The Niles West Wolves kept it close in Palatine for about a quarter, and then the Pirates took control in the opening round of the Class 8A playoffs.

Two Palatine turnovers helped Niles West to a 7-7 tie in the first quarter. The Pirates, however, then rattled off four straight touchdowns. Niles West was able to add a score late in the second quarter to make it 35-14 at halftime.

The Pirates continued to widen their lead with quarterback Ethan Olles throwing his third touchdown pass to wide receiver Alex Nawrot, making it 49-14 at 6:49 in the third quarter.  

At 5:02 in the third, the Wolves came alive with a touchdown by wide receiver Andrew Milhulet, making the score 49-21. The Pirates closed out the third quarter with a touchdown by running back Chaka Kelly, widening the gap again, to 56-21.

The Wolves took advantage of the Pirates sitting some of their starting defensive players in the fourth quarter, and took the game to 56-35 by picking up a fumble and running it in for a touchdown. 

Both teams rallied back and forth, until the final score of 69-42, sending the Pirates to the second round of the IHSA 8A playoffs against the Schaumburg Saxons.