Barrington QB Nick Peipert completes first 18 passes, throws for 3 TDs in runaway win against South Elgin

BARRINGTON – Barrington senior quarterback Nick Peipert completed his first 18 passes and finished 20 of 22 for 379 yards and three touchdowns, lifting the No. 11-seeded Broncos to a 66-13 win over No. 22 South Elgin in a first round Class 8A playoff game Friday night.

The Broncos (8-2) will play at Warren next week in the second round. The Blue Devils defeated Palatine 31-24.

South Elgin ends the season at 6-4.

Peipert’s top receiver was sophomore Austin Coles, who caught five passes for 187 yards and two touchdowns of 80 and 23 yards.

“I have so many weapons to work with,” Peipert said. “I got in a good tempo and I have good connection with Austin Coles. He runs the hitches and posts well. He is so lanky and catches everything.”

Coles has a lot of confidence in the Broncos’ senior signal caller.

“We have a great connection,” Coles said. “We worked a lot together in the summer in the 7-on-7 leagues. We want to keep this going.”

Austin Munson had four catches for 76 yards and an 8-yard TD.

“Nick had a great game,” Barrington coach Joe Sanchez said. “We like to throw the ball with no huddle and with tempo. We have so many weapons. We were really ready to play after losing last week. We have a diverse offense. We had a great week of practice. We want to keep this going.”

Calvin Jackson, who scored the Broncos’ first three touchdowns, gained 78 yards on 11 carries.

Barrington’s defense was led by senior Soran Leahy, who scored on a 45-yard fumble return.

“I had one earlier in the year where I couldn’t pick up the ball,” Leahy said. “It was so exciting to pick up the ball and score.”

Sanchez was proud of the defense.

“The defense was amazing,” Sanchez said. “I was glad to see Soren score. South Elgin has improved from the first game of the year.”

The Broncos picked off four John Ginnan passes, one each by Finn Karam, Jonathan Steiner, Keegan DeGoma and Caid Heick.

Ginnan completed 18-of-32 passes for 263 yards and two touchdowns.

Ishmel George caught six passes for 125 yards and two touchdowns.

“I am very proud of the kids,” said South Elgin coach Pat Pistorio, who is in his first year back after coaching the Storm from 2013-2018. “They were awesome all year and always played hard. Coach Sanchez has a lot of firepower. We want to keep this going every year.”