Schaumburg continues change in right direction
Quarterback Mark Iannotti saw something in Palatine's defense that gave him an idea that turned into the winning points in Schaumburg's 28-21 Mid-Suburban West football game Friday at Gary Scholz Stadium.
"We had an empty look, and they knew it was going to be a quarterback draw," said Iannotti (11-of-18 for 141 yards and 2 touchdowns). "(Warren) Brewer was open, so I audibled for him to get the ball."
What happened after that was a completion to Brewer at the line of scrimmage, followed by Brewer outracing the Palatine defense for a 67-yard touchdown that gave the Saxons a 28-14 lead with 4:10 left in the game.
"We took a wrong angle," Palatine coach Tyler Donnelly said. "We don't have anyone to practice against with that kind of speed. Overall, we kept them contained."
Those points became even more important after Jim Smearman (9-of-18 for 146 yards and a touchdown), taking over after quarterback Cody Bobbit left the game early in the second quarter with a left shoulder injury, drove the Pirates (4-1, 0-1) 61 yards in 3 plays to cut the margin to 28-21.
Smearman completed passes for 33 yards to Joe Pelnar and 28 yards to Mike Luschen for the touchdown with 3:33 left.
Smearman (12 carries, 61 yards) also scored a touchdown in the third quarter, which cut the deficit to 21-14.
With Bobbit at the controls, Palatine took an early 7-0 lead. His 25-yard pass to Pelnar (6 catches for 112 yards) put the points on the board with 7:25 left in the first quarter. Pelnar also rushed 19 times for 66 yards.
The Saxons (3-2, 1-0) tied the score on their next possession when Brewer completed the 8-play, 57-yard drive with a 1-yard run at the 3:39 mark.
Smearman replaced Bobbit early in the second quarter, and before he had time to settle in, Patrick Felde intercepted a pass and returned it 41 yards for a touchdown with 7:02 left in the half.
"That was a huge momentum change," said Schaumburg coach Mark Stilling.
Iannotti engineered a 14-play, 70-yard drive as time was running out in the first half. He converted a pair of fourth-down plays to keep the drive alive and finished it with a 1-yard pass to Pat Derbak, a linebacker making his first start at tight end.
"He showed a lot of character going both ways," Stilling said. "He was gassed."
Stilling was happy with the progress his team has made from an 0-2 start.
"Off the field, we had every opportunity to be distracted," Stilling said. "I'm proud of the way they kept their focus.
"I think we're still getting better. This was our best collective effort."