Barrington stops Schaumburg in thriller
A game with over 900 yards of combined total offense came down to just three.
If Barrington stopped Schaumburg's 2-point conversion attempt with 46 seconds left, it would win and keep it's season record unblemished.
Schaumburg running back Shepard Little had been rolling virtually all afternoon. Only 4 of his 23 carries were stopped for less than 3 yards. Everyone had to know he was going to get the ball on the pivotal play after Brandon Kibby's 3-yard touchdown run.
Sure enough, Saxons quarterback Mark Iannotti handed off to Little and it looked as if the senior was going to break through the goal line and tie the game. But the heart of the Barrington defense swarmed and stuffed Little, pushing him back.
His forward progress left him about a half-yard short of the end zone, but when he was finally pushed to the ground he was back near the 10-yard line and the Broncos' defense sprinted to their sideline with a 34-32 Mid-Suburban West and homecoming win.
"I couldn't contain myself," Barrington quarterback Matt LeMire said of seeing the Barrington defense stop Little on the 2-point conversion. "I ran around and jumped. It's probably the best feeling I've ever had."
Schaumburg (4-2, 1-1) piled up 553 total yards of offense. 370 on the ground where Little (23 carries, 186 yards, 4 touchdowns) and Iannotti (19 carries, 120 yards) led the way. Little has 1,177 yards for the season.
Barrington (6-0, 2-0) was able to counter the Saxons' rushing attack with monster passing plays. LeMire threw 4 touchdown passes that accounted for 243 of his 295 passing yards.
He connected with Zach Dulla on 48- , 35- and 70-yard scores, then hit Sam Handler for a 90-yarder.
"We were trying to find one player to pick on during the game," LeMire said. "I owe it to the linemen who blocked well and the receivers who caught them. Without them I wouldn't have done anything."
Those 3 touchdown catches were Dulla's only receptions on the day.
"It was unreal. I couldn't believe it," Dulla said. "It's a dream, scoring 3 touchdowns on homecoming."
The Broncos were battling through adversity all week long, too, to continue their best start since the 2003 Class 8A quarterfinalist won its first eight games.
Last Sunday, junior defensive back Dylan Zyzda's father died of a heart attack, which shook the team. Adding to that, star tailback Chase Murdock (740 yards, 10 touchdowns) was unable to play Saturday because of an injury he suffered in last week's game against Conant.
"It was a very emotional week for our team," Barrington coach Joe Sanchez said. "It was a rough week for our program.
"That's why it was real emotional for us there at the end. It's not because we won. Winning and losing doesn't mean anything. I'm just so proud of the way they fought and the way they battled."
Barrington filled in for Murdock with Nico Martinez (12 carries, 77 yards, touchdown) and J.L. Etienne (8 carries, 19 yards), but the Broncos had to battle through the emotional adversity from within themselves.
"For us to find a way today with everything that we've battled through and all the adversity we've had to deal with, I just can't say enough of our kids and our coaches and the way we rallied together," Sanchez said. "I'm just proud of them."
The game was emotional for the Saxons, too, as they constantly tried to overcome Barrington's big plays.
"For the most part I think our kids kept composed," Schaumburg coach Mark Stilling said. "For all the bad things that happened to us we had a chance with 46 seconds left to tie the game and send it to overtime."
Barrington's win puts it in control of its own destiny for the MSL West championship. After winning Saturday's emotional game, the Broncos know they can persevere through tough moments and succeed.