Lincoln-Way West football coach Dave Ernst doesn’t grapple with words when he talks about running back Gabe Montalvo.
“He’s a wrestler, and those wrestlers are different dudes,” Ernst said.
Bryan Brokop, Lincoln-Way West’s Nebraska-bound offensive lineman, also has a ready response when asked about Montalvo.
“I’ve played with a lot of running backs, and he’s a whole other beast,” Brokop said. “He just doesn’t quit. He’s a monster. He doesn’t care about his yards. He doesn’t care about his touchdowns. He wants to win.”
Montalvo, a 5-foot-10, 170-pound senior, rushed for 260 yards and five touchdowns on 34 carries Saturday in a 40-13 Class 5A quarterfinal win over Peoria that put the Warriors in the state semifinals for the first time.
Lincoln-Way West (10-2) will next face Champaign Central (11-1), a 28-0 quarterfinal winner over Washington on Saturday.
“Coach keeps telling us we’re the best team in Lincoln-Way West history,” Montalvo said. “Our goal is not just to make it to the finals. It’s to win the finals.”
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Montalvo scored on runs of 1 and 15 yards in the first quarter to help host West grab a 17-0 lead that included a 22-yard field goal by Kevin Siemeck.
“We came out and smacked them in the mouth right away,” Brokop said.
The Warriors went ahead 19-7 on a third-quarter safety from a low Peoria punt at its 3-yard line that was blocked up front and went out of the end zone. Montalvo scored from the 3-yard line on the next possession for a 26-7 advantage.
“I just read my blocks,” Montalvo said. “I wouldn’t say I’m anything special. My offensive line, I’d say we have the best in the state. It’s easy for me to make reads, get down the field and pick up yards.
“I don’t like to be soft. If I’m going to go out and do something, I’m going to do it 100 percent. If I get injured, oh well. I’m going to keep trying my hardest.”
Montalvo put the game away midway through the fourth quarter with touchdown runs of 71 and 45 yards.
Quarterback Connor Lowman contributed an effective passing attack and finished 16-of-21 for 124 yards.
Brokop, a 6-5, 280-pound guard, bolsters the offensive line that includes center Jason Lucinski, guard Brett Bergman and tackles Justin Witt and Nathaniel Henry.
“The longer they keep beating on you, as long as they keep staying physical, the 3-yard runs in the first quarter become 5 in the second and 8 in the third,” Ernst said. “And we start popping them in the fourth.”
“We’re like a brotherhood,” Brokop said. “It helps that we’re big, we’re strong. We get it done. We work together. It’s good chemistry.”
It’s a chemistry the Warriors want to blend for a couple more weeks.
“It’s an amazing feeling. We’re going to keep it rolling,” Brokop said. “We’ve all got that one goal in mind, to get that state ring. I know we can do it. We’ve got the group of guys to do it.”
Tim Tierney is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.