Cougars see improvement, if not playoff bid

Kendall Lane is tripped up by Barrington's Tim Oakley during the first quarter of Conant's final game of the season.
(Brian O'Mahoney/Staff Photographer)

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Sitting down in a chair near the locker room, his clothes dirty and wet, Conant coach Bill Modelski tried to explain the recent chain of events Friday night.

Only a few weeks ago, the Cougars were contenders for the MSL West crown, catapulting into the race with a stunning victory over Palatine. The Cougars suddenly fell into a late-season funk to ruin a positive start, losing three of their last four games to finish the season at 4-5 and 2-3 in the West.

Particularly painful to Modelski was Conant's last two games. The Cougars had not lost by double digits until a 31-21 setback to Schaumburg in Week 8. The Cougars then closed out the season with a 33-7 defeat to Barrington.

"I really was pleased as I could be how the team played the first seven weeks," Modelski said. "The last two weeks we seemed to lose our fire."

The Broncos manhandled the Cougars to enter the playoffs in a good frame of mind. The Cougars showed some life in their first series, driving into Barrington territory. The Cougars converted a fourth-down attempt near midfield to extend the drive. In a sign of things to come, the Broncos buckled down and ended the 11-play drive with a sack on another fourth down.

A sudden downpour changed the complexion of the game, forcing the Cougars to depend heavily on quarterback Sean Smith and tailback Kendall Lane. The muddy field coupled with Barrington's aggressive front four was a bad recipe for the Cougars.

The Cougars turned into a one-dimensional offense, with Smith running for his life. The Broncos recorded nine sacks and limited Conant to 50 yards of total offense. The Cougars finished with minus-20 yards rushing.

A 33-yard loss symbolized Conant's frustrating night. The Cougars moved into Barrington territory, but the big sack stopped the tide.

"It was surreal," Modelski said of the sack. "Like it didn't happen. It was unbelievable. They just took away everything we tried to do all game. They've got a lot of good players. I give them a lot of credit. Kendall was a marked man and they did a nice job of adjusting to what we did."

The Cougars were unable to stop Barrington tailback Sam Ojuri. The senior rushed for a game-high 99 yards and scored four touchdowns. Down 14-0 at halftime, the Cougars squashed any chance for a comeback bid by committing three turnovers in the second half.

The Cougars avoided a shutout when Smith connected with wide receiver Jeff Vercillo for a 27-yard touchdown with 45 seconds remaining.

The late-season swoon killed Conant's playoff chances, but Modelski said the seniors deserve credit for doubling the program's win total from last fall.

"This group of seniors won five football games coming into this season," he said. "The reason we didn't get in the playoffs was because we played our worst two games at the end. My hat goes off to the seniors."