Driscoll all heart
Don't call Driscoll an underdog in a football game.
The Suburban Catholic Conference title hung in the balance Saturday, and in the first time Montini and Driscoll ever met with 8-0 records the Highlanders rallied around the underdog perception to win 13-7 at Robert A. Barth Field in Addison, in front of about 4,000 people.
"We don't back down to anyone," said Highlanders quarterback and safety David Schwabe, who passed for 157 yards, ran for 70 and excelled on defense. "They have all the Division I players, but all you need is one heartbeat and you'll be fine."
One heartbeat, 2 Brett Warren field goals and fleet defense. Driscoll held the Broncos to 128 yards, 285 below their area-best average.
"Their defense outplayed us, that was the difference in the game," said Montini coach Chris Andriano. "I thought they really did a nice job of bottling us up. We couldn't get in any rhythm."
In its defense, Montini's John McMahon, Dan Grimes and Ohio State recruit Garrett Goebel did help contain a Driscoll offense averaging 405 yards and 40 points.
But Driscoll snuffed Montini's scheme to reclaim the SCC title it last won in 2005.
Linebacker Kevin Palermo said: "We knew they liked running the bubble (screen) and spreading it out. So they put me and Adam Davis on the outsides, trying to contain that. It worked out."
Montini (8-1, 6-1) began with a 9-play, 44-yard drive, aided by a series-extending Driscoll penalty and capped by Tom DiCristina's 10-yard pass to Dex Jones. Sean Cahill added the extra-point kick.
Driscoll (9-0, 7-0) answered immediately on an 80-yard drive that produced Joey Calabrese's 20-yard touchdown catch from Schwabe. Warren's kick tied the score 7-7 at 4:04 of the first quarter.
There were close calls -- Driscoll thought it covered the ensuing kickoff and Grimes picked Schwabe off at the Broncos goal line -- but Warren's 37-yard field goal with no time left was the only other first-half scoring.
Two Montini timeouts to "freeze" Warren didn't work.
"Not really, it just took a minute or two longer," he said. "It's just nice that they did it and I still made it."
Early in the third quarter Montini had fourth-and-1 at the Driscoll 12-yard line. Schwabe blitzed unseen and untouched to nail Johnny Borsellino for a 2-yard loss.
"Once I saw Borsellino in the backfield, they usually go to him in that kind of situation," Schwabe said. "So I came up and they were going behind the big guys and I found a hole. I just filled it."
Montini missed a 38-yard field goal on its next possession then was held in its own turf the rest of the way. Warren added a 36-yard field goal at 6:21 of the fourth quarter.
"Just proud of the heart that we played with," said Driscoll coach Mike Burzawa. "The boys lived up to our tradition and just gave a courageous effort."