NBCSportsChicago.com preps reporter "Edgy" Tim O’Halloran spotlights 100 high school football teams in 100 days. The first 75 team profiles will focus on teams making strides across Chicagoland and elsewhere in the state. Starting Aug. 5, we’ll unveil the @NBCSPrepsTop 25 Power Rankings, leading up to kickoff on Friday, Aug. 30.
School: Barrington
Head coach: Joe Sanchez
Assistant coaches: Steve Galovich, Todd Kuklinski, Tim Norwood, Bill Helzer, Pat Wire, Mike Staudt, Nate Grey, Dan Pohlman and Andy Farrisey
How they fared in 2018: 7-4 (3-2 Mid Suburban West Conference). Barrington made the Class 8A state playoff field, beat Oswego East then lost to Homewood-Flossmoor in second round action.
2019 regular season schedule:
Aug. 30 @ Warren Township
Sept. 6 vs Buffalo Grove
Sept. 13 vs New Trier
Sept. 20 @ Glenbrook South
Sept. 27 @ Palatine
Oct. 4 vs Conant
Oct. 11 @ Fremd
Oct. 18 @ Hoffman Estates
Oct. 25 vs Schaumburg
[MORE: 35 Days to Kickoff - Conant]
Biggest storyline: Barrington has long been a model of consistency (14 playoff seasons in the last 17) and have some big returnees on their roster. Can the Broncos win the Mid-Suburban west and make a deep run in the state playoff field?
Names to watch this season: QB Tommy Fitzpatrick (Sr.), WR/DB EJ Darlington (Sr.), DE Lukas Van Ness (Sr., Iowa) and DL Matt Reedy (Sr.)
Biggest holes to fill: The Broncos will welcome back 13 returning starters (six offense, seven defense) but will need to reload in a few key spots, including at running back and along defensive line.
EDGY's Early Take: Coach Joe Sanchez played several underclassmen in 2018 and that should really end up paying dividends off this fall. QB Tommy Fitzpatrick (Sr.) is a very strong dual threat in the read option attack while WR EJ Darlington (Sr.) is a game breaker. The defense will be led by DE Lukas Van Ness (Sr., Iowa); the overall unit has experience all over the field this fall, including three starters back in the secondary. The Broncos have a chance to make some noise in the Mid-Suburban West and beyond in 2019.