sam Taylor pushed Deante Harley-Hampton out of the back of the end zone for an incomplete pass. For the game, Clifford went 16-for-24 for 152 yards and two touchdowns and two interceptions. Smart caught five passes for 76 yards and one touchdown. Senior running back Dara Laja, the program’s all-time leading rusher, had 32 carries for 152 yards and one touchdown.
Loyola season stats
QB: Sr. Emmett Clifford, 156-for-222 (70.2 percent), 2,251 Yds, 31 TD, 6 INT
RB: Sr. Dara Laja, 214 Att, 1,467 Yds, 19 TD
WR: Sr. Thomas Smart, 47 Rec, 639 Yds, 11 TD
Getting to know Palatine
After getting shut out of the postseason from 1998-2006, the Pirates have been in the playoffs eight of the last nine seasons. The success started under Tyler Donnelly, but he left his coaching post following a 10-2 season in 2012, which Loyola ended with a 19-7 win in the Class 8A quarterfinals in Wilmette. In his third season as coach, Rick Splitt has Palatine in the semis. Compared to what Loyola’s done this season, Palatine’s résumé looks ordinary. It averages 28.5 points and allows 21.0. While the Pirates have won their last six games, five of them have been by seven points or less. Junior quarterback Zach Oles is the engine of the offense. The 5-foot-11, 185-pounder has thrown for 1,856 yards and 17 touchdowns and is the team’s leading rusher with 1,197 yards and 18 touchdowns. Oles’ top receiving target is senior Matt Lamm, who has 59 catches for 840 yards and seven touchdowns. Defensively, Palatine is anchored by senior end Ethan Senner and junior end Mackenzie Balanganayi. They have a combined 21 tackles for loss and 13 sacks.
Loyola coach John Holecek’s take
“The quarterback is like a power running back. They like to let him run. He’s one hell of a strong kid. If he gets hit, he falls forward. He’s also very accurate with the short game. They like to do double moves with their receivers. That’s what they did against [in a 41-26 win over Oak Park-River Forest in the second round]. … Their offense is unconventional. They do unbalanced sets where they try to outnumber you. … Their defense is unorthodox. They will have two linemen and five others standing up around the box. They move around a lot in the front seven and bring people from different angles. The defensive backs play mostly zone behind them.”
Sound bite
“The win against H-F is already over. The coaches are completely engulfed in Palatine preparation. The kids won’t have any problems focusing. Palatine is a talented team that is on a roll.” — John Holecek
Twitter: @harnesspreps