Kubiuk, Miller help Barrington pass first playoff test
Barrington wide receiver Scott Miller loves when opponents line up right across from him.
“They were using press coverage against me,” Miller said. “And I can exploit my speed better against that. I can use my speed to get the guy.”
Miller, who was sixth in the state last spring in the 200-meter dash, broke away from coverage three times, and Broncos quarterback Daniel Kubiuk was right on target on each occasion as host Barrington flew past Evanston 23-8 Saturday in the opening round of the Class 8A playoffs.
Barrington (9-1), which had not won a playoff game since 2008, will play next weekend at Warren, a 33-17 winner over Glenbrook South. A date and time will be announced on Monday.
“We’re very happy with our guys,” said Barrington coach Joe Sanchez. “We tried to take advantage of the things that they were giving us on the edge. Danny (Kubiuk) and Scotty (Miller) did some great things.”
Miller isn’t the only one who enjoys seeing that press coverage.
“I like throwing to No. 1 (Miller),” said Kubiuk, who was 9-of-18 for 132 yards and 3 touchdowns. “He makes big plays for us.
“When they put that look out there for us I just say, ‘OK, going to number 1.’ He is going to make the play for me, and it is going to be a touchdown.’ ”
Barrington took command early on and grabbed a 3-0 lead late in the first quarter on a 22-yard field goal by Chase Lesniak.
When Evanston’s defense decided it would key on running back Dylan Abel (19 carries, 66 yards), Kubiuk and Miller went to work.
They connected on three different types of touchdown passes that took advantage of the tight coverage.
The first came late in the first quarter when Miller made a quick stop-and-go move on the left side.
Kubiuk, who had rolled to his left, gave a quick pump fake, drawing the defender and then softly lofted the ball to a sprinting Miller for a 35-yard touchdown.
Just before half, the combo struck again.
This time, Miller, who lined up in the slot on the left, did a quick slant and Kubiuk delivered a perfect strike for a 13-yard touchdown and 17-0 Barrington advantage.
The duo clicked once more for their hat trick on the first series of the second half.
After the Broncos drove from their own 28 to the Evanston 27 in eight plays, Miller ran past his defender and Kubiuk delivered a perfect throw into the end zone. The Broncos were well on their way with a 23-0 lead.
“Danny was throwing the ball nicely to me all night,” said Miller, who had 5 catches for 102 yards. “Every ball just landed right in my hands.”
Meanwhile, Barrington’s defense, which entered the game with two consecutive shutouts, kept Evanston (5-5) bottled up for most of the evening.
Led by Jake Coon, Colin Castagna, Kyle Meckert, Jacob Bulandr, Mark Bornhofen, David Danhauer, Nick Coy, Evan Strunk and Miller, the Broncos limited Evanston to just 67 yards of offense in the first half.
Barrington also forced 4 turnovers with Coon getting 2 picks, Miller another interception and a fumble recovery by Terry McGovern.
Coon credited the freshman and sophomores who made up the prep team for getting his team ready on defense
“The kids that they brought up ran the Evanston offense,” said Coon, who led the team with 12 tackles. “But they would have two offensive squads going at the same time. While one was running a play, the other was calling their next one.
“So we had to adjust quickly on defense. We played at an up-tempo speed and it really helped us.”
Evanston, which came into the game scoreless in their last two contests, finally broke through late in the game on a 19-yard touchdown pass from Chris Little to Sam Bordo.
But even the late touchdown which ended the opportunity for a third consecutive shutout couldn’t dampen Sanchez’s enthusiasm for his defensive squad.
“I thought our defense did a great job,” Sanchez said. “They have been outstanding. They are really starting to take it up a notch at the right time of the year and that is what we are excited about.”