Montini rallies from 11 down in fourth quarter to topple St. Francis

It's not often that you get to see two defending state champions close the regular season on the same field, but that's what happened on Friday night in Lombard as a rivalry was renewed.

St. Francis made the trip down Roosevelt Road for the first time since 2017 — and the Spartans pushed Montini’s 5-star quarterback to his limit, forcing three Israel Abrams turnovers before the Broncos running game stormed back to claim a 28-24 come-from-behind victory.

“We stayed as his team. We never left each other's side,” said Montini standout Luca Florio after he dashed into the end zone with under two minutes to play to erase an 11-point fourth quarter deficit and give his team the win.

“We supported each other through the downs, through the ups,” added Florio, who also caught a first-quarter touchdown from Abrams.

Spartans linebacker Bren Kolinski nearly stole the show, as he intercepted a pair of Abrams throws, including a screen pass near midfield that he took the distance early in the fourth quarter to briefly give St. Francis a two-possession lead.

“Coach put us in a good position,” said Kolinski. “We read the play.
We knew it was coming and read the screen, read the QB's eyes. It was right there.”

The Spartans pressured Abrams throughout the evening, forcing Montini (7-2) to the ground game.

“We came out and the passing game was a little down today, and that's on me,” said Abrams. “I gotta go back and work on my part.
But the run game — in the second half — that was the reason we won.”

Florio, Abrams, and Eddie Kowalski all ran for fourth quarter touchdowns as the Broncos battled back into the game.

St. Francis junior quarterback Jadon Wilson tried to engineer one last scoring drive but came up just short as a fourth-down pass was knocked to the turf inside the Montini 30-yard line.

For Wilson, it was an opportunity to go head-to-head against a nationally ranked signal caller.

“Izzy, that's my boy.
I’ve known him since we were kids,” said Wilson, who transferred to St. Francis from East St. Louis this past summer. “But it's just another game at the end of the day.”

Wilson threw a pair of touchdowns to Spartans receiver Alex Taylor, including a red zone dart just before the half to make it 10-7 St. Francis.

“He keeps getting better,” said Abrams, about Wilson. “He definitely has gotten better and that's my brother … I'm proud of what he's doing there. He's taking over and he's leading them guys.”

St. Francis ends the regular season at 4-5 after Montini snapped a three-game winning streak.

Regardless, Kolinski feels confident heading into the playoffs.

“I think the team's coming together,” said the sophomore. “Just gotta leave this one in the past. It's gonna hurt, but I think playoffs is gonna look good.”

As for Abrams? He is ready to claim a three-peat in Lombard.

“I don't plan on losing the rest of the year,” said the senior.