Playoff Preview: Fremd at Bartlett
Class 8A
No. 8 Fremd (8-2) at No. 1 Bartlett (10-0)
When: today at 7 p.m. at Millennium Field
Round 1: Bartlett 10, Notre Dame 7; Fremd 24, Palatine 7
Outlook: The 2008 Hawks have already separated themselves from Bartlett's best teams of the past by winning 10 games, far surpassing the previous school record of 7 victories. Now they aim for something no Bartlett team has accomplished in eight previous postseason appearances: a second-round playoff victory. Fremd is in the playoffs for the 14th consecutive season and seeks its third straight quarterfinal appearance in Class 8A. Fremd won its sixth straight shared or outright MSL-West title this year, led by versatile 6-foot-2, 210-pound quarterback Michael Tauchman. The senior has completed 101-of-187 attempts for 1,436 yards and 9 touchdowns. Tauchman, an all-around athlete who doubles as a defensive back, also picked off 3 Palatine passes last week. "He's the guy you really have to stop," Bartlett coach Tom Meaney said. "He does everything... He can move, he can run, and he'll play wide receiver when they bring in (junior Zenon Kolakowski) to play quarterback. He's a punter, the kickoff returner, the punt returner and plays good defense. He's a heck of a player." Fremd ran a spread shotgun offense all season but reverted to a traditional Power-I against Palatine and rushed for 203 yards behind an offensive line that averages 247 pounds. The line is anchored by 6-foot-6, 285-pound right tackle Christian Lombard. Senior Michael Gyetvay rushed for 113 of those yards and a touchdown last week, raising his season totals to 886 yards and 9 touchdowns on 191 carries. The Bartlett defense limited Notre Dame to 124 total yards, led by senior middle linebacker Kyle Zelinsky (53 tackles, 21 assists, 4 forced fumbles) and senior safety Steve Seeman (34 tackles, 16 assists, 2 forced fumbles). The defensive line rotation of Joe Quartullo, Matt Paladino, Eric Moreno, Kyle Kirchoff, Dante Perez and Brian Polubinski keeps the pass rush fresh and relentless. The Bartlett offense struggled to find its rhythm last week with 3 fumbles and an interception. Bartlett quarterback Josh Hasenberg looks to bounce back after an off game against Notre Dame. He has completed 121-of-203 attempts for 1,734 yards and 18 touchdowns. He has also rushed for 5 scores. The Hawks' leading rusher is Fabian Libreri, who has gained 739 yards on 150 carries. "They want to pound you and pound you and pound you and then throw it down the field," Fremd coach Mike Donatucci said. "They're not going to quick-game you to death like Palatine. They run between the tackles and say stop us. It's old-time football with these guys."
Advancement: The winner will play the winner of Saturday's 5 p.m. game between No. 5 Warren (9-1) and No. 13 Schaumburg (6-4). Bartlett would play on the road in the quarterfinals in either case.