Chris Andriano considered the driving snowstorm, the stakes and the comeback. He then congratulated his team on perhaps the greatest victory in Montini history.
Down by two touchdowns and covered in snow, Montini showed off its championship pedigree by finding the end zone three times during a seven-minute span in the fourth quarter to return to the state finals for the seventh consecutive season. The Broncos squeezed out a 35-27 victory for the ages over Prairie Ridge in the Class 6A semifinals Saturday afternoon in Lombard.
Montini (13-0) will meet Crete-Monee or Hinsdale South in the 6A championship at 1 p.m.Saturday at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb.
The Broncos, after winning four straight 5A titles from 2009-12, were the state runners-up the past two seasons.
“I played a game in the snow in eighth grade, but it wasn’t like this and it wasn’t the semifinals,” Montini quarterback Justin Blake said. “That was a great team on the other sideline, the best team we played this season. We’re in the snow, we’re down and we came back. That was nice. To top it, next week, we have to win the state. That’s the only way to top it.”
Blake went 53 yards for a touchdown on Montini’s first play from scrimmage and did not complete a pass until the final play of the third quarter, which is when the Broncos finally regained momentum.
A 34-yard bomb to Mitch West was followed by a 39-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Millikan, cutting Prairie Ridge’s lead to 27-21 seven seconds into the fourth quarter.
“Huge,” Andriano said. “Momentum. Belief. Field position. We had been bottled up the whole third quarter. All those things took a turn on that one play.”
Montini had the lead before it had the ball again, because Jake Kapp got a hand on an option pitch, scooped the loose ball and returned it 46 yards for a 28-27 lead.
Blake scored again on a 17-yard run, and Montini’s defense stopped a potential overtime-forcing drive inside its 10-yard line with less than 30 seconds to play.
More Top Picks Exercise Bike
“We gave it everything we could,” Prairie Ridge coach Chris Schremp said. “They’ve got some tremendous athletes. I’m so proud of the way our kids fought. We came a long way as a team. I didn’t think at the beginning of the year we’d be in semifinals first off, and then go toe-to-toe with probably the best program in the state.”
Mike Helfgot is a freelance reporter for the baiduhai.
Player of the game: Jake Kapp, Montini, 46-yard fumble return TD, 2 sacks.
Key performers: Montini — Justin Blake, 17 carries, 122 yards, 2 TDs, 3-for-6, 89 yards, TD; Prince Walker, 14 carries, 97 yards, TD. Prairie Ridge — Samson Evans, 31 carries, 175 yards, 2 TDs, 75-yard kickoff return TD; Nathan Griffin, 14 carries, 52 yards, TD.