Palatine plays spoiler on New Trier’s homecoming night, sends Trevians into pivotal matchup with Maine South

For the third straight season, the New Trier Trevians are headed into their conference schedule with their backs against the wall and their playoff prospects diminishing. 

The Trevians dropped their final nonconference matchup of the year 27-3 to the Palatine Pirates on Friday, Sept. 20, in Northfield.

The defeat, which came on the school’s homecoming night, is New Trier’s third in four contests this campaign, leaving the Trevs little margin for error during their upcoming Central Suburban League slate. 

“I’m disappointed where we’re at right now,” New Trier head coach Brian Doll said. “You don’t want to be 1-3. I thought we missed a great opportunity last week. I thought we were way better than we showed last week and I thought we could have gotten that one. It would have been a big difference going into conference at 2-2 versus 1-3. We knew this Palatine game and the Naperville North game were going to be very difficult.”

One week after the Prospect Knights blanked the Trevians, New Trier’s offense struggled again to get much going on that side of the ball against Palatine. 

The Trevs opened the game with a trio of three-and-out drives. New Trier then put together a solid 12-play series that included their first three first downs. 

But New Trier’s drive stalled inside Palatine’s 30-yard line, and the Trevs could not convert a 46-yard field goal attempt. New Trier was then unable to capitalize after an interception by senior Finn DeGroot set up the Trevs near midfield later in the half. 

New Trier compiled just 46 yards of total offense in the first half. A 27-yard field goal from Palatine right before the end of the second quarter put the Trevs in a 10-0 hole at halftime. 

“We just stalled offensively,” Doll said. “We’ve made some bad decisions in key moments. We haven’t been getting the ball out. We’ve dropped a lot of passes the last two weeks.” 

Palatine opened the second half with a five-play, 80-yard scoring drive that was capped off with a 49-yard touchdown run by senior Maleek Miles. 

New Trier answered with a field goal after a lengthy drive that was extended on a roughing the kicker penalty. Trevs’ senior stalwart kicker Niki Dugandzic drilled a 22-yard field goal to make the score 17-3. 

Dugandzic’s field goal put New Trier’s first points on the board since the third quarter of the team’s Week 2 game against Yorkville — ending a streak of seven scoreless quarters of football. New Trier has not found the end zone in its last nine quarters played and counting. 

Palatine added onto its lead early in the fourth when quarterback Will Santiago scrambled in a 24-yard touchdown to put the Pirates out in front by three touchdowns. A late 37-yard field goal from the Pirates was the game’s final score. 

New Trier’s woes against the MSL conference continued Friday night as the Trevs have now dropped eight of their last nine games against MSL teams. 

“Playing the MSL teams is tough,” Doll said. “ … These are not easy games for us. We have to believe in ourselves and we have to be mentally tougher. 

“There’s a toughness that comes with (playing MSL teams). Football, at most of the MSL schools, is king. It’s everything. … I always thought that for us, it’s great for our kids when we can compete against them because I think their brand of football is a very tough, hard-nosed brand of football and I think it teaches our kids that toughness that they need.”

The road ahead will get no easier for New Trier as it will head to Park Ridge next week to open CSL South play against the mighty Maine South Hawks. 

“Maine South is a team that we know extremely well,” Doll said. “We’ve had games where we’ve gone in and not done well and games where we came in and surprised ourselves and done extremely well — and a game where we beat them. 

“We have to come in, and really what I talked to the kids about more than anything, is to believe in themselves. You have to be mentally tough to play this game.”

Upsetting the Hawks next week on their home turf will take four complete quarters of football, Doll noted, adding that the Trevs will also have to be able to effectively run the ball against them. 

New Trier honors ‘Grandpa Bill’

New Trier held a moment of silence prior to the start of the Trevs’ Week 4 game in remembrance of the late William Doll, their head coach’s father who passed away earlier this week at the age of 76. 

A longtime North Shore resident, William Doll taught at Joseph Sears School in nearby Kenilworth for more than 30 years. He also coached youth football in the community for more than five decades.

New Trier players wore a decal on their helmets during the game with the letters “GB,” an ode to William’s well-known “Grandpa Bill” moniker. 

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