Barrington just keeps rolling on
A ton of graduation losses and another one to start this season may have led some people to believe Barrington's football team wasn't going anywhere this season.
George Clampitt believed otherwise.
And the senior offensive guard, one of the few returning starters from a proud program that reached the Class 8A quarterfinals, made it clear after a tough loss at Libertyville.
"I came up with a slogan before the Elk Grove game," Clampitt said. "Let's go out and tell everyone to spread the word -- Barrington's coming.
"I think we've been doing that ever since."
There's no reason to dispute Clampitt there. Not that you would want to do so with someone 6-foot-3 and 265 pounds.
The Broncos came out with a second-half onslaught Friday night to win their third straight Mid-Suburban League crossover 36-18 at Wheeling.
It took only two plays to display their game-breaking ability when junior quarterback Cody Seeger raced 57 yards for a touchdown.
Junior Sam Ojuri put his jets on display with 64- and 70-yard sprints to the end zone in the third quarter.
Add in sophomore Terrance Terry and it's a dangerous trio to be reckoned with.
"We've got guys stepping up and doing what they're supposed to," said Barrington coach Joe Sanchez. "I'm proud of them and proud of what they did."
After all, there is a level of pride in extending a five-year streak of playoff appearances. It's what pushed Clampitt and his teammates in the offseason.
Clampitt and tight end Andrew Cobb are the only starters back up front. But the Broncos pushed their way to 404 yards of total offense Friday with seniors Nate Wokoun and Ed Bedard and juniors Trevor Laue and Gus Handler.
"When you look at the expectations," Clampitt said, "we were supposed to be the (lousiest) team."
OK, that's a bit of a stretch.
But a lot of expectations did depart with talents such as running back Andre Anderson at Michigan State and quarterback Teddy Schell at Indiana.
Clampitt said this group is approaching the togetherness of last year's Broncos. Sanchez sees it, too, which is why he wasn't happy with how Friday's game finished after they built a 36-6 lead.
"We're on the cusp of being able to possibly do some good things," Sanchez said.
They'll need to do a lot of them in next Thursday's MSL West opener. Fremd's coming to town and looking to start its drive for a third straight outright division title.
It's a big opportunity for the Broncos to show they're contenders for the throne.
"We're close right now," Clampitt said. "We're not quite there, but when it starts clicking, we're going to be hard to beat."
Which is nothing new.