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DEKALB – Coaches are fond of saying that speed cannot be taught.
In the case of the Montini football team, it can’t be stopped, either.
Quarterback Justin Blake demonstrated that Nov. 27 in the Class 6A state championship game at Northern Illinois University's Huskie Stadium.
The converted receiver carried 27 times for 196 yards and two touchdowns, including an electrifying 64-yarder that gave the Broncos the lead for good just before halftime of their 38-15 victory over Crete-Monee.
It was Montini’s sixth state championship, all of which have come since 2004, and secured the program’s first unbeaten season.
“This is the best team we’ve ever had, record-wise, defense-wise, speed-wise,” Montini coach Chris Andriano said. “Just a great group of young men to work with and they bought into everything that we were selling. Here we are at the top of the mountain again.”
It wasn’t an easy climb for the Broncos (14-0), who led 10-0 before the speedy Warriors (11-3) rallied to take a 15-10 lead.
Facing a key third-and-five from his own 36, Blake raced around the left end, got a block from Tyler Millikan and sped to the end zone with 1:13 left in the second quarter. He then added a two-point conversion run to put Montini ahead 18-15.
“I was just waiting on the cut,” Blake said. “I looked back and I saw Millikan and he was going outside so I just followed his block and took it outside.”
The play was the turning point, sparking Montini on both sides of the ball. The Broncos scored the final 28 points and allowed just 67 yards the rest of the way.
“It was real important,” Blake said. “We needed the momentum back. They had the momentum because they stopped us; we came back and got a quick score. That really boosted our confidence.”
Andriano agreed.
“I really believe that touchdown run was a very key moment for us to seize the momentum back,” Andriano said. “Our defense needed a wake-up call…and I think our defense regained their composure and regained their confidence a little bit.”
Blake added a one-yard scoring run in the third quarter and Prince Walker, who rushed 21 times for 166 yards and three touchdowns, later scored on runs of 4 and 1 yard for the Broncos, who racked up 403 of their 502 yards of offense on the ground.
“Our speed was a factor,” Andriano said. “We’ve got the guys that can run, so when you’re consistent up front, you’ve got receivers that block, that speed is going to break loose at some point and that’s what happened.”
Montini now has played in seven consecutive championship games, tying the state record held by Driscoll. But the Broncos lost to Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin the past two years, meaning this is the first title for most of the current players.
“It’s just an amazing feeling coming from two years ago starting as a freshman and then stepping it up and learning how to take a leadership role with Justin,” Walker said. “It was made easier with the blockers at my side.”
Indeed, Andriano was quick to credit often unheralded offensive linemen Sam Detmers, Joe Spivak, Bobby Gannon, Justin Cajigas and Michael Ross.
“Our offensive line got better as the year went on and that was a credit to our offensive coaches and the kids that put the time in, who just every day work hard, never say die, love the game and play hard,” Andriano said. “That’s what our offensive line is all about. They’re a bunch of guys that have pride.”
In Their Words: “We kind of figured they were going to start throwing the ball a little bit, so we put three safeties over the top and kind of relied on our big guys in the box to help shut down the run. We knew we could get it done as a team and everybody was doing their job, so it all worked out well.” Montini linebacker John Embrey on the team’s second-half adjustments.
Three Playmakers
John Embrey
Position: Linebacker
Impact: Led all players with 11 tackles and was particularly effective in the second half when the Broncos held Crete-Monee, a speedy team that had averaged 41 points per game, scoreless.
Justin Blake
Position: Quarterback
Impact: His 64-yard touchdown run late in the first half gave Montini the lead for good. The senior was a workhorse, rushing 27 times for 196 yards and two touchdowns and completed 10-of-21 passes for 99 yards.
Prince Walker
Position: Running back
Impact: Carried 21 times for 166 yards and three touchdowns. His four-yard scoring run opened the scoring while his last two TD runs, a four-yarder and a one-yarder, polished off Montini's fifth state title in seven years and sixth overall.