Barrington leads Hoffman in suspended game
Patience and faith.
They are main ingredients that any coach in any sport must have.
Especially when times get tough.
Such has been the case for Barrington football coach Joe Sanchez.
After seeing his Bronco squad win its first three games, he saw his team drop its next three including its first pair of Mid-Suburban West tilts.
If the first 36 minutes of Friday's clash versus co-division front-runner Hoffman Estates was any indication of his team's future potential, then they'll enter Saturday's resumption in a good position.
The Broncos will take a 31-7 lead over Hoffman Estates into the start of the fourth quarter of play at Frederick/Motor Works Auto Group Field at Barrington Community Stadium when play resumes at 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon.
The game was originally moved up 90 minutes from a scheduled 7:30 p.m. start in an attempt to avoid an inclement weather forecast that hit the area late Friday night. Barrington (3-3, 0-2) had taken a 31-0 lead into halftime.
Using a dominant performance on both sides of the ball, the host school had outgained Hoffman 219-57 in the first half.
Keying the Bronco offensive attack were the tandem of Tommy Fitzpatrick and Michael Curran as the pair were responsible for Barrington's first three scores. Fitzpatrick. (3-for-9, 70 yards passing, 12 rushes, 50 yards) connected with EJ Darlington from 27 yards out for a 7-0 lead with 2:11 left in the first quarter. The junior Bronco QB took it in from a yard out on the next possession to double the advantage to 14-0 with 67 ticks having gone by in the second frame.
Curran (18 rushes, 102 yards) made it 21-0 when the senior scored from a yard out on the next offensive series with 8:17 remaining until the break. A 30-yard Lucas Kozlowski punt return laid the foundation for Curran's score.
The Bronco special teams played a factor in their next 10 points before halftime when after a 46-yard Will Hutchinson field goal, senior Kevin Meckert scooped up a blocked Hoffman punt at the Hawk 11 which he proceeded to take to the end zone making it 31-0 with just 75 ticks left in the half.
Hoffman Estates, (2-0 in MSL West play), which entered Barrington 6-0 for the second consecutive season, got on the scoreboard as a torrential downpour commenced when Kyle Krogstad (10-for-24, 82 yards) connected with Malik Whitehead from 34 yards out with 6:10 remaining in the third and were in the Bronco red zone when the game was called at quarter's end with a 1st-and-10 at the Barrington 16.