Johnny O’Brien had an uncharacteristic start to his game Friday.

The Fremd senior quarterback threw an incomplete pass on the first play. He was sacked on the second. O’Brien scrambled for a first down on the third, but on the play lost a fumble.

It hardly precluded another special night.

O’Brien, a Northwestern recruit, threw for 306 yards, 243 in the second half, and four touchdowns.

Fremd scored touchdowns on four consecutive drives in a 31-point first half and went on to a 45-21 win over visiting Lyons in a Class 8A second-round game in Palatine.

“That first drive is not our brand of football,” said O’Brien, who was 21-for-34 passing. “But we knew that it’s a long game.”

Fremd (10-1), now in its first quarterfinal since 2009, advanced to face the winner of Saturday’s Bolingbro

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