Andrew and DeKalb kept matching big play after big play.

Once the big plays dried up for the Barbs, the Thunderbolts were able to pull away for a 47-28 win on Friday in a Southwest Valley Red matchup in DeKalb.

“Those big, momentum-shifting plays, it’s tough to grab that back,” DeKalb coach Derek Schneeman said. “We came in on a three-game skid and you feel like things aren’t going your way. So to start rolling offense, then go three-and-out, punt it, and they come out with a big play, that makes it challenging, put us on our heels a little bit.”

The Barbs (2-6, 1-4) led 14-13 after one quarter. But after the Andrew defense picked up its first stop, Anthony Lipski broke off a 61-yard run on the first play of the next drive.

The Thunderbolts (5-3, 3-2) came up with another stop, and again got a chunk play on the first play of the ensuing drive. This time, it was a 54-yard pass from Camden Maniatis to Lipski to bring the ball down to the 3. On third down, Maniatis punched it in from a yard out and a 27-14 lead.

“If you want to beat a team as good as this, you have to make big stops and be able to score explosive plays,” Andrew coach Adam Lewandowski said.

The teams traded touchdowns on the next two possessions, with the Barbs scoring on a 5-yard slant from Cole Latimer to Jack Rosenow.

The Barbs had a late drive to reach the 36, but Brayden Guzak made a leaping, one-handed interception on a Latimer pass to send the game into halftime with Andrew leading 34-21.

The only two stops the Barbs got came at the end of each half, and the Thunderbolts were in the Barbs’ territory each time.

“Guys are in position, we have to make plays,” Schneeman said of the Barbs’ defense, which allowed 501 yards of total offense, 403 on the ground. “Playing against the triple option comes down to, as everyone says, assignment football. So everyone’s got their job. So if one or two people don’t do their job, it leads to big plays.”

Maniatis ran for 106 yards and three touchdowns to lead Andrew, and was 3 for 4 passing for another 98 yards and a score. Three other Thunderbolts ran for at least 75 yards.

The Barbs ran for 53 yards as a team. Latimer was 20 for 27 for 318 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. Davon Grant had eight catches for 158 yards a score. Rosenow caught four passes for 54 yards and two touchdowns.

“The kid battles,” Schneeman said of Latimer’s performance. “I’ve really loved having Cole. Obviously, he’s immensely talented, but he’s a really good kid. ... We had something we thought we liked in the passing game and he took advantage of it.”

The Barbs struck first when Latimer found Grant on a picture-perfect deep bomb. The 67-yard score came less than 4 minutes into the game.

Andrew didn’t waste any time with a long kickoff return for a touchdown, making the score 7-6 with 9:11 left in the first.

On the next drive, Latimer hit Grant on a 36-yard deep throw, then Latimer capped the drive with a 4-yard run.

Ali Hayek had a 64-yard run on the next drive, setting up another 1-yard plunge into the end zone by Maniatis, pushing the score to 14-13 with 1:25 left in the first.

“[Maniatis] was a true leader tonight,” Lewandowski said. “He played with amazing grit, amazing heart. He’s an explosive player, and people are sleeping on him. They need to wake up and take notice.”

The Thunderbolts pushed the lead to 40-21 after a long drive to start the third quarter. The Barbs appeared poised for a stop, forcing Andrew into a fourth and 7 at the DeKalb 14. But Maniatis went around the left side for a touchdown run with 5:21 left in the third.

DeKalb got a late touchdown in the fourth when Latimer lobbed it into the end zone from 24 yards out, right into the corner where Rosenow leaped and came down with it, keeping his feet in and making the score 47-28 with 5:11 left.

The win was No. 5 for the Thunderbolts, likely securing a postseason berth.

“These boys deserve it,” Lewandowski said. “They worked their tails off. They are highly disciplined. They are highly dedicated. They come from an amazing group of families and a great community. The coaches deserve it. The families deserve it. Andrew High School deserves it.”