BARRINGTON – Terry McCombs and his staff have worked wonders in their first season leading the Minooka football program.
On Friday night, however, the Indians reached a whole new world.
"I've always been a gambler," McCombs smiled after 6-foot-3, 292-pound offensive tackle, Derek Wentworth, took a lateral from quarterback Zach Gessner at about the 7-yard line and rumbled into the end zone, running over a potential tackler at the pylon, on a fourth-and-4 play in overtime to give the Indians a 41-34 victory over previously unbeaten Barrington in Round 2 of the Class 8A state playoffs.
"We've had that play in all year, we just have not used it," McCombs said. "It was there in case we needed it. It's a tackle eligible."
"The ball got in the lights," Wentworth said, explaining how he bobbled the lateral before securing it. "I saw it, then I didn't, then it was in my hands. I knew the game was on the line right there. I was going to get in the end zone.
"I know I'll get the headlines, but our whole team was fanstastic, and so are our coaches."
Wentworth's touchdown was not the end, however. Not yet. Barrington still had its chance from the 10-yard line. But the defense for the Indians (9-2), which had to chase the Broncos' magician of a quarterback, Ray Niro, all night long, received an adrenaline boost thanks to Wentworth's rumble.
The Indians stopped Niro, who finished with 233 rushing yards in 37 attempts and completed 8-of-16 passes for 216 yards, to a net of 1 yard on the first two Barrington downs in overtime. Niro then threw incomplete on third down, and on fourth down, Colin Schuster blanketed Jake Parsons and forced the final incompletion.
Indian Nation went berserk.
"The coaches told me to stay on No. 12 [Parsons]," Schuster said. "I was not going to allow him catch the pass."
Even after Barrington (10-1) erased the 26-14 lead Minooka had built early in the second half and had gone ahead 34-26 with 5:06 left, Minooka was in no mood to quit. The Indians drove 66 yards in six plays to score and make it 34-32 with 2:26 left. Included in the drive were a Zach Gessner to Max Christiano pass for 19 yards, Owen Kapple's 18-yard run, a Gessner to Schuster connection for 23 yards to the 12 and a Gessner to Christiano 12-yard slant for the score.
There was still work to be done, however. The Indians needed the two-point conversion to draw even.
McCombs and staff reached into their bag of tricks and pulled out a play they had called once earlier this season in a huge situation. Remember Gessner throwing a two-point conversion pass to defensive end Adrian Paige to beat Plainfield North, 23-22? Well, it worked perfectly again, tying the game, 34-34.
"They didn't have that film," McCombs said of the Plainfield North game. "They didn't want that one. So we knew they hadn't seen the play. That's why we ran it.
"My philosophy is I always take chances. Hey, that's an awfully good team that we just beat."
After Barrington scored on its first possession, the Indians came out in the wildcat formation on their first play from scrimmage, and Christiano worked it for a 53-yard run to the 5. Connor Etzkorn scored on the next play, and it was game on the rest of the night.
"We set the tone for the game when we answered Barrington's first score less than a minute after they scored," Chrsitiano said. "We talked about how we had to score on the first drive, and we did."
After that, regular quareterback Gessner took the snaps most of the night. The Indians went in knowing they needed some fireworks from the passing game to beat Barrington, and they got it. Gessner finished 10-of-15 for 237 yards. That included a 76-yard touchdown throw to Braden Vercler and the big 12-yarder to Christiano.
Kapple finished with 128 yards in 15 carries, including a 30-yard touchdown run that stretched Minooka's lead to 26-14 in the third quarter.
A receiver who came up huge in the second half was Schuster. He caught three passes for 74 yards in a lightning-quick scoring drive that gave Minooka a 19-14 lead early in the third quarter. He finished with five catches, all in the second half, for 108 yards.
"This was the best night of my career catching the football," Schuster said. Our O-line gave Zach [Gessner] time to throw and his passes were perfect."
Perfect. The word fits what Minooka accomplished Friday night.
UNSUNG HERO
Max Christiano ran 53 yards from the wildcat formation on Minooka's first play to set up a score, caught the huge 12-yard touchdown pass that helped set up overtime and played a bang-up defensive game from his position in the secondary.
QUICK STATS
Minooka 7 6 13 8 (7) - 41
Barrington 7 7 7 13 - 34
First: B - Niro 5 run (Hutchinson kick) 6:47
First: M - Etzkorn 5 run (Haduk kick) 5:53
Second: M - Vercler 76 pass from Gessner (kick failed) 4:34
Second: B - Curran 1 run (Hutchinson kick) 1:41
Third: M - Johnson 2 run (run failed) 10:05
Third: M - Kapple 30 run (Haduk kick) 7:56
Third: B - Curran 3 run (Hutchinson kick) 2:43
Fourth: B - Niro 3 run (run failed) 8:45
Fourth: B - Niro 13 run (Hutchinson kick) 5:06
Fourth: M - Christiano 12 pass from Gessner (Paige pass from Gessner) 2:26
OT: M - Wentworth 4 run with lateral (Hudak kick)
TEAM STATISTICS
First downs - M 17, B 25; yards rushing - M 217, B 281; yards passing - M 237, B 216; total yards - 454, B 497; fumbles lost - M 1, B 0; penalties - M 2-10, B 2-20.
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing: M - Kapple 15-128, Chrsitiano 3-58, Gessner 4-11, Etzkorn 4-10, Kropke 2-4, Wentworth 1-4, Johnson 2-2; B - Niro 37-233, Curran 18-51, Andrea 2-3, Gagne 1-0, Cassio 1-minus 6.
Passing: M - Gessner 10-15-0i-237; B - Niro 8-16-0i-216.
Receiving: M - Schuster 5-108, Vercler 1-76, Christiano 2-31, Etzkorn 2-22; B - Andrea 3-111, Bogaerts 2-49, Gagne 2-25, Parsons 1-31.