A Look Back at Barrington's First Two Semifinal Football Trips
The state playoff football landscape was much different when Barrington made its first two semifinal trips in 1974 and 1983. In each case it took just two wins to get there but it was also much tougher to get into the smaller fields. You typically had to be a conference champion or a powerhouse independent to make the postseason.
Here’s a look at those early trips:
A Brand New Ballgame in 1974
Years of pushing for a state playoff for football finally came to fruition in 1974. And Barrington was one of the select 80 teams to be part of the inaugural event as it finished the regular season at 9-0 under Bill Graham and won the North Suburban Conference title.
Barrington was led by all-state running back Frank Shellenback, who is one of the best players in program history as he rushed for 1,843 yards and 36 touchdowns in 1974. The Broncos were in Class 4A (there were five classes) and beat Glenbard South 34-19 before hosting Joliet Catholic.
The Broncos beat the Hilltoppers 28-20. Ignorance was bliss considering Joliet Catholic and legendary coach Gordie Gillespie would win state titles the next four years and lose only once in 52 games.
“I remember saying to myself 10 years after beating Joliet Catholic that if we knew how good they were we never would have beaten them,” Shellenback said in a story for the 30th anniversary of the state playoffs. “They were stacked but we just didn’t know. We had no idea how good they were.”
Few people today probably realize how good Rockford East was as it won the semifinal game at Barrington 31-7. The E-Rabs were 9-0 in 1973 and would finish at 13-0 by winning the 4A title 34-15 over Normal Community at Illinois State’s Hancock Stadium.
The E-Rabs were led by running back Ira Matthews, who played 37 games with the Oakland Raiders and earned a Super Bowl XV ring. Matthews went to Wisconsin along with offensive tackle George Wojtowicz and defensive linemen Stuart Walker (Colorado), a Parade All-American, and Jerry Holloway (Western Illinois) were also NFL draft picks. Defensive back-running back Russell Pope (Purdue) had NFL and USFL tryouts and quarterback Dean Schleuter would have a successful coaching run at Jacobs.
“We were just kind of a small town, Barrington back in 1974, and we didn’t realize we were playing teams from all over the state,” said Shellenback, who played baseball at Missouri and Wisconsin. “The first year we weren’t thinking like that (about a state championship). We thought, ‘Oh great, we get to play another game.’ Now you think of it in eighth grade to be in the state tournament.”
Another Run in ‘83
The playoffs had expanded to six classes but still featured only 96 teams in 1983. Barrington repeated as Mid-Suburban North champions and Tony Rasmussen’s team was perfect through its first eight games before stumbling 7-0 in overtime to Buffalo Grove in the regular-season finale.
Nose guard and MSL North Player of the Year Mike Bowen led eight all-MSL picks along with flanker Tyler Barth, defensive tackle Bob Hamilton, strong safety Jim Johnson, linebacker Brett Matheson, tight end Chris Paulson, quarterback Ron Swanson and free safety Steve Tilles. Paulson, Bowen, Hamilton and Matheson were Daily Herald All-Area picks.
The Broncos had to open on Wednesday in a de facto MSL title game against South champion Conant, which also lost its regular-season finale to finish 8-1. They emphatically ended a four-game playoff losing streak since 1974 as Bill Rodgers rushed for 217 yards and 3 TDs in a 21-0 victory.
A 17-14 win over Evanston in the second round was a serious test as two lost fumbles led to a two-touchdown deficit after just 14 minutes. Tom Matthias had a touchdown run and Bowen’s blocked punt led to Doug Giesler’s field goal to cut the deficit to 14-10 at halftime. Swanson’s 4-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-goal early in the fourth quarter capped the comeback.
“This team really plays as one,” Swanson told the Daily Herald afterward. “It’s unbelievable. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance.”
But the Broncos were shorthanded in a 13-7 loss at Addison Trail as Barth was on crutches with his foot in a case after suffering a stress fracture. An interception by Tilles set up his tying touchdown catch from Swanson to finish a 19-play, 85-yard drive. But AT would quickly respond midway through the second quarter with a 67-yard touchdown run.