CN100 Game of the Week preview: Football - Notre Dame vs. Bartlett
BARTLETT – Bartlett football coach Tom Meaney has fond memories of the last time his Hawks encountered Notre Dame.
Back in 2008, Bartlett's run to the Class 8A semifinals started with a win over Notre Dame in the first round.
This time around, however, the Hawks are coming off of a 23-12 loss to Huntley in Week 1. They're also welcoming Notre Dame and one of the best players in the state, explosive running back Chris James, to Millennium Field in Streamwood Saturday at 6 p.m. The game will be shown on CN100, The Comcast Network, at Noon and 4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 8, and 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 10. The game will also be available throughout Chicagoland with Xfinity On Demand.
“(Mike Hennessey) is a good coach, he'll be ready for us, I know that,” Meaney said. “We have our hands full. The quarterback (Ryan Greene) looks pretty talented. (James) is one of the best running backs we'll face, that's for sure. Their offensive line is gigantic. They are big. Their guards are bigger than their tackles. (Hennessey) is lucky. The quarterback, he'll fake it to James and keep it too. Their play-calling is mostly run, but the quarterback can run too. There are some speed guys over there.”
James did what was expected of him in the Dons' 44-21 win over Prairie Ridge last week. He rushed for 146 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries. James is getting scholarship offers from all across the nation. But Greene, the senior quarterback, opened eyes with an impressive two-way performance. He was 11-for-12 passing for 131 yards and also ran for 60 yards and a touchdown.
His top target in the passing game was Pat Cravens. Dan Dietz also added a long kickoff return touchdown in the win.
Hennessey is in his 27th season coaching the Dons, and they have reached the playoffs in each of the past seven seasons, going 7-5 last year.
Bartlett managed to make the playoffs last year, as they have in nine of the past 10 seasons, despite some debilitating injuries. On the third play of the season, in the midst of a crushing 49-0 loss to Wheaton North, quarterback Steve Hrbacek broke his collarbone and never played again.
That forced running back Aaron Everson to carry the load all season, which he did, managing to help the Hawks overcome the tough first week and reach the playoffs yet again.
Now, Everson, and just about everybody else, is gone. Bartlett has only three total returning starters. Meaney has four sophomores in his starting lineup this season. Luckily, junior quarterback Jordan Flint got some varsity time last season in the wake of Hrbacek's injury, so he's not completely overmatched. He threw for 225 yards and a score against Huntley last week.
“I thought Flint did pretty good, 18-for-33, he is throwing the ball real well,” Meaney said. “We had five or six drops. We had a couple of big plays on offense where we had penalties. We have to play smarter.”
Senior Chris Janssen is the lone returning starter on the defensive side of the ball. He is helped by defensive end Clint Zierke and safety Mike Colantonio, who is playing between two sophomore cornerbacks.
- Paul Johnson, CN100 Correspondent
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