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Montini too strong for Joliet Catholic

When asked by a reporter why Montini seems to have had his Hilltoppers' number the last few years, Joliet Catholic football coach Dan Sharp responded in pretty simple terms.

After the Broncos used a 17-0 fourth-quarter run to win Saturday's Class 5A second-round game 27-13 in Joliet, Sharp's squad dropped to 0-5 against Montini in the postseason over the past six years.

"They got great players, all right," said Sharp after his No. 3-seeded team's season ended at 8-3. "They've got great football players, plain and simple."

But the Hilltoppers, who had beaten St. Laurence 48-13 in the first round, have some good players of their own, and they led 13-10 entering the fourth quarter following a 37-yard field goal by Brian Bravo late in the third quarter.

The game shifted in the waning seconds of that third quarter, however, and Montini took advantage of the opportunity and then dominated in the fourth quarter while taking a big step closer to advancing to a sixth straight state championship game.

After a big run by the Hilltoppers Nick Borga was nullified by an illegal shift penalty, the hosts went to the air on the next play and senior linebacker Terrell Johnson came away with an interception that gave the Broncos the ball at the Joliet Catholic 48-yard line to open the final quarter.

Prince Walker, who gained 104 of his 122 yards in the second half, broke off a 19-yard run on first down, and three plays later Leon Thornton III scored what proved to be the game-winning touchdown. Thornton was all over the field, catching 6 passes for 80 yards, lining up as a Wildcat quarterback on several occasions and being a difference maker down the stretch.

"It comes from us having a never say die attitude," Thornton said. "Every game is just a four-quarter game, and you've got to be all in, in all phases. We talked about offense, defense and special teams. Our kicker had a great game … our defense held them to 13 points, which was amazing … and on offense we got it done."

Once Thornton helped the Broncos (8-3) take that 17-13 lead with 11:04 left to play, the visitors were relentless. The defense, which had 3 interceptions and also a pair of sacks by Patrick Howard, forced a punt. Walker broke off a 53-yard run that set up a 26-yard field goal by Mason Weissenhofer to make the score 20-13.

After another Hilltoppers punt, Walker's 26-yard touchdown sealed the win.

"Our defense helped us a lot in the fourth quarter," said Walker, who finished with 122 yards and 2 TDs on 15 carries. "My line is amazing and they have done great all year. And I love running behind my fullbacks, plus the receivers had great blocks on the edge and that made it even better."

Montini coach Chris Andriano never doubts his team's ability to finish games strong.

"We've got kids that are committed. Serious about their football," he said. "They were into this the whole week. Our coaches were into it the whole week. We just put a great game plan together, but our kids are just so resilient, I love them."

Sharp left the field mighty impressed with the Broncos defense.

"It was a great effort by our kids," he said. "But defensively I don't know how anybody could play better. I thought they were unbelievable defensively."

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