Montini sophomore QB Israel Abrams shines in the moment, salutes senior teammate

NORMAL – Israel Abrams spent four quarters Friday expertly distributing the ball to his playmakers, but Montini’s sophomore quarterback saved his best assist for last.

To the teammate he shared the position with for five games.

Abrams uncoiled his 6-foot-3 frame to stand up during the postgame press conference and salute senior Gaetano Carbonara.

“I wanted to give a big shout out to Gaetano,” Abrams said. “Whatever he had in his quarterback’s brain, he showed me. He was always there for me whenever I needed something. When I threw two picks against Byron he was there for me. He made me a better person, and a better quarterback.”

Abrams showcased what kind of quarterback he is, and will be, Friday.

He ran the ball with fluidity and power. He was decisive with his decision-making, and accurate. He directed an offense that amassed 545 yards, just 10 shy of the Class 3A championship game record, in a 49-8 win over Monticello that was as one-sided as it sounds.

“Izzy is obviously a great athlete,” Montini coach Mike Bukovsky said. “You saw it out there.”

Montini entered this season knowing it had a championship defense. Eleven players back on the only defense that slowed down 2023 champion Byron was proof positive.

Offense was a slightly different story.

The Broncos were breaking in a new offensive coordinator, Anthony Borsellino. Injuries hit the running back room. Montini spent four weeks rotating quarterbacks between Carbonara, who threw for over 2,000 yards and 16 touchdowns as a junior, and Abrams.

Back-to-back losses to Marist and Fenwick, scoring a combined 16 points, had Montini sitting at 2-2. A players-only meeting followed.

“A lot of people were saying we’d make the playoffs at 4-5,” Montini senior Nick Irion said. “We decided to tune out the outside noise and go to work.”

“Part of it is, we had a new offensive coordinator and he brought a certain element to our coaching staff and he is a taskmaster. The boys needed to get used to that,” Bukovsky said. “They did, and he grew, I think he hit his stride and it all jelled.”

The decision was made to start Abrams at quarterback Week 5. His first game as the full-time quarterback, Week 6, he threw for 271 yards and three touchdowns in a 34-16 win over Carmel.

“It was a smooth transition,” Abrams said. “Gaetano played great the first four weeks but I took over and started, but it wasn’t a one-man show. Gaetano was there to help me. He knows the offense better than anybody on the team.”

And his offensive coordinator?

“Oh, coach Bor? He’s crazy,” Abrams said with a laugh. “It’s a good crazy, though.”

That Week 6 game also marked the move of last year’s leading tackler – Jeremiah Peterson – to starting running back.

A battering ram of a back at 5-foot-11 and 220 pounds, Peterson powered for two touchdowns, including the game-winner, in the playoff win over Byron.

He also, apparently, has speed. Monticello found out the hard way when Peterson took a screen pass in the first quarter Friday for a 49-yard score.

“Jerry was a stalwart defensively, but we needed him offensively. He came over when we had a guy go down,” Bukovsky said. “I look at him as one of our sparks.”

The spark caught fire on a frigid Friday.

Montini had 155 yards of offense by the finish of its sixth play, 225 by the end of the first quarter on nine plays. CJ Harkins turned two simple screen passes from Abrams into touchdowns of 53 and 70 yards.

Peterson broke off 27 of his 134 yards on Montini’s first play. It was 35-0 by halftime.

“You put any team in front of us, if we can get the ball to our guys we’re going to win,” Abrams said.

Abrams, too, showed a secret weapon, his own running skills. He only had 61 rushing attempts through 13 games coming in, but broke off a 47-yarder on Montini’s second play.

Later, he dragged a defender over the goal line for a 3-yard TD run. Mention of Abrams’ running brought out a smile, and his confidence.

“Not trying to be boastful, but I feel as a quarterback I need to have more pride than anybody else,” Abrams said. “I don’t feel like there’s anything I can’t do on the football field. Just because I may not do something, I might be saving it for moments like this.”

Abrams shined in the moment, 10-of-16 passing for 225 yards, leading a team 28-seniors strong to the program’s seventh state championship.

Despite not playing full-time until six weeks in, Abrams finished with over 2,000 yards and 27 TDs.

“As a sophomore we didn’t want to feed him too fast and he came along,” Bukovsky said. “Our seniors embraced him and our other senior [Carbonara] who played a lot last year was a tremendous leader. It really showed me a lot about this team that we were able to negotiate and navigate that situation. Izzy has a lot ahead of him. You saw tonight why he is such a special athlete.”