Broncos keep plugging away against Marmion

Dex Jones wasn't going to give up on the play -- especially when he saw his linemen chugging right along with him.

They combined on an electrifying run for the Wisconsin recruit, a 76-yard scamper that led to one of five Montini touchdowns Saturday in Lombard.

The play summed up a dominating performance for the Broncos in a 35-0 Suburban Catholic Conference football win over Marmion.

For a team that loves to throw the ball out of a spread offense, Montini (5-0, 3-0) and Jones showed grit and determination on that long run. Jones capped it off a play later with a 1-yard dive, upping the Broncos' lead to 28-0 early in the second half.

Holding Marmion (2-3, 0-3) to just 110 yards of offense, Montini also notched its second shutout of the season.

"We really wanted to make a statement today that our defense is really good," Jones said. "A lot of recognition this season has gone to our offense, so I think we're really trying to show that we're a pretty good defense."

And that run? It looked like it'd be stopped at many points, but Jones kept churning and switching fields. He gave all the credit to his linemen.

"There were a lot of hustle guys getting down there," he said. "There were a lot of linemen that don't take any plays off. They really helped out a lot. We're all on the same page out there."

Marmion played without key senior Manny Juarez, who missed the game due to mononucleosis. The Cadets then lost quarterback Ricky Bird in the first half to a knee injury, making a tough challenge even tougher.

After starting the season 2-0 the Cadets have lost three straight in a wicked stretch of games against SCC contenders Marian Central, Driscoll and Montini -- all unbeaten and state-ranked teams.

"I'm very proud of our defense," said Cadets coach Dan Thorpe. "Montini executed and scored 35 points, but I know they had to work for them. We fought for 48 minutes and that's all you can ask."

Set up by a fumbled punt return, Montini quarterback Joe DiCristina, who completed 16 of 24 passes for 130 yards, threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Christian Westerkamp that gave the Broncos a 6-0 lead.

On the next play from scrimmage John Borsellino snagged the first of his 3 interceptions on the day. That led to the Broncos' second touchdown, a 13-yard run by Jones, who rushed for 113 yards on 7 carries.

DiCristina's 8-yard scoring pass to Brian Zirko gave Montini a 21-0 halftime lead. His third touchdown pass went to Borsellino in the fourth quarter.