Montini routs Clark

No. 1 seed Montini began its playoff run by defeating No. 16 seed Chicago Clark 47-0 at home in the first round of the Class 5A playoffs Saturday.

The Broncos (10-0) capitalized on 4 Clark turnovers and stormed out to a 33-0 lead at halftime. Montini got on the board after a fumble in the first minute of the game. With tremendous field position, senior quarterback Tom DiCristina took a quarterback keeper off tackle and into the end zone, helping the Broncos grab the momentum early.

Following a botched punt, DiCristina showed off his arm, hurling a 32-yard pass to Brendan Shannon on a fly route to give the Broncos a 2-touchdown cushion. They added another touchdown in the quarter for a 21-0 lead. DiCristina added another touchdown pass on the day and earned the second half off as backup quarterback Brandon Pechloff came in and threw 3 touchdown passes himself.

With a handle on the game, Broncos coach Chris Andriano got more action for players who ordinarily don't see extended playing time, something he thinks will pay dividends down the road in the playoffs. "The great part about today was that we got to give a lot of players extended reps," Andriano said. "There are still a couple of things our team needs to fix, like extra points and pass protection. But overall it was a very successful day for us." Montini faces No. 9 seed Hillcrest next week in the second round.