Barrington is the Sun-Times' Spotlight School of the Week. Barrington has won six state titles in six different sports. Notable alumni include former Bears safety Gary Fencik, actress Colleen Zenk Pinter, former Blackhawks goalie Craig Anderson and Terry Moran, co-anchor of Nightline for ABC News.
TOP SPORTS MOMENTS
Making its mark
1 Coach Jody Gitelis' girls track and field team won the 2007 state title, the first school other than East St. Louis Lincoln, South Shore, Evanston and Morgan Park to prevail. The 1,600 relay of Molly Glantz, Jayne Jaderholm, Valery Taylor and Jennifer Schnack and the 3,200 relay of Glantz, Samantha Learch, Danielle Locascio and Rebecca Tracy led the winners.
Best game ever?
2 Dan Pohlman scored on an 89-yard kickoff return with 33.7 seconds to play in the fourth quarter, then scored on a 10-yard run in each overtime period as Barrington stunned Naperville North 34-28 in a 1998 Class 6A semifinal. Scott Sagehorn's two-point conversion pass to Steve Canada tied the game. Barrington (13-1) lost to WW South in the state championship game.
Triple overtime
3 Three-sport athlete Ryan Nolan scored the game-winning goal with 4:04 left in the third overtime as coach Scott Steib's boys soccer team (25-2) outlasted Neuqua Valley 2-1 for the 2007 state championship. Junior goalkeeper Tom Unak made a diving save of a penalty kick to force overtime. All-Stater and scoring leader Francesco Furio scored the first goal. Baseball powerhouse
Baseball champions
4 In 1986, coach Kirby Smith guided his baseball team (33-5) to the school's first state title. Catcher Dan Wilson, the Sun-Times' Player of the Year and a future major leaguer, batted .491 with 45 RBI and was the leading pitcher with 13 victories and a 1.21 ERA. Keith Noreen batted .451 with 12 homers, Mark Levin .442 with 44 RBI and Mike Bradley hit 11 homers.
State quarterfinalist
5 In the school's fifth year, with an enrollment of 475, coach Harold Gaffney's basketball team (28-2) reached the 1954 state quarterfinals. The Broncos were led by Roy Dewitz, Elmer Saveley, Craig Oberst, Jerry Babb and Dick Popp, trounced Litchfield 57-38 in the opening round of the Sweet Sixteen before losing to Edwardsville 59-57 in overtime.
WHAT BARRINGTON MEANS TO ME
By Gary Fencik: A 1972 graduate, played football at Yale and started on the 1985 Bears' Super Bowl champion. He is a partner in Adams Street Partners.
My father was dean of boys at Zion-Benton in 1969. Then we moved to Barrington after my freshman year when he became an assistant principal at the high school. Both schools were in the North Suburban League at the time so I played against a lot of friends for my last three years.
Barrington was a great experience, a great opportunity, a great football program under coach Bill Graham and defensive coordinator John Strell, who was a special coach for me. He demanded so much out of his players. We had a strong love/hate relationship. He worked us so really hard.
On Sundays after games, he invited the defensive unit over to his house. We ate tacos while we watched the game film. Then he'd rip into us at Monday practice. I look back at those days as great times. Coming in as a transfer student, everybody made me welcome. I had good success there.
I never dreamed how far I could take football, never thought about the NFL. I just wanted to play in college. I was 6-1 and 170 pounds.
Wisconsin and Minnesota offered scholarships but Harvard, Dartmouth and Yale also were interested. It was clear to me that a commitment to a Big Ten scholarship was more than I was willing to make. The Ivy League was closer to what I wanted out of an education.
Barrington prepared me for college. Charles White, my English teacher, wrote a recommendation to Yale. He was very important in my life. He nurtured me. He was a good counsel. He took personal interest in me. He helped me to think through decisions I was approached with in looking at colleges and my football opportunity.
I still have many friends I met at Barrington, including my attorney Glenn Reed. I recall parties we had when South Barrington was just a field. It was a great place to grow up, a big area, a very different environment, a diverse group of people.
NOTABLE ALUMNI
* Craig Anderson: Former NHL player, Florida Panthers.
* Kallen Esperian: Opera soprano.
* Gary Fencik: Bears safety.
* Dr. Bryan Foy: Associate professor, thoracic and cardiovascular surgery.
* Gregory Garre: Deputy Solicitor General.
* Gary Hallberg: Former professional golfer.
* Marvin Lipofsky: Glass artist, pioneer of the Studio Glass Movement.
* Ryan Miller: Professional soccer, Columbus Crew.
* Terry Moran: Co-anchor, Nightline for ABC News.
* Henry Paulson: Former U.S. Treasury Secretary.
* Colleen Zenk Pinter: Emmy-nominated actress, As The World Turns.
* Cynthia Rowley: Fashion designer.
* Kenneth Webster: Nationally syndicated radio personality.
* Dan Wilson: Former player, Seattle Mariners.
* Corinne Wood: Former Lieutenant Governor.
* Thomas Robert Youngstrom: Photographer.
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