Montini faces sizable challenge in Sycamore
Throw out the revenge factor.
That was Montini's call to arms in first- and second-round Class 5A wins over St. Francis and Marian Central, Suburban Christian Conference foes who beat the Broncos in the regular season and bounced them from the playoffs in 2008 and 2007, respectively.
Visiting hard-charging Sycamore on Saturday it'll be hard to wring retribution out of one prior meeting, Montini's 14-3 victory over the Spartans in the first round of the 2007 Class 5A playoffs.
No. 12 seed Montini (7-4) makes its fourth quarterfinal appearance this decade; No. 9 Sycamore (8-3) is in its first third-round berth since 1978, when it went to a semifinal.
"If you need any more motivation at this point of the season you're kind of in trouble," said Broncos coach Chris Andriano.
The motivation will be to outexecute Sycamore's offensive line. Coach Joe Ryan's front averages 243 pounds. Able to pull both guards and tackles, it's a limber 243 pounds.
"We're going to have to definitely bring some extra people up (on the line). There's no way we could just line up in our 4-3 front and slug it out with them," Andriano said.
Defensive coordinator Mike Bukovsky is helped in that department by the return of linebacker Alex Walters from a hip dislocation. He'll work into his spot alongside Doug Diedrick and Ryan Gorrell, Montini's top two tacklers.
Hiding behind 6-foot-3, 285-pound Sycamore tackle Zach Fraedrich it's no wonder three-time all-Western Sun Conference tailback Marckie Hayes has run for 1,688 yards and 15 touchdowns, or that fullback Joe Dougherty has 833 yards and 14 touchdowns rushing, 2 in last week's 42-0 win over Wheaton Academy.
Whether running the football or defending Montini's passing game - as Sycamore did effectively in a 40-13 first-round win over Kaneland - a battle royale is expected by Ryan, whose older brother Pat coaches perennial toughie Metamora.
"We've got to get our pressures and we've got to be able to cover, and hopefully we'll try to keep them off balance," said Ryan, who coaches two players, receiver-defensive back Eric Ray and quarterback Trevor Mathey, whose fathers played in the Spartans' 1978 playoff run.
Marian Central knocked Montini back early last week, taking a 14-0 second-quarter lead before the Broncos adjusted in a 42-21 win. Brandon Pechloff threw 3 touchdown passes without an interception to improve his team record to 33 touchdown strikes this season.
"The Sycamore team, they're big, they're mobile, they're active up front on defense, they can bring some different blitz schemes," said Andriano, whose club beat Wheaton Academy 42-27 during the regular season. "It's going to be a real challenge for us."
If motivation is needed, Andriano is ready with a slogan: "You'll never pass this way again."