Fremd 35, Barrington 14
As if Fremd's football team didn't have enough going for it already, the Vikings finally were able to play a game with their complete starting offensive line.
The impact it had on the outcome was evident in Thursday's Mid-Suburban West football opener when the visiting Vikings rolled up 408 yards of total offense in their 35-14 victory at Barrington.
Fremd's O-line paved the way for Mike Gyetvay to gain 160 yards and 3 touchdowns in 29 carries. It protected quarterback Mark Tolzien, allowing him to complete 17-of-23 passes for 221 yards and 2 touchdowns while only giving up 1 sack.
"The offensive line did a heck of a job," said Fremd coach Mike Donatucci. "It's the first time they've all been together. Coach (Eric) Wenckowski did a great job piecing together the offensive line, and it's nice to see what they can do when they're all together."
Barrington (3-2, 0-1) stayed with Fremd for two quarters. J.C. Stickney's 8-yard touchdown catch from Cody Seeger gave the Broncos their only lead of the night at 7-6 with 8:36 left in the first half.
Tolzien put the Vikings (5-0, 1-0) ahead for good with a 14-yard pass to Andrew Corso (4 catches, 54 yards) with 4:48 left in the half. In the third quarter, Fremd ran 16 plays to just 7 for the Broncos, taking control of the contest.
Tolzien continued his pinpoint passing to wideouts Mike Tauchman (7 catches for 82 yards) and Mike Koeneman (5 catches for 78 yards). Tauchman went up for the ball in double coverage to pull down a 32-yard touchdown pass with 7:41 left in the third quarter.
The Vikings stretched the lead to 28-7 with a 7-play, 54-yard drive capped by Gyetvay's 13-yard run.
"We saw something on the films, and the receivers did a good job talking to me on the sidelines," Tolzien said. "They said the (corner) was playing soft and said to throw it to them and let them go with it."
Gyetvay's third touchdown, a 6-yard run with 9:11 left in the game, gave the Vikings a 35-7 lead.
Barrington's final touchdown, a 5-yard run by Seeger with 7:13 left, ended an 8-play, 63-yard drive. The Broncos were led offensively by Sam Ojuri, who carried 9 times for 105 yards and narrowly missed breaking several long runs.
"That was the first time since Week 1 that they were healthy, and they controlled the line of scrimmage," said Broncos coach Joe Sanchez. "Tonight, they were a better team. We put them in big yardage situations, but we weren't able to get the stop."