Palatine gets the message, tops Prospect
Palatine football coach Rick Splitt ought to patent Friday's halftime message and pull it off the shelf if the need should ever arise again.
Trailing Prospect 7-6 at halftime of its Mid-Suburban League crossover game at Chic Anderson Stadium, Palatine struck quickly for 21 third-quarter points to take control of the game and finish the evening with a 33-20 victory.
"We didn't change a whole lot," said Splitt, whose team enters MSL West play next at 2-2. "I told them, 'You guys are athletes. Make some plays,' and they did.
"Nick Orlando is playing some really good football and made some great plays," Splitt said.
Palatine's starting quarterback, Orlando (74 yards on 12 carries) scored on a 30-yard run on Palatine's first play from scrimmage.
"It was a run all the way (not a read option)," Orlando said. "They weren't expecting it."
The Pirates made it 20-7 on the second play of their next possession when Dionte Neustadter (5 carries for 104 yards) burst up the middle and outran everyone for an 81-yard touchdown with 6:53 left in the quarter. He added an 18-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.
"It was the whole offensive line," Neustadter said of the huge opening for his first TD. "Coach told us to come out in the second half and set the tone."
To add to Palatine's lead, Vincent Serio intercepted a Greg Suarez pass and returned it 22 yards for a score that gave the Pirates a 27-7 lead with 5:07 still left in the third.
"The quarterback watched his receiver all the way," Serio said. "I had a clear path all the way (after the pick)."
Palatine's third quarter couldn't take away from the sense of pride Prospect coach Mike Sebestyen had for his team, particularly Suarez, who came back from an injury two weeks ago. Suarez rushed 24 times for 78 yards and touchdowns of 2 and 8 yards. He also threw a touchdown pass to Mike Ott in the fourth quarter.
"You could tell the maturity of Suarez tonight," Sebestyen said. "He really played well, and so did our O-line (Matt Schultz, Billy Matzek, Luke Wrede, Vinny DiFatta and James Ford)."
The Knights (0-4) rushed for 196 yards, including 109 in 15 carries by Bobby Jarosz.
"I'm very happy at how the offense responded," Sebestyen said. "We can't give up the big plays. Tonight, there were two teams battling, and a few plays determined the game."
"I was very impressed with the way (Prospect) came out," Splitt said. "We asked our guys to step up and make plays, and they did both offensively and on defense."