Palatine, Fremd on a Collision Course?

After two first round wins, Palatine and Fremd high schools appear to be hitting their stride. And it couldn't have come at a better time.

It is a tale of two teams, one city and lessons about salvaging a season after facing what seemed like insurmountable odds. If Palatine and Fremd win their respective second round playoff games Saturday, they'll face each other the following week. What follows is a look at where both teams are, what they've overcome and where it is they would like to go.

Just over three weeks ago Palatine (6-4) had lost their second consecutive conference game, and a team that appeared to be a shoe-in for the playoffs was in a must-win situation. Two short weeks and two improbable wins later, Palatine looks to have made some desperately needed adjustments.

After beating a then 7-1 Barrington team on the road 21-10 to end the regular season, Palatine made easy work of third seed Glenbard North (8-1) in a 28-14 upset in the first round of the playoffs.

However, they face Glenbrook South (6-4) on Saturday, a team coming off a big first-round win. Glenbrook South also was the underdog last week, and like Palatine the week before beat Barrington on the road. It will be interesting to see if Palatine, a team that has embraced its underdog status, will be able to maintain its high level of play against a Glenbrook team that appears to be on equal footing.

Despite possessing even records, 14th seeded Palatine will play on the road for the third straight week against 11th seeded GlenBrook South. This might be a good thing for the Pirates, who have won two straight road games after dropping their last two home games of the season earlier in October.

Unlike the Pirates, Fremd (6-4) struggled early in the season. After losing four of their first five games, it appeared to be a foregone conclusion that head coach Mike Donatucci would not be leading his team to their 16th consecutive playoff appearance.

But after four straight wins, including victories over a then undefeated Barrington team and a 4-2 Palatine team, Donatucci's Vikings made the playoffs.

In Friday's playoff opener senior Justin Wallace was able to torch sixth seeded Evanston Township High School (6-3) for 296 rushing yards on the way to a 24-13 first round victory and the team's fifth straight.

"At the beginning of the year I said we'd be a better team at the end of the year than at the beginning," Donatucci said prior to Friday's first round win. "Right now we're hitting our stride, and I think we're at a good place."

He couldn't have been more right.

The Vikings can credit their win streak to solid defense and a dominant running game. In the last five games they have limited opponents to just over 10 points per game.

"The reason why we've been playing so well defensively is because offensively we've been able to control the time of possession," Donatucci said. "It's a team thing not just a defensive thing."

 However, their next opponent, Loyola Academy (9-1), is coming off of a huge offensive performance in the first round. Having based their style of play on a steady run attack and defense, there could be concerns as to whether Fremd will be able to match scores with the high-flying Loyola Ramblers.

"There are always concerns," Donatucci said. "They're by far [going to be] the best team we've played."

However, Fremd should take some solace in the fact that they will be at home against Loyola. They have played their best games of the season at home, where they started their five-game run with a 30-0 win over Hoffman Estates on Oct. 1.

"Anytime someone has to come into our stadium, they usually don't like it," Donatucci said. "Bottom line though, when the whistle blows it's about the kids not the fans."

At times this season it has been hard to imagine either team being in a position to make a playoff run. To describe either as a Cinderella season, let alone Cinderella seasons, is a cliché too often used by sports writers. At any rate, at least one of these teams is destined to come up short of finding that ever elusive glass slipper.

 If both teams win Saturday, Palatine and Fremd will go head-to-head the following week. If the rivalry between these two teams isn't already strong enough, the possibility of this rematch has even the most casual of sports fans licking their lips. The opportunity to knock their town rival out of the hunt for a state championship surely would have both teams fired up.

But before you clear your schedule for what would be a compelling rematch, you can check out both second round games Saturday with Palatine kicking off at 1 p.m. at Glenbrook South and Fremd kicking off at 6 p.m. at home.