There are three phases in football. If a team can prevail in two of them, there is a strong likelihood it will win.

But all three?

Then you get what happened in Lockport on Saturday evening, a 35-0 Porters’ victory over third-seeded Barrington in a Class 8A quarterfinal.

Lockport , the No. 23 seed, used a 54-yard blocked punt return for a touchdown early in the first quarter by junior strong safety Darrell McCullough to set the tone. A key interception by junior cornerback Jake Manzo in the third quarter killed a Barrington drive on the Porters’ 29-yard line.

And all along, a steady diet of gash runs by a pair of seniors – running back Chris Miller and quarterback Brendan Mecher – kept Lockport’s offense chugging along. Mecher had 131 yards rushing and three touchdowns, while Miller

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