CN100 Game of the Week preview: Football Week 9 - Barrington vs. Fremd

PALATINE – Unbeaten in the Mid-Suburban West, Palatine has already clinched the division title.
But the two teams behind the Pirates in the standings, Barrington, which lost to Palatine 24-14 last week, and Fremd, have plenty on the line as they hook up Friday at 7:30 p.m. in a game that will be broadcast by CN100. The Comcast Network will air the game at Noon and 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25, and 7 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 27. You can also find it throughout Chicagoland with Xfinity On Demand.
Barrington and Fremd are already guaranteed playoff spots, but a win in this game would give the winner a potentially easier postseason road.
The teams are similar in many ways. Both have dominant defenses, allowing less than 80 points all season. They are also explosive and diverse on offense, with Barrington (7-1, 3-1) scoring 326 points and Fremd totaling 260 points.
Fremd (6-2, 3-1) won five straight after a narrow 10-7 loss to Lake Zurich in the season opener before falling to Palatine 24-17 two weeks ago. The Vikings rebounded with a 39-14 win over Conant to ensure a playoff berth.
“We emphasize that we must learn from everything,” Fremd coach Lou Sponsel said. “(The Palatine loss) was a great life lesson about complacency. Looking back, our kids were complacent during the middle of the season. That loss was exactly what we needed.”
The big gun for the Vikings is 5-foot-8 senior receiver Jawan Gaines, who is a jack of all trades. He has accounted for 835 yards in five different areas, rushing, receiving, and returns of interceptions, kickoffs and punts. His season touchdown total of 11 includes five rushing, four receiving and one each on an interception and a kick return. Just last week he had two kick return TDs called back due to penalties.
Senior running back Darius Burchett was off to a fast start after getting injured Week 3, rushing for 350 yards and seven touchdowns. He could be back for this game. In his stead, senior Cody Patenaude has rushed for 599 yards and four scores.
Two quarterbacks have seen action, and are both dual threats. Senior Nick Bossong has thrown for 529 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions to go with seven rushing scores. Junior Cordell Finley added 317 yards and a score on the ground, with 308 yards and four TDs through the air.
Defensively, senior linebacker Jack Hanson leads the team with 77 tackles and junior defensive lineman Matt McCabe has 10 sacks.
“Our defense is a 4-2-5 that plays very fast with a solid D-line,” Sponsel said.
Barrington’s version of Gaines is 5-foot-10 senior receiver Scotty Miller. Like Gaines, he picks up yardage and scores touchdowns from all over the field.
“Scotty Miller is an explosive playmaker,” Sponsel said. “You aren’t going to stop him. We just have to limit him.”
Junior quarterback Johnny Davidson triggers the offense. Defensively, senior middle linebacker Jake Coon is in the middle of everything.
“Barrington is very similar to us,” Sponsel said. “Our strengths and weaknesses are very similar on the field. We both have size, speed and kids that make plays.”
- Paul Johnson, CN100 Correspondent
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