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Barrington’s big effort grounds Prospect

Keeping Prospect off the scoreboard has been a tall order for any defense this season.

The Knights came into Friday night’s crossover showdown at Barrington unbeaten after having averaged 48.5 points in their first two games.

That didn’t seem to bother Barrington.

The Broncos (1-2) kept the Knights (2-1) off the scoreboard for 45 minutes and 26 seconds to earn a decisive 42-6 win.

“Our kids were relentless tonight,” said Barrington coach Joey Sanchez. “I was proud of their defensive effort and our defensive coaches did a great job. Our scout look this week was phenomenal in preparing us.”

The Broncos got themselves their first win by shutting down one of the area’s top rushers. Prospect senior quarterback Devin O’Hara came into Friday night with 10 rushing touchdowns already under his belt in the young season.

But O’Hara couldn’t shake loose from the Barrington front four. The Broncos sacked the senior quarterback four times in the first half while holding him to minus-12 rushing yards in that span.

“We did a good job containing (O’Hara) the whole game,” said Barrington senior defensive lineman Ben Calamari. “We based the defense around him. We made adjustments and I feel like all our guys really stepped up.”

Barrington did more than shut down O’Hara. Barrington senior tailback Justin Dragosz busted through the Knight defense for a 61-yard touchdown on the game’s second play from scrimmage. Dragosz, who finished with 199 rushing yards on 20 carries, fueled a ground game that kept the struggling Prospect offense off the field.

“It’s not one guy, it’s not one situation, we didn’t play well anywhere in all three phases of the game,” said Prospect coach Mike Sebestyen. “We did nothing right. We did not do our jobs properly tonight and it showed.”

The Knights couldn’t stop the Broncos aerial attack, either. Barrington junior quarterback Daniel Kubiuk completed 18-of-24 passes for 251 yards including three touchdowns. His 223 first-half passing yards propelled a 376-40 total yards advantage for the Broncos in the first half.

It was exactly the performance Sanchez wanted to see from his 0-2 squad out of the gate.

“It’s huge,” Sanchez said. “There’s no doubt. We didn’t really say it but this was a big game for us in terms of trying to find out who we really are.”

For Barrington, it’s a convincing weight lifted off its back to keep its playoff hopes alive. For the Knights, it’s a reality check before a date with undefeated Schaumburg next week.

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