St. Francis ‘starting to climb the ladder’ after overtime win over DePaul Prep: Week 8 CCL/ESCC notes

St. Francis has experienced plenty of ups and downs through eight weeks of this season. Friday’s overtime win over DePaul Prep was just another learning moment for a young Spartans squad.

Both teams exchanged the lead throughout the game. But St. Francis held the Rams to a field goal in overtime and scored on a Brady Palmer quarterback sneak to win 41-38.

Spartans coach Bob McMillen has looked for his team to gain some consistency throughout the season. Friday seemed like the start of just that.

“I think we’re starting to climb that ladder to where we can be a very good team,” McMillen said.

St. Francis showed early in the season that it could build off of back-to-back semifinal appearances despite graduating plenty of players from last season’s team. The Spartans upset Loyola in Wilmette in Week 3 to start the season 3-0.

But they followed that start with losses to St. Rita, 31-13, and Providence, 27-25, the following two weeks, respectively. Since then, St. Francis has beaten IC Catholic, 21-13, Marian Catholic, 38-27, and DePaul Prep to get to 6-2.

McMillen said the Spartans needed to be more consistent on both sides of the ball. Games like Friday’s win are beneficial to gain valuable experience heading into the playoffs.

“When these games are close, it obviously shows you need to play harder, you need to go out there and do more, you have to be able to squeak out those wins,” McMillen said.

The Spartans will get one more strong test Friday when they play back-to-back Class 5A state champion Nazareth. St. Francis will have a chance to earn a share of the CCL/ESCC Green title with a win against the Roadrunners.

“I think we’re starting to climb that ladder to where we can be a very good team.

—  Bob McMillen, St. Francis coach

McMillen said there’s still plenty of room for growth with a roster represented by a large amount of underclassmen. But he’s curious to see the Spartans respond to one final challenge ahead of the playoffs.

“I want to see where we are,” McMillen said. “I think we’re still a very talented football team. I think we have guys who are continuing to play the way we’re asking them to. Win or lose, we’re still going to the playoffs.”

Montini riding high into finale

The Broncos’ matchup against a Blue team has been an important marker for the program the last couple of seasons.

Montini coach Mike Bukovsky felt like last year’s team was still searching for solutions after last season’s loss to Brother Rice in Week 8. This time around, Montini is feeling good after its 28-7 win over St. Ignatius on Friday.

“It was good to see that we’re kind of starting to peak here at the right time,” Bukovsky said.

The Broncos have looked dominant during their four-game losing streak since losing back-to-back games against Marist and Fenwick, respectively. Montini has outscored Marmion, Carmel, St. Viator and St. Ignatius 148-56 during that streak.

Bukovsky credited returning plenty of starters from last season’s team that reached the Class 3A semifinals as well as some coaching responsibility changes over the offseason to this season’s success.

“I think we’re doing things the way they need to get done,” Bukovsky said. “We just have to keep getting better every day.”

The Broncos will have one last chance to improve against St. Laurence on Friday. The two teams have built a strong rivalry since the megaconference formed in 2019, staying in the same division throughout a couple changes.

Bukovsky is excited to see whether Montini can continue its run of success.

“We look forward to the matchup,” Bukovsky said. “They’re a great program and it’s going to be a great ballgame.”

Brother Rice’s CJ Gray gains confidence

Crusaders junior quarterback CJ Gray continued to show off his growth in Brother Rice’s win over St. Laurence on Friday. He exemplified that growth during Brother Rice’s first offensive drive.

Facing third-and-long from the Vikings’ 19 yard line, Gray made a play that eluded him and the Brother Rice offense for much of the season. He completed a pass to senior Jimmie Maxson III to give the Crusaders an early lead.

“I’m feeling pretty comfortable,” Gray said. “I still feel like I need to get better in certain areas, but I feel like I’m pretty comfortable and want to keep improving throughout the season.”

Brother Rice coach Casey Quedenfeld has seen that growth both in games and practices in recent weeks. Although Gray threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown late in the second quarter of Friday’s game, Quedenfeld has been impressed with Gray and his ability to learn.

“To see this as a junior and stick it out and get better and get better and get better, it’s a big thing,” Quedenfeld said. “I know he’s going to watch the film and he’s going to look at one play and be like ‘why did I do that?’ But that’s part of the learning process.”

St. Laurence’s quarterback question

The Vikings missed starting quarterback Chase Kwiatkowski for a third straight game against Brother Rice. Kwiatkowski, an Illinois State commit, injured his arm in the team’s win over Leo in Week 5.

St. Laurence coach Adam Nissen said he’s hopeful Kwiatkowski can return for the start of the playoffs but also said the team was confident in Jimmy McDermott if he can’t play. McDermott completed 5 of his 13 passes for 32 yards against the Crusaders.

“We just have to put Jimmy in better spots to be successful,” Nissen said. “If we get Chase back, great, if not, Jimmy’s going to be our guy.”