For most of their opening quarter against Palatine Saturday in the Class 8A quarterfinals, St. Charles East appeared on an unstoppable run to the school’s first semifinal appearance.
The rest of the evening, however, was a mystery for the Saints.
Credit the host Pirates and their defense, which surrendered 88 yards on the first series and only 123 the rest of the game in earning their second semifinal berth with a 10-6 victory.
“Their adjustments after the first drive were tough to match,” said East sophomore Justin Jett, who had 38 yards rushing on the opening drive and 11 the rest of the game. “They came out more aggressive. The first time they see this offense, it doesn’t match the scout look they get all week. But once they got the motion down, they stepped up and stopped us.”
“Their offense is really good,” Palatine coach Rick Splitt said. “It’s option football and they run it very well.
“We just don’t see it that much and it takes us time to get used to it. The kids took it upon themselves and kept saying, ‘We got it, we got it.’ And they did.”
The Saints took over at their own 12 following the opening kick and used up nearly 10 minutes of clock in the 18-play drive, capped by Nick Garlisch’s 3-yard burst for a score and a 6-0 lead.
The Pirates (12-0) returned the favor almost immediately, moving 80 yards in eight plays, with quarterback DJ Angelaccio (18 carries, 54 yards; 8-for-15 passing, 87 yards) hitting Johnny O’Shea (6 catches, 61 yards) over the middle for a 15-yard score. The point after would proved to be the difference in the game, but there were plenty of opportunities throughout the night for both teams.
Neither team was able to put together another sustained drive until early in the third when Palatine took over at its own 48 following a punt.
The Pirates appeared to score on a 19-yard pass, but an offensive pass interference penalty negated the touchdown. Palatine’s scoring threat looked to be snuffed out on a fourth-and-19 sack by St. Charles East’s Patrick Griffin at the Saints’ 33. But an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty downfield on St. Charles East instead gave Palatine another fourth-down play at the 18. Kevin Dillenburg booted a 35-yard field goal on the next play for the 10-6 lead.
The East defense was put in several difficult positions the rest of the game, taking the field as Palatine started drives at their own 44, 49 and 38, but each time they managed to hold and get the ball back to their offense.
“Clearly our offense didn’t have a great night, so we put this on our defense to get it done and it just wasn’t good enough,” said junior linebacker Nicholas Piaskowy, who had a tackle for loss. “This year has meant a lot to us, but we wanted a championship. We fell short. So now we’ve got to go back out, work hard and get it next year.”
The Saints (11-1) had four more possessions, including a final one that started at their own 3 with 2 minutes, 50 seconds remaining. But East got no further than its own 32 and T.J. Streepy’s knockdown of a Zachary Mitchell pass near midfield on fourth-and-10 ended the contest.
The Pirates play at Maine South in an 8A semifinal next weekend. St. Charles East can reflect on a year that included a school record for wins (11) and its quarterfinal berth since 2005.
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Coach Bryce Farquhar wasn’t in the mood took look back.
“Tonight’s not the night to reflect,” he said. “We’re disappointed in how we played. We thought we had chances and we didn’t capitalize. I’m proud of our seniors and the job they’ve done. We’ve come this far because of them and their work ethic. And we’re in good shape.”