Class 5A championship Joliet Catholic vs. Montini
Montini (9-4) vs.
Joliet Catholic (11-2)
When 1 p.m. Saturday
Where Memorial Stadium, University of Illinois, Champaign.
TV WPWR-Channel 50
Playoff history Joliet Catholic is Illinois' most successful prep football program since the playoff series began in 1974. Starting with coach Gordie Gillespie, the Hilltoppers have reached the postseason 33 times, trailing only Geneseo's 34. Joliet Catholic's 95-19 playoff record includes 15 title appearances and 13 victories. Its last was the 2007 Class 6A title, 49-7 over Lemont. Montini reached the playoffs a 17th straight time, best among the 5A field. In 22 playoff appearances the Broncos are 33-20 with six state semifinal appearances. Montini won the 2004 Class 4A state title with a 44-7 win over Coal City.
Road to Champaign Joliet Catholic, a No. 6 seed in the upper bracket, opened with a 48-7 win over No. 11 seed Troy Triad. The Hilltoppers beat No. 3 Cahokia 35-12 in the second round and beat No. 2 Washington 47-7 in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals Joliet Catholic beat No. 5 Peoria Richwoods 54-7. Montini, a No. 12 seed in the 5A lower bracket, started with a 28-3 win over No. 5 seed St. Francis. The Broncos beat No. 4 Marian Central 42-21 in the second round and beat No. 9 Sycamore 31-17 in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals Montini beat No. 7 seed Woodstock 42-24.
Coaches Joliet Catholic's Dan Sharp began his 17-year career at Minooka, where he went 24-18 with a semifinal berth in 1996. Starting in 1997 he has gone 141-25 at Joliet Catholic, with state titles in 1999 (14-0), 2000 (14-0), 2001, 2003, 2004 (14-0) and 2007. Montini's Chris Andriano, a former star receiver at Palatine High, was inducted into the Illinois High School Football Coaches Hall of Fame in 2001. In 31 seasons at Montini he has a record of 219-113.
Joliet Catholic's offense (36.9 points per game; 410.5 yards per game) vs. Montini's defense (19.5 points allowed per game; 366.5 yards allowed per game) The Hilltoppers are a rushing machine. Out of a double-wing and Wing-T smallish backs sprint behind the likes of all-stater Dan Foreman (who Sharp said is not playing in college). Joliet Catholic ran for 4,278 of its 5,337 yards of offense. Enjoying a 4-to-1 run-to-pass ratio, Josh Ferguson and Malin Jones have run for 1,489 and 20 touchdowns and 1,143 yards and 19 touchdowns, respectively. Jordan Lyles adds 915 yards and a fourth back, Ty Isaacs, 621 yards rushing. Anthony Maddie has passed for 988 yards but, being a sophomore, has 10 interceptions to 9 touchdowns and has completed only 43 percent of his passes. So the Broncos will try to force the pass, and that means sole returning starting defensive lineman Ross Ferraro will hope to plug gaps so linebackers Doug Diedrick and the honorable-mention all-state Ryan Gorrell, defensive backs Kevin Dailey and David Zirko can clean up. Montini's fast, base 4-4 defense looked exposed on wet grass early this season against St. Francis' crisp Wing-T but matured by playoff time to hold the Spartans to 146 yards on turf. "We've got to make them punt at least three, four times," Andriano said.
Montini's offense (32.4 points per game; 385 yards per game) vs. Joliet Catholic's defense (13.7 points allowed per game; 216.5 yards allowed per game) Montini runs the spread, heavy on one-back looks, though the Broncos add Diedrick and honorable-mention all-stater Nick Campanella in a rare Wishbone set. It's a fine balance the Broncos need a ground game (or bubble/swing passes) to keep teams honest, but as all-stater Brandon Pechloff throws, so goes Montini. The tall one has completed 201 of 337 passes for 3,005 yards and 41 touchdowns, shattering program records and gaining confidence and savvy with every read. Campanella's 63 receptions lead the team but the deep threats are the Brothers Westerkamp, Jordan and Christian. Sophomore Anthony Taylor goes under the radar but shouldn't with 38 catches, 447 yards, 8 touchdowns. Joliet Catholic's defense, which has 13 interceptions, has allowed just 29 first-quarter points. Michael Madrigal is third with 91 tackles, Zach Dolph second at 102 and Jake Stockman, the all-stater voted the top defender in the East Suburban Catholic Conference, leads the Hilltoppers with 109 tackles. Sharp calls this three-year starter, who interests Army and Air Force, a "hybrid" - he covers receivers, blitzes, stuffs inside. "He has a knack for the football," Sharp said.
Intangibles Joliet Catholic's 19 lost fumbles and Montini's 14 interceptions led their losses. JCA's Rob Cranmer is 4 of 4 on field goals with a long of 36; Montini's Matt Kersten is 4 of 9 with a long of 42. Montini senior right guard Rob Piper (knee) hopes to return. Joliet Catholic will be heavily favored, but Montini won't be intimidated and has comeback potential. The Broncos seek pressure situations against top competition - Andriano made the call to Sharp to play the Hilltoppers in Week 1 of 2010, followed by Loyola - and have high character, swagger and, after all, beat four higher-ranked teams to get here. "We're not going down there to show up," Andriano said. He was not yet the Broncos' head coach when these teams last met - a 1969 Montini win at Joliet Catholic in a game attended by then eighth-grader Sharp.