Hoffman pulls off 21-14 upset over Barrington
From the opening kickoff, it was apparent that the Hoffman Estates football team was prepared to do whatever it took to capture its first Mid-Suburban West win of the year.
The Hawks recovered an onside kick to start the game and then ran a wide receiver reverse pass that resulted in a 40-yard reception in the hands of senior Reid Wilson just inside the 10-yard line.
However, a sense of déjà vu passed through the Hoffman sideline when the play was nullified by a penalty.
But the Hawks showed their resiliency by scoring all their points in the second half in a 21-14 upset victory at Barrington on Saturday afternoon.
"That's kind of what's happened (this season)," Hoffman coach Bill Helzer said after his team didn't' commit a turnover. "We put ourselves in a position to be successful and kind of shoot ourselves in the foot.
"But there was something different about these guys this morning. They weren't going to be denied."
The Hawks (2-4, 1-1 West) exited halftime down 7-0 but rallied behind junior quarterback Frank Wadas, who completed 9 consecutive passes to open the second half. Wadas threw for 2 touchdowns and rushed for another.
"We saw (the defense) playing off a little bit and we could just take advantage of that," he said after completing 12-for-18 attempts for 107 yards while rushing for 59 yards. "Then our run started to work in the second half and that's when everything started to open up."
Barrington (3-3, 0-2) dominated both sides of the ball in the first half. The Broncos ran 22 plays in the first quarter, compared to only 8 for Hoffman, and took a 7-0 lead after junior running back Sam Ojuri broke two tackles on the way to a 34-yard touchdown run.
The Hawks came back with an interception by junior safety Tom Dombrowski but failed to capitalize on a 7-play drive that ended on Barrington's 3 with an unsuccessful fake field goal.
Hoffman took a 21-7 lead midway through the fourth quarter on Wadas' 6-yard scoring pass to junior wide receiver Mike Swedlund. The Broncos answered with an 11-play drive that culminated in a 2-yard touchdown run by Ojuri.
The Hawks tried to run out the clock but were forced to punt, setting up a potential game-tying drive for Barrington in the final three minutes.
The Broncos converted a pair of fourth downs, including a fourth-and-13, but missed on three straight pass attempts as they turned the ball over on downs at Hoffman's 16.
"It just seemed like they wanted it more than we did," Ojuri said after rushing for 68 yards. "We have to fight and keep going. Hopefully we can still make the playoffs and make a little run."
While the Broncos were subdued leaving the field, pure happiness was exuding from Hoffman, which just beat Barrington for the third time in 23 years.
"This is a big start for something to come," Dombrowski said. "It doesn't stop here. This is just the beginning. This will get our team going and our school going."