McHugh, Williams key to Palatine's resilient defense

When it comes to football, Palatine's Dillon McHugh and Mikey Williams are elastic.

Both start at linebacker for the Pirates and have taken coach Rick Splitt's defensive philosophy personally.

"Our opponents our going to make some plays, but we are going to stop them," McHugh said. "We are going to give up some plays, but it is really, bend - don't break."

McHugh said it doesn't bother him or his teammates when they give up some yards.

"That's just the way it is," said McHugh, who is 5-foot-9 and 215 pounds. "They may get a big play or two, but we just have to keep fighting."

Williams, who stand 6-feet-3, 175 pounds and calls the defense, said the Pirates expect to give up yards but want to limit points at the end.

"Zero points on the board is what we want to accomplish on defense," Williams said. "When the opportunity presents itself, we have to take advantage of it and make some plays."

Both McHugh and Williams both had interceptions last week that helped turn the tide as Palatine (10-2) knocked off Brother Rice 28-24 to move into the semifinals for the first time since 1996. The 13th-seeded Pirates will host Loyola at 5 p.m., with the winner advancing to the Class 8A finals on Nov. 28.

The Pirates' defense has been pliable at times, allowing an average of 393 yards per playoff game. But opponents have not been able to break through that defense led by Williams and McHugh with any regularity. Joined by McKenzie Balanganayi, Ethan Senner, Jake Garcia, Dylan Tapia, Elvin Lama Sosa, Anthony Portera and Brody Muck, Palatine's defenders have allowed an average of 23 points.

"Defense is not an easy thing to do in football today," said Splitt, who is also the team's defensive coordinator. "You have so many good teams playing spread football with elite athletes that you really have to cover a lot of things. It is so much different than it was 10, 15, 20 years ago. But the goal is to keep them to 1 less point than you can score."

Splitt credits Williams with making adjustments at the line for some of his team's success defensively.

"He is just so smart out there," Splitt said. "Mikey has the right to check off. The kid knows and understands football."

McHugh also finds this matchup an opportunity to take care of some old family business. His brother Nick lost to Loyola in the quarterfinals in 2010 while his brother Thomas lost 2 years ago to Loyola, also in the quarterfinals.

Both McHugh and Williams have had some experience playing against Loyola's top running back Dara Laja, who played youth football in Mt. Prospect while McHugh and Williams played in Palatine.

Also part of that Loyola squad, are linemen Sam and Jack Badovinac of Palatine. McHugh recalls playing against Laja along with the Badovinac brothers back in his PAFA days.

"I remember playing against Laja," McHugh said. "He is really fast."

Laja has been sensational for Loyola in his 4 years there. He started as a sophomore and has gone on to become the school's all-time leading rusher.This season, Laja has gained 1,591 yards and scored 19 touchdowns while leading Loyola (12-0) to the top seed in 8A.

Loyola has been terrific in playoffs .The Ramblers blanked West Aurora 31-0 in the opening round; blasted Stevenson, a team that defeated Palatine in the opening week of the season, 49-0; and then rallied to beat Homewood-Flossmoor 34-28 last week.

"It has been a great year for us," Loyola coach John Holecek said. "We have great senior leadership with strong character kids."

Holocek has been impressed with what he has seen about Palatine on film.

"They are very well-coached and tough, hard-nosed kids," Holocek said. "They have big receivers who run a nice combination of routes. And their defense gets after it as well."

The Ramblers also have an explosive quarterback in Emmett Clifford, who is 156-of-222 passing for 2,161 yards and 31 touchdowns. He likes to throw to Tom Smart, who has 47 receptions for 639 yards and 11 touchdowns and Eric Eschoo, who has 28 catches for 516 yards and 6 touchdowns.

"They are a good football team," Splitt said "They like to control the ball and they run the ball extremely well."

Loyola has also been strong defensively. The Ramblers have shut out 5 teams, including 2 in the playoffs. They have forced 24 turnovers and have 43 sacks.

But this has been a Palatine offense that has found a way to succeed. Led by Zach Oles, who has accounted for 3,364 total yards of offense, no lead seems safe for an opponent.

Last week Oles ran for 2 touchdowns and threw for two others as the Pirates erased a 17-0 deficit. Oles has thrown for 2,149 yards and rushed for 1,215 yards with 18 TD passes and 18 rushing TD's.

He continues to look to Matt Lamm, who has 57 catches for 790 yards. But with Jovone Stricker, who had 5 catches last week after sitting out the previous two weeks with an injury, along with Johnny O'Shea, Jack Grochowski, Jake Garcia, Courtland Cornelius and Joey Roy, the Pirates have one of the best receiving corps in the state.

Both coaches are keeping their eyes on the weather for Saturday evening, which could bring snow to the game. Whatever comes of it, Splitt is very happy to be part of it.

"It is really great,"Splitt said. "Everything about it. The hype. The kids. The town. The community. Everybody is taking it in. It is a big deal to all of us."