Boys lacrosse: St. Francis attack in good shape against Montini

The IHSA lacrosse playoffs are within spitting distance, so this is a good time for most coaches to take stock in their teams - where they are right now, and where they could go in the next few weeks.

Count St. Francis boys lacrosse coach Bob Grisanzio among that group. His Spartans had no trouble with host Montini on Tuesday afternoon, winning 22-0 behind goals from 11 players. Senior attackman Zach Kinnas and junior midfielder Connor Polan each scored 4 goals, while senior midfielder Sam Sidari and sophomore attackman A.J. Donati each had 3.

It was an impressive performance, but the big question for Grisanzio to his team is this:

Do you believe?

"We got crunched by Naperville North the first game of the season," said Grisanzio, whose team improved to 10-3 and 6-1 in the Chicago Catholic League. "They need to believe that they can play with them."

The Spartans got a big boost last Friday when they defeated Catholic League power Mt. Carmel 11-10 for the first time. Couple that with an impressive performance against Montini, which included a 22-3 advantage in faceoffs, and things are shaping up for an interesting last few weeks. But there's work to be done.

"I can say that as a unit, this team is coming together," Kinnas said. "We realize that there is a lot of games yet, and we've got to hustle and come out with more of a spark. That's been a big downside. We need to play four quarters to go far in the playoffs."

Added Sidari: "As far as offensively, I think we just need to believe in ourselves a little more, and that can be said defensive side, too, and it's just believing we can be a great team. We've got to focus on finishing."

Across the field it's been a tough season for Montini, which fell to 1-11 overall and 1-3 in the CCL. Coach Mike Thuma returned Tuesday after having his left leg amputated below the knee last week to remove a cancerous tumor in his ankle. But don't let all that get you down.

Take sophomore goalie David Leonard, who had 17 saves. The team also is getting great leadership from its four seniors, Samuel Stevenson, Matthew Pierson, Michael Kuranty and Tajh McKelvy. Taken together, the Broncos could prove to be a real pain for their first-round playoff opponent.

"A lot of the younger guys are starting to pick it up as the season goes on," Pierson said. "It's been hard for us this season and I know the score (today) didn't show it, but the guys are getting in and trying their hardest."

"I think teams underestimate us, to be honest, because of our size, our guys who are newer and our lack of depth," Stevenson added. "I think we're going to annoy some team that's going to expect to walk all over us."

But like St. Francis, the Broncos are working hard on believing in themselves. That could make a big difference in what's to come.

"Our talent is split pretty widely, in that we have college-bound guys who just started playing and guys in the middle," Thuma said. "The fact that these guys keep showing up every practice and putting in the effort, that's what keeps everyone coming out."