Strength in numbers keys 3-0 Barrington; Wave surges ahead
Much of the preseason offensive attention on Barrington was focused on junior and returning 1,000-yard rusher Chase Murdock.
Although Murdock leads the Broncos with 4 touchdowns, one of the keys to their 3-0 start has been eight other players already finding the end zone.
"We're really happy we're 3-0 and our offense has performed much better than in the past," said Barrington senior fullback Jeremy Rafidia after Friday's 35-14 win over Hersey. "There's no doubt we're continuing to get better."
Rafidia found the end zone on a 21-yard swing pass from Matt LeMire to give Barrington a lead it never lost as it matched its win total of last year. A crushing block by the 6-foot, 205-pound Rafidia also sprang J.L. Etienne for his second touchdown of the year.
"Every year it's about new guys stepping up and guys who paid their dues," said Barrington coach Joe Sanchez. "Jeremy is one of those guys. Last year he had to learn what it was like to play here.
"He's certainly one of our unsung heroes with the guys up front and our tight end (Joey Feeney)."
Lee Conforti, Dan Voltz, Aaron Castagna, Pat Bolger and Jimmy Kristof gave LeMire time to find Zach Dulla and Peter Cobb for touchdown passes. A Murdock run capped the scoring.
"LeMire did a nice job," Sanchez said of the senior transfer from Texas. "We had some missed connections early in the ballgame but he made big plays at the end when we needed it."
And big plays have been a trademark of the Broncos' big start as Cobb and Kyle Bromm have scored off interceptions. Ben LeCompte had 3 interceptions Friday.
"Our defense really helped us through this," Rafidia said.
"We're catching balls we're supposed to," Sanchez said. "Those were plays, for whatever reason the last couple of years, we couldn't seem to finish. Right now that's a big difference for us."
You've come a long Wave, baby: St. Edward has enjoyed the No. 10 ranking in the Associated Press poll of Class 4A schools for two weeks, and the Green Wave stand to gain more votes in the wake of Friday's 42-0 victory over Immaculate Conception, which entered the game ranked No. 7 in Class 3A.
Folks around St. Edward can't remember a time in the school's history when the football program attained statewide recognition, an amazing accomplishment considering it survived a near-death experience in 2005.
Green Wave football had to be rebuilt from scratch after the previous coach suddenly resigned in mid-July of 2005. Several top athletes abandoned ship for public schools. Only a scant few remained.
Youth football coach Mike Rolando, a former Larkin player under Ray Haley and Bob Krieger, volunteered to take the head coaching position when no one else wanted the job. The Wave went 0-18 in Rolando's first two seasons and 1-8 in 2007, a period during which 14-year old freshmen were asked to play varsity football against seniors twice their size just to keep the program alive.
Those players faced "bloodshed" and several left games with concussions and other injuries, Rolando said, but they kept the program's heart beating when it could have coded.
"I'll never forget the sacrifices players like Matt Ardiente, Jim Waclawik, Ryan Eighenhauser, Moises Quiroga and Shane Finnane made by playing four years of varsity football, and I'll never forget people telling us it was impossible," Rolando said. "That helped drive us. People saying we were crazy, that helped drive us. But we maintained a positive attitude and didn't dwell on the negatives. We took something positive out of every game and we built on that."
The fact St. Edward is now a ranked football team under its sixth-year coach is a testament to perseverance, dedication and determination, not only by the former and current players and Rolando's staff, but the entire St. Edward community.
The reward for the slow, steady rebuilding process is a healthy football program and a varsity squad now recognized well beyond the Elgin city limits. However, the 2010 team is not satisfied with a mere poll ranking. These players have their sites trained directly on earning the Gold Division title in the Suburban Christian Conference and winning the first playoff game in school history.
"We tend to downplay the ranking," Rolando said. "The first week we were ranked we didn't even talk about it until game day. We only brought it up then because the kids had heard it from everyone else. It's nice to be recognized as an up-and-coming team, but it doesn't mean anything on Friday night. "
Good Wood for Patriots: The disadvantage wasn't severe.
It wasn't like Brion Wood was playing with one hand tied behind his back.
Yet, the Stevenson senior linebacker was in fact playing with only one good hand Friday in a 24-7 victory over North Suburban Conference Lake Division rival Warren.
Wood had broken his left hand the previous week in a victory over Glenbrook South. A central figure of the Stevenson defense, Wood would have been tough to replace had he been forced to sit a game or two.
"When we got the news about his hand early in the week, we were a little worried," Stevenson coach Bill McNamara said. "But he came out to practice on Tuesday with his cast on, fully suited and ready to play. It was a sigh of relief. It was great to see him."
The Blue Devils probably didn't feel the same way.
