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Glenbard West makes it to semifinals

You'd be hard-pressed to find a football team in more dire need of halftime than Glenbard West.

Sure enough, the Hilltoppers responded with a season-saving final two quarters.

Rallying from a 2-touchdown deficit at the break, Glenbard West advanced to the state semifinals for the fifth time in seven years with Saturday's 28-21 Class 8A victory over Barrington in Glen Ellyn.

"We came out of halftime with a lot of fire," said Glenbard West defensive lineman Declan Ryan. "A lot of credit to Barrington. They did a lot of things right. They were fast and physical, very talented team. We were able to come back. We got some fire from the offense and from then on we just kept punching and we were able to make it through."

The No. 6 Broncos (10-2) dominated the first half while bursting to a 21-7 lead, but the momentum shifted dramatically midway through the third quarter when No. 2 Glenbard West (12-0) got a defensive stop at midfield and Sam Brodner exploded for a 41-yard touchdown run to narrow the gap to 21-14.

Barrington fumbled the ensuing pooch kick, recovered by the Hilltoppers' Jeremy Pope, and three plays later Brodner raced in from 22 yards out to tie the game at 21 apiece.

"These kids don't quit - none of them, not one," said Glenbard West coach Chad Hetlet. "They never stop playing hard. It took us a while to get that momentum back, but I'm really happy with the way the kids played."

Another Glenbard West defensive stop led to Donahvon Vaughn's 20-yard touchdown catch on a screen pass from Kyle Kramer. That put the Hilltoppers ahead for good at 28-21 midway through the fourth quarter.

Quarterback Johnny Davidson, who completed 13 of 14 passes for 199 yards and rushed for 59 yards, marched Barrington to Glenbard West's 29-yard line with about four minutes left in the game. Ryan, however, recovered a Barrington fumble to give the ball back to the Hilltoppers.

Kramer's successful keeper on fourth-and-1 at its own 38 gave Glenbard West a critical first down and sealed the win.

"Our kids laid it all on the line," said Barrington coach Joe Sanchez. "Though we came up a little bit short today, these guys were nothing short of great all year. They made more plays in the second half than we did, and you tip your hat to them. Nothing to be ashamed of. Our kids left it all out there."

Glenbard West faces No. 1 Stevenson (12-0) next Saturday in Glen Ellyn with a berth in the state title game on the line. The Patriots beat New Trier 38-10.

"They obviously made more plays than we did, so you've got to hand it to a great team like that," said Barrington defensive lineman Jason Harris. "We were all ready for this. We were hyped up. It's a bummer that we had to let it slip in the second half."

The Broncos stunned Glenbard West early with the Hilltoppers pinned at their 3-yard line. David Danhauer batted Kramer's pass in the air and Harris snagged it in the end zone for a 7-0 lead. Glenbard West responded with Kramer's 50-yard touchdown pass to Michael Darnall, but Barrington answered with Davidson's 61-yard scoring strike to Scotty Miller and a 40-yard touchdown pass to Mitchell Pfeiffer.

Blake Jacobs twice intercepted Kramer, who completed 10 of 15 passes for 154 yards, in the first half as Barrington seemed in complete control at halftime.

"We came out in the second half and executed the way we needed to execute," said Brodner, who rushed for 170 yards on 27 carries. "It worked out well for us in the second half, and we're blessed to be in this situation."

Images: Barrington vs. Glenbard West, quarterfinal football playoffs

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