On a historic September Friday, the Kits (17-8) lined up to play Palatine (7-4) in the IHSA state quarter-finals. The Kits were looking to make history this weekend as they had made it to state in only their second year as a program. On Friday, September 18, these dreams ended as ETHS fell to Palatine 13-20 in a thrilling game.
As the whistle blew to start the game, it was immediately apparent why Palatine was there. They quickly took care of the Evanston offense by forcing a three-and-out and then punched in six points with a quick touchdown. Evanston was struggling to get their offense clicking as the clock was winding down in the first half, their backs pinned against the wall as Palatine went up 12-0.
“We dropped the ball about four or five times in the first half, and this stalled our drives. That didn’t give us any chance to have momentum,” remarked head coach, Carlton Rosemond.
In the final minutes of the first half, Junior Maggie Conforti and Sophomore Katie Lindsay-Ryan showed their chemistry to get the Kits offense going. Conforti threw a crisp pass to Lindsey-Ryan up the middle on fourth down to get ETHS into the red zone for the first time. The drive ended when Senior Hannah Honore caught a pass wide open in the end zone. These were the first points the school scored in the IHSA State finals in school history.
The first half ended shortly after, as neither team could put a drive together. The Kits were down by six heading into halftime.
“I told them that they had to get back to having fun. We weren’t having fun. We were very intense, coaches included, so we just needed to become more relaxed, understanding that we needed to just play and have fun,” stated Rosemond.
As the second half started, ETHS parents and students who had come to Willowbrook to support the athletes came alive. ETHS drove down the field looking to tie the game up with a score, but an overthrow by quarterback Conforti on fourth down handed the ball to Palatine to try to run away with the game.
Palatine put a long drive together taking minutes off the remaining time on the clock, but Sophomore Kynia Hunt deflected a huge pass that forced Palanitine to punt the ball away.
The Kits’ drive started slow, but Conforti stayed calm and delivered a perfect pass to senior Rachel Durango-Cohn who ran for 35 yards after the catch and put ETHS in the red zone for a chance to tie this game up. A calm and collected Conforti passed up the middle to wide-open Hunt, who ran up the sideline, juking out a defender and reaching out for the touchdown. After the touchdown, the Kits had a chance to take the lead with a one-point conversion. A wide-open Lindsay-Ryan got the ball and scored the one-point conversion, giving the Kits their first lead of the game.
Evanston now had to defend their end zone as a score from Palatine would most definitely end the game. The Kits quickly pinned Palatine up against the wall as they brought up fourth down. With the roar of the crowd cheering “defense”, the Kits forced a turnover on downs. As the Kits began to storm the field and cheer, a yellow flag was seen on the field of play. The Kits were called for defensive pass interference, which gave Palatine an automatic first down.
Palatine’s quarterback stayed calm, and in the final minute of the game dodged an incoming defender and threw a Hail Mary up in the air off her back foot. It was caught putting the Kits down by seven.
With thirty seconds left, Conforti threw a pick, icing the game for Palatine and ending the Kits’ chances at history.
“Phenomenal season. I mean, we’re top 8 in the state, and there is a lot to be thankful for. I’m looking forward to the future,” said Rosemond.
Although a heartbreaking loss, the Kits had a phenomenal season and have a lot to look forward to in their bright future.
