Montini clobbers DePaul College Prep
Montini quarterback Nick Orlando felt like the passing game was limited in his team's last couple football games.
But on Friday night it was on full display.
The Broncos' aerial attack hammered the Rams with four passing touchdowns en route to a 56-0 win against DePaul College Prep at home.
It was the last regular-season home game for Montini and possibly the last time the senior quarterback would play on his home field. And because of that, he was determined to make a statement.
Orlando racked up 113 of yards and connected with receivers for three touchdowns in addition to a 15-yard rushing score. He finished 7-for-9 passing and had 6 carries for 63 yards.
"To move forward through the passing game was actually a pretty big plus for us and it just goes to show that next week we can pass the ball and also run the ball," he said. "... As a senior, I love this place. To think that this is going to be my last (home game) - and hopefully it's not my last - is very tough."
Montini (5-2, 1-1) struck on its first possession, capitalizing on a 26-yard run by Orlando to bring the Broncos into the red zone. Senior running back Jake Karczewski punched the ball in two plays later to put the hosts up 7-0.
Karczewski led the Broncos with 4 carries and 70 of the team's 248 total rushing yards.
Orlando reached the end zone again just four minutes later, needing just five plays to cover 47 yards. With the rain hammering down onto the field, the QB practically fell into the end zone following a 15-yard run.
And he wasn't done yet.
Orlando hit Rian O'Connor for a 16-yard score with 1:23 left in the first half. The Broncos scored three more times before halftime, the first off a big 49-yard touchdown by Nicholas Fedanzo - who also slide into the end zone thanks to the rain.
"I felt like every time I came on the field, it was just pouring and every time we came off it stopped," Orlando said with a laugh. "You just got to play through it."
DePaul quarterback Robert Clark was intercepted by O'Connor on their next drive and Montini needed just one play to turn the pick into points.
Orlando hit Matthew Ross for a 45-yard catch-and-run touchdown and connected with Mark Gabriel with just 17 seconds left in the half to give his team a 42-0 lead.
Montini backup quarterback Matthew Morrissey got the nod in the second half and he maintained the momentum. He hit Samuel Spandoni for a 26-yard touchdown with 4:16 left in the third and then punched the ball in from a yard out midway through the fourth for the final score of the game.
"We wanted to start fast tonight and our guys did their job," Broncos coach Mike Bukovsky said. "…DePaul played tough - they've got some very scrappy kids over there - but obviously we were a little stronger tonight. Our guys did a really nice job dealing with them."