Palatine 19, Hoffman Estates 6

Committing four turnovers and accumulating more than 100 yards in penalties, Palatine relied on its defense to overcome a series of mistakes.

The Pirates stayed atop the MSL West standings with a workmanlike 19-6 triumph over host Hoffman Estates Friday.

With the win, the Pirates raised their records to 6-2 and 3-1 in the West. They cemented a second straight trip to the playoffs and moved a step closer to a conference title.

“You can’t expect to win doing that too often,” Palatine coach Tyler Donnelly said of the turnovers and penalties. “We have to get better. I thought defensively we played well. Offensively, we didn’t play well at all and didn’t execute.”

The Pirates earned their third straight victory to set up next Friday’s battle against Schaumburg. The defense sparked the win, holding Hoffman Estates without a touchdown for just the second time this season. Also, it marked the first time Palatine didn’t allow a touchdown, and second game the Pirates held a team under double digits.

The Hawks lost their sixth straight game after opening the season with two straight victories.

Hoffman Estates kicker Niko Crambes drilled field goals of 25 and 40 yards to put the Hawks up 6-0 early in the second quarter.

The Pirates immediately answered with a 5-yard touchdown run by Jack Hansen.

Palatine quarterback Matt Rossi had a non-descript performance, completing 14 of 23 passes for 151 yards.

With the game tied, Rossi tossed a 30-yard touchdown pass to Jose Munoz to give the Pirates a 13-6 edge with 7 minutes, 1 second left in the second quarter.

Rossi padded Palatine’s lead to 19-6 early in the fourth, finding Cody Bobbit for an 11-yard touchdown. However, Rossi never found a good rhythm on the chilly night. He threw three interceptions, two of which came in the first half.

The Pirates piled up 220 yards on the ground to overcome Rossi’s interceptions. James Silveira led all rushers with 104 yards. Silveira busted free for a 51-yard run to set up Palatine’s first touchdown.

Bobbit gave Hoffman Estates fits all night, running for 47 yards and catching six passes for 67 yards.

Hoffman Estates quarterback Frank Wadas had a big night to keep the Hawks in the game. He racked up a team-high 65 yards on 20 rushes and finished 20-of-42 passing for 189 yards with two interceptions. Donovan Crawford, who had an interception, caught seven passes for 73 yards.

Donnelly admitted he was relieved to get a victory.

“We don’t want to ever feel bad about a win,” Donnelly said. “We’re going to fix our mistakes and shoot for a conference championship.”