Jonas Williams threw for four touchdowns and 189 yards as Lincoln-Way East advanced to the Class 8A quarterfinals with a 55-13 road victory over Palatine on Friday night.

The Griffins (9-2) were sharp from the onset, scoring on their first seven possessions, including four first-quarter touchdowns to put this one out of reach early.

“We have the best high school quarterback in the country,” said Lincoln-Way East coach Rob Zvonar. “Just an amazing quarterback. Excellent receivers [and the] O-line blocked well.”

Williams, a four-star prospect and USC commit, commanded the offense with precision throughout the first half. It was his second game back from a late season injury that held him out of the Griffins’ only two losses this year.

According to ESPN, he is currently the top ranked prospect in the state of Illinois and third ranked quarterback in the country.

“Just practicing hard and changing our mindset after a couple losses has played a big role in our momentum right now,” said Williams.

With his 189-yard performance, he sits 24 yards shy of the IHSA all-time record of 11,190 set by Logan Malachuk of Nazareth last season.

“Honestly, I do not care about that record,” said a focused Williams. “Obviously, you know, I’m grateful for it, but my main goal is winning.”

In addition to Williams, Lincoln-Way East running back Brody Gish added two touchdowns on the ground, including a 60-yard sprint that went through several Pirates tacklers.

“Brody is my backbone,” Williams said of his Navy-bound teammate. “I don’t have to drop back and pass every play. I know he’ll take care of the hidden yards when he needs to.”

His coach agrees.

“You guys like a 60-yard run. I like when he ran over the guy on the goal line,” added Zvonar.

As for Palatine (6-5), the loss ends a resilient season for the Pirates. They faced an uphill climb to reach the playoffs after dropping three consecutive midseason games entering conference play.

“Every single challenge we took head on. We licked our wounds, we got back to work, and we made ourselves better,” said Palatine two-way standout Kole Fager.

“It was a great season,” added Pirates coach Corey Olson. “It was a season of, you know, obviously, some ups and downs. But, [Fager] is 100% right, our kids were resilient.”

They struggled to contain the dynamic Griffins offense Friday; however, they did manage to find the end zone as Fager ran for a hard-earned, eight-yard score with just under a minute to play in the first half to make it 48-6 at halftime.

“All I can say is that I’m grateful and appreciative,” said Fager. “Not only for the coaches, but my teammates, the entire program, the entire town of Palatine. ... It truly means a lot when I’m driving down the road from school and I see the signs of Palatine. I see the people all here to support. It truly means a lot.”

He also caught a 66-yard touchdown pass from Palatine backup signal caller Brandon Martino to open the second half for the Pirates. Fager fought through several defenders and managed to weave his way to the end zone.

Martino entered the game after an apparent arm injury to starter Will Santiago, who left in the first quarter and did not return. Both Fager and Olson expressed concern for their starter.

Looking ahead, the Griffins appear poised to make a run deep into November. A potential matchup against juggernaut Mount Carmel awaits them.

“It’s just another week for us,” Williams said of possibly facing the undefeated Caravan. “I don’t think we need to, you know, kind of put them on a pedestal. I think if we continue to practice how we’ve been practicing and just executing how we’ve been doing, I think we’ll be perfectly fine.”

“We won’t have trouble staying focused,” added Zvonar. “Extremely talented, well coached group. The best in Illinois, maybe best in the Midwest.”