CN100 Game of the Week preview: Football Week 6 - Conant vs. Barrington

IHSA Football Week 6 – Conant vs. Barrington

BARRINGTON – It’s only the second week of play in the Mid-Suburban West, but Saturday’s showdown between two undefeated teams, Barrington and Conant, looms large.
The two squads square off at 1 p.m. in Barrington on Saturday, a game which will be broadcast by CN100 at Noon and 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 4, and 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 6. You can also see it anytime in HD with Xfinity On Demand.
Barrington is coming off of two straight 10-2 seasons and has reached the postseason in 10 of the 13 seasons that Joe Sanchez has been the head coach. Conant broke a three-year playoff streak with a 4-5 record last year, but the Cougars have already surpassed that win total.
Among common opponents, both teams handled Wheeling handily. Barrington blew out Hersey 46-7, while Conant squeaked out a 21-13 win.
The battle within the battle is between the two multi-talented quarterbacks.
Barrington senior Johnny Davidson has emerged as one of the top signal-callers in the northwest suburbs by completing 58-of-80 passes for 895 yards and eight touchdowns with only one interception. He’s added 494 yards and seven touchdowns in 53 carries. Davidson also serves as the Broncos’ punter.
Davidson spreads it around to three receivers in particular. Junior Logan Moews leads the way with 19 catches for 387 yards with one touchdown. Senior Jake Zyzda (18 catches, 260 yards, three touchdowns) and 6-foot-5 junior Josh Babicz (13 catches, 250 yards, four touchdowns) have also been key targets.
Senior running back Nate King has pounded opponents to the tune of 612 yards and 12 touchdowns in 85 carries.
Defensively, junior linebacker Blake Holley leads the team with 44 tackles, along with four tackles for loss, a sack and an interception. Senior defensive back Zack Rizzio adds 26 tackles and five tackles for loss, and junior linebacker Jackson Perkins posted three sacks through five games.
Barrington played its closest game of the season last week, topping Schaumburg 35-28, after a string of big wins over Glenbrook South (50-23), Wheeling (42-21) and Elk Grove (42-16).
Conant’s Kyle Bradley has been nearly as lethal as Davidson so far this season. Davidson has completed 66-of-114 passes for 933 yards and seven touchdowns. He’s rushed for 257 yards and four touchdowns in 55 attempts.
Bradley’s favorite target is Palmer Graham (26 catches for 470 yards and three touchdowns). On the ground, the Cougars are paced by Jake Jakubosky’s 656 yards and eight touchdowns in 111 carries.
Coach Bill Modelski is in his 11th season at Conant and got the Cougars to the playoffs three times in a row before last season. The Cougars appear to be headed back this season. The season started with a narrow 25-22 win over Bartlett, followed by blowout wins over Buffalo Grove (55-13) and Wheeling (41-13). Last week, the Cougars handed Fremd its first loss, 26-17
- Paul Johnson, CN100 Correspondent

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