Barrington hangs on at Hoffman
The Hawks faithful gathered for a homecoming battle as Hoffman hosted the 10th-ranked Barrington Broncos on Friday.
The Broncos (7-0) added to their undefeated season as they handled the Hawks 17-6 in a Mid-Suburban West contest.
Wasting no time, the Broncos scored on their first drive with a 7-yard run by senior Nico Martinez.
Normally Martinez splits carries with junior running back Chase Murdock. However, with Murdock sidelined, Martinez had no problem taking the bulk of the carries finishing the day with 130 yards on 20 carries.
This is Martinez's fourth game after being sidelined with a broken arm.
“I've been trying to get into a rhythm and read the defense, Martinez said. “We knew it wouldn't be an easy game, because it was Hoffman's homecoming. I tried to use my speed on the outside and it was successful (Friday).
In addition to the Martinez touchdown, Broncos senior quarterback Matt LeMire (9-for-16, 57 yards, TD) tossed a 10-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Zach Dulla, and senior kicker Ben LeCompte's 42-yard field goal kick were all that was needed to take care of the Hawks.
The Broncos' defense also had a stellar performance in Friday's contest. And Barrington played a nearly perfect game in winning the turnover battle.
“I thought our defense played very well, giving us a tremendous effort, said Barrington coach Joe Sanchez. “We haven't played a team that has run the no-huddle offense.
“Our offense was OK. We shot ourselves in the foot with a couple of penalties My hat's off to Bill (Helzer) and Hoffman. Their record is very deceiving. Our best football is in front of us.
The Hawks (0-7) were not intimidated by the Broncos' record. Through two quarters, the Hawks had held the Broncos to 10 points.
Hawks senior running back Krunal Patel (10 car. 53 yards TD) had a 1-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter for the only Hoffman score.
“This week we tried to ride the wave of momentum, but unfortunately we couldn't get that momentum we wanted, said Hoffman coach Bill Helzer. “Our defense put up a great effort. Going up against a team like this, I thought this was a good game.
“You have to give (Barrington's) defense credit. It took us a while to adjust. We know we are a lot better team than our record shows. Hopefully we can finish strong against Conant next week.