With his hand and forearm wrapped up in a removable soft cast that included plenty of padding, Wood had numerous tackles and key stops against the Blue Devils, helping Stevenson move to 3-0 on the season.
"He's our leader on defense," McNamara said of Wood. "He understands what we're trying to accomplish and he's a fast, aggressive kid out there. He has the ability to make a lot of plays for us. He made a lot of plays tonight (against Warren)."
A big hit in DVC: It's no surprise that Friday's DuPage Valley Conference opener between Glenbard North and Naperville North turned out to be one of the hardest-hitting games of the weekend.
Even though the Panthers pulled out a key 10-3 win in Naperville, the victory cost the Panthers in terms of a physical toll on the defense.
Glenbard North (3-0, 1-0) entered the game without linebacker Austin Siperly and defensive back Aaron Smith due to injury, and then linebacker Tyler Knudsen and defensive back Tremel Smith were hurt during the game.
Others stepped up to preserve the win, but the injury trend doesn't bode well for Glenbard North heading into this week's game against fellow DVC unbeaten Wheaton North (3-0, 1-0), which cruised to a 50-7 win over West Chicago on Friday.
Considering the Panthers also entered the season having graduated 10 defensive starters, Friday's effort against Naperville North (2-1, 0-1) was even more impressive. In three games the defense has allowed a total of only 17 points.
"Kids are going out and people are just jumping in and stepping up to the challenge," said Panthers coach Ryan Wilkens. "Everyone just stepped up."
Glenbard North will return one key player this week when all-DVC running back Evin Natick comes back from a one-game disciplinary suspension. Natick also plays linebacker.
Consistent Snyder: Neuqua Valley running back Trent Snyder has been a model of consistency the last two weeks. After rushing for 245 yards and 2 touchdowns in a Week 2 win over Naperville Central, the 5-foot-9, 170-pound senior answered with 225 yards and 3 touchdowns in Friday's 49-12 Upstate Eight Conference win over St. Charles North.
Geneva's instant offense: Geneva wide receiver Russ Acton entered Friday's game with 2 catches for 13 yards in a rare 0-2 start for the Vikings.
Geneva coach Rob Wicinski was determined to change those numbers. He did, and that's one of the main reasons the Vikings now have their first win.
Acton caught 5 passes for 101 yards in Geneva's 30-20 win over St. Charles East. That included a 39-yard reception on an 81-yard scoring drive and a 32-yard grab on an 88-yard touchdown march that turned a 20-10 second-half deficit into a 24-20 lead.
"I have been disappointed in myself the last two weeks I haven't been able to get that kid the ball," Wicinski said. "We really tried to make a conscious effort to get him the ball. He's a playmaker and can make some things happen. That was the game plan to get him the ball out there and I'm glad it worked out."
Welcome back: St. Charles East's Mike Fields returned to Geneva on Friday for the first time as a visiting coach.
Fields coached the Geneva sophomore team for 10 years. Last season was his first year as the head coach at St. Charles East and he led the Saints to the Upstate Eight Conference championship.
The Vikings welcomed Fields back Friday. Their public address announcer thanked Fields before the game for helping turn around the Geneva program, and Fields received a warm round of applause from the Geneva and St. Charles East fans.
Fields appreciated the gesture and has had nothing but great things to say about his time at Geneva. But it's easy to tell his focus now is 100 percent with St. Charles East.
"I have to be honest. It had no bearing on it," Fields said. "You hate to say you are over it but I am over it. I'm a Saint now, I bleed the black and the orange. Having never come in on this side and play on this side to me it was just another game. It was no bearing at all."
Consistent Snyder: Neuqua Valley running back Trent Snyder has been a model of consistency the last two weeks. After rushing for 245 yards and 2 touchdowns in a Week 2 win over Naperville Central, the 5-foot-9, 170-pound senior answered with 225 yards and 3 touchdowns in Friday's 49-12 Upstate Eight Conference win over St. Charles North.
MSL crossover scorecard: The Mid-Suburban West leads the East 7-5 going into Thursday's final round of crossovers.
• Daily Herald Sports Writers Marty Maciaszek, Jerry Fitzpatrick, Patricia Babcock McGraw, Kevin Schmit and John Lemon contributed
Five games to keep an eye on for the upcoming weekend:
Elk Grove at Schaumburg (6:30 p.m. Thursday) Two of MSL's best in Nick Meyer and Shepard Little
Prairie Ridge at Crystal Lake South (7:15 p.m. Friday) Big rivalry showdown in Fox Valley
Marmion at Marian Central (7:30 p.m. Friday) Cadets can take big step toward SCC Blue title repeat
Joliet Catholic at Carmel (7:30 p.m. Friday) Lot of running men in ESCC showdown
Wheaton North at Glenbard North (7:30 p.m. Friday) Can Panthers 'D' slow down Falcons 'O'?