Barrington has new appetite for winning
Barrington's football program has hardly been starving for success.
But last year's 3-6 finish was an uncharactersitic and bitter-tasting departure from the norm for the Broncos. It was the first losing season for ninth-year head coach Joe Sanchez.
"There were a lot of very tough defeats and hard-luck losses," Sanchez said, "that made them extremely hungry to get back out there and prove we're a better football team than we were the year before."
They do have junior Chase Murdock (1,054 yards rushing, 6 TDs) back to use his power and speed to chew up more yards. Nico Martinez is a slashing runner who will get carries and fullback Jimmy Refidia can run, catch and block as Barrington will use mainly a two-back set with Sanchez switching from running the defense to offense.
They would figure to want to run behind a big line with returning starters in senior center Pat Bolger (6-feet-3, 275 pounds), senior guard Jimmy Kristof (6-4, 305) and junior right tackle Dan Voltz (6-5, 295). Senior guard Aaron Castagna (6-2, 245) started the last game when Voltz was hurt last year.
"The greatest challenge for those guys is being able to deal with different adjustments (blitzes and stunts) teams are going to give us," Sanchez said. "Last year we didn't handle it as well as we needed to."
The new quarterback is senior Matt LeMire, who moved in from El Paso, Tex., in mid-June. His top targets will be Sam Handler (9 catches, 87 yards), Zach Dulla (17 for 129) and J.L. Etienne.
"He's done a real nice job of picking up the offense," Sanchez said of LeMire, who ran a shotgun spread in Texas. "He understands what we're trying to do."
The defense will stay with a 3-5-3 with co-coordinators Dan Young and Tim Norwood. The linebackers should be a strength with Peter Cobb back in the middle and Alex Jirschele and Kyle Bromm outside.
Refidia and Voltz will be part of the six-man defensive line rotation. The secondary will miss three-year anchor Brett Seeger but Sanchez likes the athletic ability that includes Dylan Zyzda, Rob Wagner and Ben LeCompte, who will also kick and punt.
"I see the ability to be a lot more multiple," Sanchez said. "I think we're more athletic defensively than we were a year ago."
Broncos at a glance
Coach: Joe Sanchez (57-30, ninth year)
Last year: 3-6, 2-3 (4th West)
Probable starters
OFFENSE
Pos. Name Ht/Wt Yr.
QB Matt LeMire 6-2/160 Sr.
RB Chase Murdock 6-1/205 Jr.
FB Jeremy Rafidia 6-0/205 Sr.
LT Lee Conforti 6-4/215 Jr.
LG Aaron Castagna 6-2/245 Sr.
C Pat Bolger 6-3/275 Sr.
RG Jimmy Kristof 6-4/305 Sr.
RT Dan Voltz 6-5/295 Jr.
TE Joe Feeney 6-3/195 Sr.
WR Zach Dulla 6-2/175 Sr.
WR Sam Handler 6-0/190 Jr.
or J.L. Etienne 5-8/170 Sr.
DEFENSE
Pos. Name Ht/Wt Yr.
DT Brett Zentner 6-3/215 Sr.
NT Rob Hansen 6-2/230 Sr.
DT Kyle Strauss 5-11/190 Sr.
OLB Alex Jirschele 5-11/190 Sr.
SLB Aaron Foley 5-11/200 Jr.
MLB Peter Cobb 6-2/220 Sr.
WLB Jack Conway 6-3/185 Sr.
OLB Kyle Bromm 6-1/160 Sr.
CB Dylan Zyzda 6-0/170 Jr.
CB Ben LeCompte 5-10/180 Sr.
S Rob Wagner 6-2/190 Sr.