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Week 2 playoffs, Mid-Suburban: Palatine, Barrington hit the road

Class 8A

No. 13 Palatine (8-2) at No. 4 Oak Park (9-1)

When: Saturday, 1 p.m.

Previous playoff meeting: None

Outlook: For the second year in a row, Palatine meets a team that has beaten crosstown rival Fremd. Last year, Palatine played Glenbard West and lost in the second round. This year the Pirates looked to turn the tables against an Oak Park team that beat Fremd 26-17 in Week 1 of the postseason. Palatine needed everything it had to get to this point after prevailing over Sandburg 20-19 in a thrilling overtime victory. Palatine's defense was as flexible as a rubber band, allowing Sandburg to control the ball on the ground. But that same Pirates defense, led by Elvin Lama Sosa, who had the key tackle in overtime, along with Mike Williams, Dillon McHugh, Dylan Tapia, Ethan Senner, Brody Muck, Anthony Portera, Jake Garcia, Majetete Balanganayi, Ethan Lloyd and Ben Riddle, snapped back into place when the Pirates needed it most. "It was a great game and it was fun," Palatine coach Rick Splitt said. "We had to respond and we did. I though we matched them well. We contained their running back and although their quarterback gained some yerads, we made big plays when we had to." Big plays are exactly what Oak Park did in its win over Fremd. The Huskies relied on running back Jamarri Watson and tight end Eddie Gorens to combine for 5 plays with gains over 30 yards. "They are very talented," Splitt said. "They have a couple of kids who can really hurt you. Our focus will be just like last week and that is not to give up big plays." The Pirates are still a bit banged up on the offensive side of the ball. Jovone Stricker is nursing an ankle injury while running back Nick Sabado is sidelined. But quarterback Zach Oles is still very healthy. Sandburg keyed on Oles to limit his running ability last week, but the junior still was able to connect with Josh Turner on a long screen pass for a touchdown and found his favorite receiver, Matt Lamm, for a touchdown in overtime. "Offensively, we are going to keep doing the things we have been doing all year," Splitt said. "We run and pass the ball very well." Splitt said his team is eager to play at Oak Park. "It should be a nice day. The kids are excited about going down there to play football in that old stadium of theirs." Should Palatine advance, it would play the winner of South Elgin and Brother Rice.

No. 7 Barrington (9-1) at No. 23 Marist (6-4)

When: Saturday, 7 p.m.

Previous playoff meetings: None

Outlook: Marist's record is deceiving, and Barrington and its fans need to guard against being overconfident. The Redhawks play in the East Suburban Catholic Conference, arguably one of the toughest in the state. Their 4 losses, which were all close, came to Benet, Joliet Catholic and Nazareth Academy along with nonconference foe Mt. Carmel. "We are excited to go to the south side of Chicago and take on a very good Marist team," Barrington coach Joe Sanchez said. "They are good. They are dynamic on offense and score a lot of points." Marist is led by quarterback Brendan Skalitzky, who threw for 255 yards and 2 touchdowns last week. The Redhawks are scoring 36.5 points per game. They have been held under 20 points just twice, and that includes last week's 17-14 victory over Notre Dame in the opening round of the playoffs. But the Barrington defense, which began the season with nine new players, has stepped up in recent weeks. Led by Cooper Van Kampen, Grant Elliot, Jackson Perkins, Blake Holley and Alec Andrea, the Broncos last week held Plainfield South to just 17 yards rushing while forcing 3 turnovers. "Our defense has been getting better each week," Sanchez said. "Most of that is because they practice every day against our offense." And that Barrington offense has been high-powered all season, averaging nearly 40 points per game. Quarterback Johnny Davidson has thrown for 2,024 yards and 24 touchdowns. He spread the wealth around last week, throwing TD passes toto Jake Zyzda, Logan Moews, Jack Nicoletti and Josh Babicz. The Broncos are hoping to take advantage of a Redhawks defense that has allowed 26 points per game. "We need to keep things going the way they have been on offense," Sanchez said. "We need to keep putting points on the board." Unlike many teams at this point of the season, Barrington is relatively healthy. "We are pretty fortunate that everybody is good," Sanchez said. "We should have everyone available Saturday night." With a victory, the Broncos would host the winner of Huntley and Oswego in the quarterfinals.

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