No question mark for Palatine

One way or another, this group of Palatine seniors was going to leave a mark on the football program.

What kind of mark was the big question when Palatine was 4-4 going into the final game of the regular season at Barrington.

“We challenged the seniors all season about leaving their mark,” said Palatine coach Tyler Donnelly. “Especially as the regular season was ending, we asked them, what mark did they want to leave?”

Consider it a mark of excellence that hadn't been seen in the program since its glory days when it made 12 straight playoff appearances from 1986-97.

Not only did the Pirates extend their current streak of playoff appearances to four, they made an extended run longer than almost anyone expected. All the way to the quarterfinals for the first time in 13 years.

And the dreams of a trip to the Class 8A semifinals were still realistic until Loyola scored with 4:40 to play and was on its way to a 14-0 victory.

“It was a blast and you couldn't ask for anything more,” said Palatine senior Cody Bobbit, who was everywhere as usual throwing, running, defending and punting. “Two more games would have been nice … but it's been a fun ride.”

Especially after last year when the Pirates were ridden out in the first round by Leyden.

“This is what we wanted for our senior year,” said Palatine running back-linebacker Jim Smearman. “After the Leyden loss, we said we can't lose in the first round next year and we had to go deep in the playoffs.

“I'm proud of every one of the guys on the team. I love them all. It was a great team and a fun year.”

A challenging one, too, where just getting into the playoffs was the tough part. A heartbreaking loss to Fremd and another to Schaumburg put the Pirates' postseason hopes in jeopardy.

Then they followed up their win at Barrington with a signature 28-14 upset at No. 3 Glenbard North. But would there be more?

There was as the Pirates stormed past Glenbrook South for a shot at Loyola.

“To pull out three great wins was awesome,” Smearman said.

“The Glenbard North win was a big one,” Donnelly said, “but then we said, ‘OK, you're in the second round, but so was the '07 team. So how are you going to make your mark?'

“I'm so proud of these kids, the seniors in particular, for how they left their mark for the rest of the classes to come through here.”

Donnelly said the team-first leadership by seniors such as Bobbit, Smearman, Dan Haze, Rory Fritz, Joe Froelich, Will Stein and Bobby Jeske was crucial for a team where sophomores Jesse Bobbit, Lucas Rago, John Serio and Josh Baldus were expected to play key roles. Seniors Tyler Farris and Joe Landeck helped bring together the offensive line.

“They all played hard for one another,” Donnelly said. “They all bought in even when we were losing games.”

That's something that shouldn't be lost on a solid group of returnees and underclassmen coming up from an 8-0-1 sophomore team. It will be their turn to extend the legacy left this season.

“They'll have a good team next year and hopefully they'll get just as far or farther,” Smearman said. “The program is back up again.”

Especially after what could have been a real downer just a few weeks ago.

“We're leaving our mark,” Cody Bobbit said. “We haven't been this far in 13 years so we have nothing to be ashamed of.”

mmaciaszek@dailyherald.com