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All-day team effort made 8A semifinal possible

It was Game On at Palatine on Saturday in spite of a near-record snowfall of more than 11 inches which blanketed Chic Anderson Field at Palatine High School on Saturday before the Class 8A state semifinal football game between Palatine and visiting Loyola Academy of Wilmette.

But thanks to yeoman efforts by the Palatine staff, community volunteers and members of the District 211 administration, the game was not canceled. It was moved back an extra hour after some heavy early-morning snows gave everyone extra work.

Loyola won the game 24-22.

"The community has come out strong for us," said Palatine athletic director Jerry Dobbs. "We have hit this field four or five times. More snow built up and it is snowing right now. But we are playing football."

Dobbs said there were discussions about postponing the game.

But when the IHSA granted a request to move the start time back an hour, it was play ball.

Bob Zimmerman, who is head of the grounds crew at Palatine, arrived at the field at 6 a.m.

At that time, there were just a few inches of snow on the field.

Zimmerman began to clear the field with a front-end loader that had the shovel equipped with a PVC pipe attached to the blade so that the field turf would not rip and be destroyed.

Zimmerman and his crew were making good progress until the storm kicked into high gear in the late morning.

"It was nice this morning," Zimmerman said. "But it kicked our butt later. Around 10:30 a.m. it came down hard and we were being defeated. But we took a break and came back strong after lunch."

"Our maintenance staff from District 211 and actually from all five schools have been out here all day," said Auggie Fontanetta, the District's director of athletics. "Now in addition to the staff, we have community volunteers. Everyone is pitching in to get the game going."

District 211 superintendent Dan Cates was one of 75 freezing volunteers who were shoveling off the field with plastic shovels.

"I just wanted to help out," Cates said. "Other people have been working really hard. It is really an exciting time for the community and we all wanted to pitch in."

Jeannine Mars, who does not have a player on the football team but does have a daughter at Palatine, saw an email asking for volunteers. She immediately answered the call.

"We are just out her shoveling," Mars said. "It is awesome out here. The field looks beautiful."

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