Montini's Andriano doesn't sound like the retiring type

Twice there's been a retirement watch for Montini coach Chris Andriano.

After Saturday's 29-14 loss to Sacred Heart-Griffin in the Class 5A championship in Champaign, Andriano didn't sound like he's even close to considering it.

“We're going to make another run at it next year,” he said after concluding his 36th season, all at Montini.

Senior receiver Leon Thornton III noted that some seniors had prepared for 56 games over the past four seasons. That's a huge plus when perennial championship contenders such as Montini and Glenbard West can give underclassmen up to five extra weeks of practice.

“It is good for them to see the whole process of this and to understand how it works,” Andriano said. “It will help them. If they have a great off-season and they believe in what we're doing in the off-season, then it'll help them.”

He noted, “We're very, very excited about our future.”

Polished up:

In Champaign Thornton was asked about his development as a receiver at Montini.

“When I first came here I wasn't really polished and I was working on instead of just being an athlete, being a better overall receiver and a better football player,” said Thornton, who has committed to play at Indiana.

He played scout team defense during the playoffs his freshman year and played some as a defensive back in passing situations as a sophomore.

As a junior receiver he caught 59 passes for 1,031 yards and 13 touchdowns.

This year he entered the 5A championship game with 61 catches for 879 yards, 10 touchdowns, and, according to IHSA stats, caught 5 passes for 73 yards with touchdowns of 53 and 4 yards.

“Coach Lewis Borsellino (Jr.), our old offensive coordinator's son, he just helped me a lot with polishing me more as a receiver,” Thornton said. “My ball skills, my routes, my yards after the catches — just being a real Division I receiver.”

Having used receivers to line up in the Wildcat formation for several years, Andriano also used Thornton in that role this season, and he ran for 4 touchdowns.

“I loved being back there at quarterback,” said Thornton, who added he also learned to be a “hard-nosed player, never quit.”

“He's a terrific football player,” Andriano said. “He's a complete football player, he blocks great. He's going to go on and have a great four or five years at Indiana.”

Hard off the edge:

The IHSA program for the state football finals has a section on playoff and title-game records. It does not include a listing of blocked kicks in a title game, but perhaps someone knows who got more than the 2 by Montini sophomore Mitch West.

The cornerback blocked the extra-point try on Sacred Heart-Griffin's first touchdown and blocked a 24-yard field-goal attempt in the fourth quarter.

“He has such a knack for timing that edge,” Andriano said. “We overload that side and you can't block him because you've got to block the inside two guys. He's got such a knack for that and he lays out. He's the best I've ever seen at it.”

The final word:

“They were a special group, again, at Montini,” Andriano said at Memorial Stadium.

“We have had six special groups in a row with getting to state championship games. This group is no different, a great group of seniors, great leadership.

“We're going to remember this. We won't always remember it the way we want to remember it, but we're going to remember this and the adversity and the challenges that we had to get here. And I think that's what we'll take away from this more than anything else.”