Fremd 24, Palatine 7

The buildup for the battle between cross-town rivals Fremd and Palatine had the whole town buzzing.

Throw in homecoming and no one would blame the host Vikings for losing focus.

But they have been in these situations before and while the whirlwind of activity whipped around them, they didn't flinch.

Fremd jumped out to a 21-point first-quarter lead and then cornerback Mike Tauchman led an opportunistic defense with 4 interceptions, leading the host Vikings to a 24-7 Mid-Suburban West victory before an overflow crowd at Hale Hildebrandt Field.

"We've had the benefit of these kids growing up in big games," said Fremd coach Mike Donatucci as his team earned its 13th straight playoff berth. "We responded."

Junior quarterback Mark Tolzien (13-for-23, 167 yards) hit tight end Jason Ford for a 31-yard score and followed it up by finding Tauchman for 40 yard score on a fade route to put the Vikings (6-0, 2-0) up 14-0 with 3:53 left in the first quarter.

"We've played in these big games," added Tolzien, who added a 1-yard sneak with 1:26 remaining in the first quarter for a 21-0 lead. "You have to try and keep a consistent energy, you have to be able to handle the pressure situations … you have to have fun with it."

And Tauchman certainly did. The 6-foot junior was starting his first game at cornerback and he made the most of it.

His first interception led to the Vikings' third touchdown, while his second interception derailed Palatines opening drive in the second half.

"We we're watching a lot of film all week and we kind of new what routes they like to go to in certain situations," said Tauchman, who added picks in the third and fourth quarters. "I just anticipated the route and kind of got lucky."

Palatine (3-3, 1-1) committed 5 turnovers and dug itself a hole early.

"They're too good of a team to make that many mistakes," said Palatine coach Tyler Donnelly. "We can't give their offense that many opportunities, they're too good and they showed it tonight."

Senior Dan Sutton rushed for 39 hard-earned yards, including 26 early in the second quarter, which set up a 5-yard scoring pass from Matt Rossi to Tom Eanes to get the Pirates within 21-7.

ˆ "They're heck of football team," said Sutton of the Vikings. "They're a perennial playoff team, and the one thing that separated us is they capitalized on our mistakes."

Linebacker Kevin Krieter led an attacking defense that has Fremd positioned to defend its MSL West title and aim even higher.

ˆ "Since game one our number one goal has been a state title," added Tolzien. "That's the only thing on our mind and each week is a step, we just have to continue working on not flinching."

So far, so good.