PALATINE, ILL. —A fumble on the Kits’ very first play of the game set the tone for the rest of the evening.
Evanston was dominated by Palatine—the 26th-best team in Illinois—on Thursday night. The Pirates controlled the game from the beginning, jumping out to a 14-0 lead early in the first quarter and ultimately sailing home to a 49-20 victory.
On the opening drive of the game, after the Pirates (2-2) marched down the field, three-star running back and Tulane commit Dominik Ball cut back on an outside run all the way across the field for the 11-yard touchdown. Unfortunately for the Kits, this was only the beginning of Ball’s night.
“We simply didn’t execute on offense in the first quarter,” said offense coordinator Kyle Gussert.
Ball took advantage of the short field and outran defenders for a 36-yard touchdown.
At the end of the first quarter, the Tulane commit took another inside run 60 yards to the house to make it 21-0 Palatine.
With little time to stall out any longer, Evanston needed a score badly. After a six-minute drive fueled by 3rd and 4th down catches by senior receiver Isaac Israelite, junior Colin Livatino found Emmet Robinson on a 17-yard fade route in the corner of the endzone.
“Colin’s touchdown pass was probably the best pass of the season. It was good to get Emmet Robinson back, it was awesome to get him involved and in the endzone,” said Gussert.
On the Kits opening possession of the half, they were faced with a 4th and 4 on their own 36. Coach Buzz left the offense on the field. Livatino took the snap and rolled out to his left where he was met by 6’6” 265 lb Jaylin Williams, a four-star junior casting offers from USC, Michigan, Auburn and many others.
“We felt like we needed a spark, if we convert and score on that drive we probably would’ve gone for the onside kick and have had a chance to build momentum,” explained Coach Gussert.
Off of the short field, Dominic Ball scored his fourth touchdown of the night. Shortly after in the fourth quarter, Ball caught a pass out of the backfield scored for his final time. By the end of the game, Ball tallied 296 yards from scrimmage, a school record, and five touchdowns.
“[Ball] was a very explosive player for Palatine. He got to the outside and got going utilizing his speed,” explained sophomore Michael Pryor, an inside linebacker.
Halfway through the second quarter, both teams were giving their benches a chance to get in the game. The Kits managed to score two more times late in the second half. Enijel Shelton and Daryl Harmon both scored on short runs late in the second half.
Palatine went on to win the game 49-20. ETHS now sits at 1-3 ahead of their conference opener next week against GBS at Lazier Field.
“We have to be consistent. Hopefully, we’ve learned how important the first quarter is. That’s the message to the team heading into GBS,” said Gussert. “We also have an extra day to get healthy which will be huge for us.”
