Barrington playoff eligible after win at Hoffman Estates
Zero to 28 in 7 days.
That might not be a ton of acceleration for a luxury car, but it was just the boost of adrenaline Barrington needed Friday night.
A week after scoring no points in a 14-0 loss to Fremd, the Broncos rebounded with a shutout of their own at Hoffman Estates, winning 28-0 in the Mid-Suburban West.
Senior running back Quinn Ketel scored 3 first-half touchdowns for Barrington, and the Broncos defense recorded 6 quarterback sacks.
"It's been a tough two weeks," said Barrington coach Joe Sanchez, whose team had lost two straight, "but the boys kept battling. We talked all week about coming out and playing with great character, and our theme this week was competitive greatness requires character."
"When you're down, that's what you need," he continued. "I am proud of our boys and proud of our coaches the way we kept battling through."
Ketel put the Broncos up 7-0 in the first quarter on a 2-yard touchdown run.
"It felt great," said the senior about scoring early and taking the lead on the Hawks. "We had a great week of practice and thought we were really prepared for this game."
Two more Ketel touchdowns followed in the first half (runs of 19 and 3 yards) as the visitors took a 21-0 lead into intermission.
Meanwhile, the Barrington defense was stout, twice stopping Hoffman on fourth-down drives in Broncos territory.
"Their defensive line controlled the whole game," said Hawks coach Tim Heyse. "We couldn't run the ball at all, and we had no time to throw the ball."
Barrington scored again in the third quarter on a weaving, tackle-breaking 28-yard run by quarterback Tommy Fitzpatrick.
Hoffman got a lift in the fourth quarter when senior Darian Waits had a big fumble recovery.
But Barrington stemmed the tide of that late Hoffman drive when Adam Brokke tiptoed the sideline for an interception on the Broncos' 10-yard line.
Wide receiver Jonah Walton led Hoffman with 7 receptions for 87 yards, while Ketel finished with 90 yards rushing for Barrington. Defensive lineman Lukas Van Ness had 3 quarterback sacks for the Broncos.
"We tried to control the running game tonight. We had great offensive line blocking," said Broncos running back Bryan Smith, who rushed for 86 yards in the contest. "We came out to get the win and also get some momentum going for the playoffs."
Barrington improved to 5-3 overall (3-1 in the West) to become playoff eligible.
"This entire week of practice we had a chip on our shoulder because the last two weeks went so poorly for us," said Barrington lineman Colin Cress. "We were all accountable for each other. We all picked each other up. It was a great team effort tonight."