Fremd goes old school for big win

A single wing and a dare.

Fremd dared to play the old-style offense Friday night, virtually forced to by its available personnel. And the Vikings played it like they were living in the throwback era when it was popularized.

With as many as five different players taking direct snaps on offense, the Vikings rolled up 317 yards rushing, or their entire total offense output, in a must-win 48-7 home victory over Conant.

“Our football lives were up against the wall,” said Jack Bossong, one of those rotating running backs who gained 99 yards on 13 carries, including 2 TDs.

But how did the Vikings manage to dominate the Mid-Suburban West contest over a Conant team (5-3, 2-2) already playoff-bound?

“Just get the ball and go,” Bossong explained, behind RJ Tarallo, Ryan Comstock, Brad Ruerdanz, Kyle Gregory and big Scott Hoffman. “The offensive line played great.”

So great, the Vikings (4-4, 2-2) scored five times before Conant even had a first down. The defense, led by John Magnani up front and Ben Zerfass, Garrett Groot, Stephen Helbing and offensive stars Bossong and Jeff McGlade (21 carries, 5 TDs) limited Conant to 160 total yards on offense.

“The defense has played great all year,” said Bossong.

And with the short fields the defense kept giving the offense all night, building a 34-0 halftime lead on the legs of McGlade, Bossong and William Money became habit-forming.

“We went all the way to the 1920s for the single wing,” Fremd coach Lou Sponsel said of the formula being devised mostly by offensive coordinator Steve Patton.

Conant, in another way, also played like it was stuck in the 1920s. “They (Fremd) brought it and we didn’t,” said Conant coach Bill Modelski, who emphasized he didn’t want to go into the playoffs on this kind of note. Only Cougars standout tailback Jacobi Sims could muster any offense and the team’s only TD.

Next week in the regular-season finale against Barrington, “I want to see the football team we’ve been for seven weeks,” Modelski said.

While he looks for that team, Fremd needs to beat Hoffman Estates in Week 9 to become playoff-eligible.

“We said it’s a two-game season,” Sponsel said. “We put it in the hands of the seniors,” most notably Bossong, Matt Isola and Money.

“We did a great job of speed blocking,” said McGlade, noting junior wideout Matt Konopka did a great job of that. “We just got (the ball} and went.”

All the way back to the 1920s.

For a big win.