Stars align, shine in Palatine's win over Elk Grove
The stars shared top billing in Friday's Mid-Suburban League crossover football game at Elk Grove's Robert Haskell Stadium.
Palatine and its junior quarterback Cody Bobbitt put together a near-perfect first half. Elk Grove junior quarterback Nick Meyer led the Grens in a stirring second-half comeback effort that fell short in Palatine's 21-10 victory.
It was Palatine's first 2-0 start since 1997.
About the only thing that didn't work for Bobbitt and the Pirates in the first half was a fake punt that ended a yard short. He completed all 14 of his pass attempts for 144 yards and rushed for 9- and 1-yard touchdowns, as the Pirates raced out to a 21-0 halftime lead.
"Our quick passing game was working well," Bobbitt (17-of-19, 168 yards) said of the first-half domination. "Our offensive line was great."
That was never more evident than on its third scoring drive, 69 yards in 14 rushing plays. Joe Pelnar (23 carries for 107 yards) scored on his 11th carry of the drive, a 1-yard run with 4:26 remaining before halftime.
Offensive linemen Sash Patel, Adam Dreger, Tyler Farris, Joe Landeck and Connor Gannon (subbing for injured Adam Schroeder) opened the holes for Pelnar.
Meyer (12-of-21 for 124 yards) led a 10-point third-quarter outburst that stole the momentum from Palatine. He scored on a 1-yard run with 6:42 left in the third quarter, driving the Grens (1-1) 34 yards in 7 plays, accounting for 26 yards on 5 carries.
A holding penalty on second and goal thwarted Elk Grove's next drive, and Matt Brandt boomed a 25-yard field goal to cut the margin to 21-10 with 1:02 left in the third.
"Defensively, we shut them down, and kind of got it going on offense," Meyer said. "In the first half it was all them, and in the second half, we shut them down."
Elk Grove's last serious threat started midway through the fourth quarter, when Meyer led the Grens 74 yards to the Pirates' 13. Penalties for holding and delay left Elk Grove in a fourth and 22 from the 25. Meyer's pass into the end zone was knocked away by Jim Smearman.
"I think it's paying off that they've been in a lot of these situations," Palatine coach Tyler Donnelly said of his team's composure. "They're competitors."
"For a lot of these kids, it's the first time they've been in that situation," Elk Grove coach Brian Doll said. "I know we can play with the good teams, and if we play four quarters, we can be tough."