By STEVE SINISKI
They dialed 1-800-Will-Barrow.
And their do-it-all receiver/defensive back/return man was glad to answer the call and respond.
Trailing 13-7, Baldwin had the ball at midfield with four minutes to play when Barrow put on his cape. He turned a short screen pass on the left side into a huge 39-yard gain, bringing the ball all the way down to the Freeport 11-yard line before getting tackled out of bounds.
The Bruins, who had been down in the Freeport red zone twice earlier without netting any points, didn't waste any time in completing the drive. On the very next play, it was Barrow again, this time on a short pass to the right side that he turned into the game-winning score with 3:11 to play. Kicker Andrew Kroell's extra-point attempt provided the final margin in Baldwin's 14-13 victory
"It was just pure patience and [us] waiting for something to happen," Baldwin coach Steve Carroll said of his offense's late-game drive.
"He brings the team to another level and puts in a whole different category," Carroll said of the Bruinsâ top playmaker who totaled 95 yards on four receptions and added 126 more on a pair of kick returns. "Freeport knew they had to contain him [on returns] and they even changed their kickoff team and put their starting defense out there."
Though the Bruins took the lead for the first time since the first quarter, their invitation to the finals had yet to be sealed and delivered. The Bruins' defense had to put its stamp on the envelope first. The Red Devils, starting at their own 21, gained just three yards on the first three plays and faced a fourth and 7 from their own 24 when Barrow made his presence felt on the defensive side of the field as well. He tipped away Freeport's final pass, and the Bruins were able to run out the clock on offense.
In opening up the game by running back the kickoff 86 yards for a touchdown, Barrow jump-started the Bruins faithful who weren't even settled into their seats yet, while also taking some pressure off of both the offense and defense. And when the Red Devils tried to kick it away from Barrow by shortening up the distance, he was still able to get under the ball and had a 40-yard run back in the first half as well.
Freeport defeated Baldwin 35-28 in the team's regular season meeting, but led by a strong push from its defensive line, the Bruins limited the Red Devils to just two touchdowns this time around, while shutting down quarterback Randy Mills (87 yards passing, 94 rushing). "The defensive line stepped up and did some great things," Carroll said. "We even had two blocked passes at the line and kept their quarterback moving around."
The defense came up with perhaps its biggest stand on Freeport's opening drive of the second half. With the Red Devils marching down to the Baldwin 33 on the strength of six straight running plays for 46 yards over the left side of the line, the Bruins dug in their heels.
On first down, Efosa Guobadia got into the Freeport backfield and made a tackle for a loss of five yards. "He's been a hidden powerhouse for us," Carroll said of his tailback/defensive back who also returned a Freeport quick kick 26 yards down to the Red Devils 20 in the second quarter.
After the Guobaida hit, it was Andrew Pryce's turn to show his face in the Red Devils backfield, where he put a quick end to a Freeport shovel pass for a loss of three yards. On third and 18, Mills thought he saw a seam on the line, but once he got there, he was greeted by not only Bruins' captain Andrew Berg, but also Danny Iovine and Bryan Appelbaum for no gain.
Joe Esposito, who boomed a 56-yard punt in the second quarter with Baldwin pinned inside its own 25-yard line, added an interception and several big hits from his linebacker position. He also made what may have been the biggest heads-up play in the game when he dragged down teammate Ronnie Thomas, who had just run for a first down with a little more than one minute to play in the game.
The Sun Devils appeared more than happy to let Thomas waltz in -- they didn't attempt to tackle him when he made it through the line at the Freeport 25 -- in order to get one last crack with a minute to play. But Esposito realized what was going on and aided Thomas in making sure Baldwin retained possession rather than put points on the board. The Bruins never gave Freeport another chance to even the score. "That was a huge play for a high school player to figure out," Carroll said.
