Montini 34, Immaculate Conception 0

The Montini Broncos made a statement Friday night on their home field in Lombard, and coach Chris Andriano vocalized his team's performance after the game.

In case anyone is wondering, the Broncos are no pretenders.

"We're for real. We've got a heck of a team," Andriano said after Montini defeated Immaculate Conception 34-0 on homecoming weekend.

"You've got to give our guys credit tonight. We played a physical game, our skill guys made some huge plays, and our defense has really gotten better."

The Broncos (6-0, 4-0 Suburban Catholic Conference) wasted little time lighting up the scoreboard. On just their sixth play of the game, quarterback Tom DiCristina found senior Brian Zirko for a 6-yard touchdown and an early lead.

DiCristina struck again right before the first quarter ended, this time hooking up with wide receiver Pat Westerkamp for an 18-yard touchdown and a 13-0 lead.

"We've been screaming at these guys all week, 'You've got to be ready,' " Andriano said. "IC is a good football team, but our guys were ready."

Running back Dex Jones -- another of Andriano's skill players -- gashed through the Immaculate Conception defensive line midway through the second quarter, sprinting 67 yards down the right sideline to give the Broncos a 20-0 advantage.

Montini began each of its three scoring drives in Immaculate Conception territory, beginning twice on the Knights' 38-yard line and once on their 37.

"I thought we choked them off early in the game and had great field position from the beginning," Andriano said. "Because of that, you can do a lot more things, open up your offense, and do more than you normally plan on doing."

Though the Broncos travel to Woodstock next week for a matchup with fellow SCC heavyweight Marian Central, they kept their focus on the game at hand.

"You worry because it's a showdown game next week," Andriano said. "People are talking about it already, and you don't want to get caught looking beyond."

Though his team gave Montini excellent field position throughout the first half, Knights (2-4, 1-3) coach Bill Schmidt would have liked to see his team keep the Broncos out of the end zone.

"That puts our defense in a bind, but we talk (that) you've got to find a way to keep them out of the end zone," Schmidt said. "When you step out on the field, if we execute our scheme, there's no reason we should not be able to keep them out of the end zone."