Big catch sends Libertyville past Barrington

Fourth down. And 14.

Fifty-two seconds left. At the opposition’s 31.

Down by 4.

What to do, Libertyville, what to do?

How about a nice fade, deftly tossed into the rear left corner of the end zone, cradling gently into the clutches of a sprawling, tumbling Justin Guarnaccio, all 5-foot-10, 150 pounds of him, for the game-winning points in visiting Libertyville’s 24-20, come-from-behind football season-opening win at Barrington.

During an injury timeout preceding the play, after a third-down sack for an 8-yard loss by Barrington’s monster pass-rusher Dan Hanley, Libertyville quarterback Jack Deichl confessed that Guarnaccio had told him he could get open on that play. Even on fourth-and-long.

“It’s all about trust,” said the strapping 6-5 senior with the boyish looks and power arm of an Eli Manning. He’d already converted a fourth down earlier in the drive, an 80-yard drive, on a clutch catch by athletic Austin Williams, who limped back on the field despite severe cramps to kick the important final extra point.

But for Libertyville, it was really all about regrouping after being dominated in the first half by an underclass-laden Bronco team that walked off at intermission with a 20-3 lead.

“It was a game of two halves,” said Barrington coach Joe Sanchez. Junior signalcaller Dan Kubuik (13-for-25, 188 yards, 2 TDs,) adroitly directed an offense that rolled up 211 yards to Libertyville’s 43. He connected regularly with lanky Andrew Matella (8 catches, 120 yards, 1 TD) and was afforded great protection by Anthony Meads, Jack Borhofen, Jackson Keeler, Akeel Abdelhaldi and Vito Anzalone.

They also enabled Kubiuk to hook up with big Ryan Cowdrey for a 4-yard score as the first half wound down and enabled featured back Justin Dragosz to gain 71 yards on 19 carries.

But Libertyville, stuffed most of the night by what Deichl called Barrington’s “downhill” front-line on defense, came out throwing in the second half. “We had to get the ball to some of our playmakers,” said first-year head coach Mike Jones.

The play that kept Libertyville alive and psyched up was made by linebacker Kevin Verkler, who lost his helmet making an inspired stop on Dragosz inside the 10 and forcing a missed field goal after Barrington held the ball for six minutes in the fourth quarter and didn’t score.

Sanchez knew how important that missed opportunity was. “If we score there, we put them in position where they’re doing things differently,” down 10 instead of 3.