Record-Breaking Night for Montini Football

LOMBARD -- The Marmion Cadets did a good job Friday night of keeping Jordan Westerkamp from beating them catching the football. They weren’t, however, able to stop the Montini senior from beating them running the football.

Westerkamp’s 4-yard run on an end around in the fourth quarter was the difference in a 13-6 Suburban Christian Blue Conference victory for the Broncos (2-1, 1-0).

“They expected a pass play,” Westerkamp said of the third-and-goal play. “It caught them off guard when I got the ball handed to me. It was kind of like a trick play. It worked out perfectly.”

Westerkamp was all smiles despite being held to just three receptions for 21 yards. The victory over one of the Broncos’ biggest rivals helped, as did the fact his touchdown was the 44th of his career with Montini, which school officials reported was a new scholastic record for the state of Illinois.

“What a special player,” Montini coach Chris Andriano said. “The kid is just amazing. He is a football player through and through. He loves the game and he plays the game the right way.”

Big play Borsellino

The biggest play of the game, though, was provided by Montini junior Joe Borsellino. He took a direct snap on a third-down play deep in Bronco territory and appeared to be stopped for a loss, but he broke loose to the outside and raced 56 yards down the right sideline before being knocked out of bounds at the Marmion 24.

“I had a high snap and I went to break through the hole and there wasn’t much there,” Borsellino said. “So I spun outside and my wide receiver, Jordan Westerkamp, made a nice block and I got up the sidelines, so it worked out well.”

“Close games come down to playmakers,” Marmion coach Dan Thorpe said. “We’ve got Borsellino for a four or five-yard loss and he just makes a play. That was really very crucial.”

Then on 4th-and-1 at the 15, the Broncos lined up for an apparent field goal attempt, but drew the Cadets offsides to continue the drive.

“We just snap down into our stance a la the Dallas Cowboys of Tom Landry, and sometimes it catches people up front because they were trying to come for the block,” Andriano said. “We just caught them being aggressive.”

That set the stage for Westerkamp’s game-winning run, helping the Broncos erase the sting of a 41-24 loss last week to Loyola Academy.

“We bounced back,” Westerkamp said. “It’s great to see that. We learned a lot from that loss. We played a hard game. Marmion’s a great team.”

Broncos improve on defense

The Broncos certainly played better defensively. After giving up 41 points a week ago, they held the Cadets to a pair of field goals by A.J. Friedman of 40 and 35 yards.

The first gave Marmion a 3-0 lead in the first quarter, but Montini responded in the second quarter with a one-yard quarterback sneak for a touchdown by Gorogianis. Jake Ruddy, who intercepted two passes for Marmion, blocked the PAT, allowing Friedman to tie the game just before halftime with his second field goal.

It looked like Friedman might put the Cadets in front with a third field goal early in the fourth quarter, but a low snap caused holder Kyle Kozak to try to throw for a first down. The pass went incomplete, leading to Montini’s game-winning scoring drive.
Although the aerial attack fizzled somewhat against Marmion, the Broncos were able to run fairly effectively. Junior running back Dimitri Taylor gained 95 yards on 15 carries.

“Like I told the guys after the game, we know how to win,” Andriano said. “It’s just a matter of doing the right things in the right situations and we finally figured it out and pulled it out. But that was a war. That game was a real battle.”

The Broncos can expect another battle next Friday night when they travel to Woodstock to face Marian Central Catholic.

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