Barrington’s Peter Anderson may be the only quarterback in the area with his GPA and SAT score in his Twitter bio.
Barrington’s Peter Anderson may be the only quarterback in the area with his GPA and SAT score in his Twitter bio.
Anderson’s brains and football IQ were on full display in the No. 19 Broncos’ 35-21 win against MSL West rival Fremd on Friday.
The first-year starter is developing into a significant force. He was 11-for-15 for 246 yards passing with one touchdown and one interception and he had two short-yardage touchdown runs. Anderson connected with five different receivers, including big plays of 81 yards and 51 yards to senior Joey Gurskis.
“There is a young man who has put in everything he has for this moment right here,” Barrington coach Joe Sanchez said. “I am just so grateful for this entire senior group, for this team to have this opportunity. [Anderson] studies, he preps, he does all the things that you want. Augustana is getting a gem.”
Fremd (2-2) led 7-0 at halftime. Senior Cade Cheripka’s nine-yard run was the only score in the first two quarters.
“We had a lot of plays in the first half where we were just an inch off success and we went out in the second half and changed that and figured it out,” Anderson said.
The Vikings took a 21-14 lead on Taytum Carmichael’s one-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter. But the play was costly for Fremd. Quarterback Ryan Saxe injured his left leg and didn’t return. The Vikings never managed any kind of passing attack after he left the game.
Saxe was 11-for-17 for 221 yards and scored on a one-yard run in the third quarter.
Fremd takes a 14-7 lead on Barrington. QB Ryan Saxe ran it in from the 1. He also completed a pair of nice long passes on the drive, including this one to Cade Cheripka. pic.twitter.com/eKEGb9sFsw
— Michael O’Brien (@michaelsobrien) April 10, 2021
Barrington did a solid job limiting Fremd’s rushing attack throughout. The Vikings managed just two runs of more than nine yards and finished with just 66 yards on the ground.
“That’s just playing team defense with the guys executing their job and making sure that they gapped out the way they are supposed to,” Sanchez said. “We pride ourselves on swarming to the ball, 11 guys getting there and finishing plays.”
Barrington running back Bryan Smith tied the game with a 61-yard touchdown run with 10:35 and then sealed the win with a 42-yard touchdown run in the final minute.
“That was amazing to see him free up and the field open and know he was going to the end zone,” Anderson said. “It felt great for everyone.”
Smith had 10 carries for 124 yards and two touchdowns. Gurskis caught six passes for 169 yards and a touchdown and Tom Sweeney had two receptions for 49 yards.
“This win means a lot to us,” Smith said. “We had lost to them two years in a row and offensively we didn’t score both years. So to come out and put up 35 points was an amazing game for our team.”
The win clinches the MSL West for Barrington. The Broncos will face the MSL East winner in the conference championship game Week 6.
“We’d like to win one more and then have these guys finish it out,” Sanchez said. “I’m just proud of the kids.”
