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Sports

Palatine Pirates Should Challenge For West Title

Building off of last year key.

Last year Palatine made a late run to the state football playoffs. The 2011 version is well ahead of that.

will be looking to make their fourth consecutive playoff appearance under coach Tyler Donnelly. After a slow start last year, The Pirates took no prisoners as they reached they playoffs and won their first two games against Glenbard North and Glenbrook South before succumbing to Loyola,

“We had a great finish,” said Donnelly, who has 14 returning starters. “We are looking to build off of it this season.”

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The Pirates should be explosive his year with Junior RB John Serio and Junior WR Jesse Bobbit along with Senior WR Taylor Hall. Senior OG Nate Gerdes (6-foot-0, 255 pounds), Senior OG CJ Machnik (6-foot-1, 205 pounds) and Senior C Layne Kirch (5-foot-10, 235 pounds) and Junior OT Josh Baldus (6-foot-5, 247 pounds), provide the beef upfront.

Junior quarterback Ethan Olles will direct the offense for the Pirates.

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“We are a wide-open offense,” Donnelly said. “We want to run the ball first. We want to throw the ball vertical and we want to be at a hurry-up pace.”

Defensively the Pirates are led by Senior DE Julian Turner. Bobbit, OLB Kurt Becker, ILB Nick Novelli; LB Lucas Rago, CB Dan Riddle, CB Jake Demars.

The Pirates schedule has four state qualifiers including the opener with two-time defending Class 5A champion Montini.

“It should be a very good one,” Donnelly said. “It will give us an indication on where we are at.”

2011 Schedule

Aug 26    A    Montini                   7:30 PM

Sep 2       A    Rolling Meadows   7:30 PM

Sep 9       H    Wheeling                 7:30 PM

Sep 16     A    Prospect                   7:30 PM

Sep 23     A    Schaumburg             7:30 PM

Sep 30     H    Barrington                7:30 PM

Oct 6       A    Fremd                       6:30 PM

Oct 14     H    Hoffman Estates       7:30 PM

Oct 21     H    Conant                      7:30 PM

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