Football roundup: Montini, Batavia fall; Wheaton Academy, Lisle win

Montini’s 25-game winning streak, stretching over three seasons, ended following Friday night’s 35-28 nonconference loss to Class 8A foe Sandburg in Orland Park.

Sandburg capitalized on a bad snap and another fumble to grab a 21-7 halftime lead. Montini’s offense got on track in the third quarter when Eddie Kowalczyk’s three-yard touchdown run, and quarterback Israel Abrams’ five-yard touchdown pass to Johnny Louise tied the game at 21-21.

Trailing 35-21, the Broncos (1-1) closed the gap on a 49-yard touchdown pass from Abrams to Damacio Ortegon. Faced with a fourth-and-four with 1:35 remaining, the Eagles converted thanks to a defensive penalty and closed out the contest. Abrams passed for 231 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while adding a rushing score.

“They executed well in all three phases of the game and proved they are an excellent team,” Montini coach Mike Bukovsky said of Sandburg. “We had a tough time containing their quarterback (Sean Ruisz) and just couldn’t keep our offensive consistency going for four quarters.”

Rochester 44, Batavia 16: Junior tailback Evrim Tabag rushed for 148 yards and three touchdowns, including a 40-yard score on the second play from scrimmage, as Class 4A power Rochester stunned Batavia 44-16 Friday night in Rochester. The Bulldogs (1-1), who fell behind 21-0 midway through the opening quarter, trailed 38-8 at halftime. Senior quarterback Michael Vander Luitgaren, a Wyoming commit, completed 22 of 37 passes for 237 yards with three interceptions. Thomas Prescott caught eight passes for 109 yards, and tailback Charlie Rosengren rushed for 90 yards on 11 carries for the Bulldogs, who visit Glenbard North (2-0) next week.

Wheaton Academy 19, LaSalle-Peru 16: The Warriors (2-0) began the home season on their new turf field with a nonconference victory over LaSalle-Peru in West Chicago. With two minutes remaining, the Cavaliers had the ball on the Warriors’ five-yard line when Wheaton Academy’s defense knocked the ball loose and recovered the fumble to seal the decision.

Lisle 42, St. Edward 8: Junior quarterback/defensive back Nathan Garcia rushed for 136 yards and three touchdowns, while adding an interception on defense during Lisle’s nonconference victory in Elgin. Junior running back JT Tumbarelli carried the ball 13 times for 116 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and classmate Jacob Aalrust added 98 yards on seven carries, as the Lions improved to 2-0.

St. Charles East 35, Highland Park 14: The Saints improved to 2-0 for the first time since 2022 with the nonconference road victory over Highland Park. Junior quarterback Cruz Herrera scored a pair of rushing touchdowns and threw two touchdown passes to Tyler Bradley covering 23 and 12 yards, respectively, while junior tailback Rowan Slovick added a 20-yard touchdown run. Junior linebacker Conner Landrey helped seal the decision with a pass deflection on a late fourth-down defensive stop.

Naperville North 21, Libertyville 14, OT: Dante Colassante connected with Jack Zitko for the game-winning 10-yard touchdown pass in overtime during Naperville North’s 21-14 nonconference victory in Naperville. Colassante, who finished 15 of 20 for 162 yards, connected with Shawn Kyereh on a 56-yard strike to open the scoring, and added a touchdown pass to Jake Anderson (six catches, 68 yards) for the Huskies. Brady Marino had an interception for Naperville North.

Naperville Central 42, Lockport 21: Senior quarterback Simon Hayes threw for 269 yards and four touchdowns – two to junior wideout Mark Wiliams during Naperville Central’s nonconference victory in Naperville. Hayes also connected with tight end Ian Figi on a 26-yard touchdown pass and tossed a 23-yard scoring strike to tailback Ryan Jacobson for the Redhawks (1-1).

Neuqua Valley 27, Minooka 14: The Wildcats (1-1) scored two touchdowns in the final three minutes to snap a 14-14 deadlock during a win at Minooka. Will Kalish’s touchdown reception – his fourth of the young season – from quarterback Drake Mennecke gave Neuqua the lead for good. Junior safety Tyler VanderLaan’s interception return for a touchdown in the final minute sealed the decision.

Metea Valley 56, Plainfield Central 6: Junior quarterback Iggy Amorrortu threw four touchdown passes – two of them to Charles Larson – during the Mustangs’ nonconference win in Aurora. Jaion Jones had a pair of touchdown runs, while Marquis Brown and Noah Douglas added scores for Metea Valley (1-1).

Marmion 34, Lincoln Park 14: Henry Miller scored two rushing touchdowns, and quarterback Colin McEniry passed for a pair of touchdowns during the Cadets’ nonconference win in Aurora. Trailing 14-13 in the third quarter, Jackson Yates provided one of the game’s biggest plays with his 85-yard kickoff return for a touchdown that gave Marmion (1-1) the lead for good.

St. Francis 48, Clemente 0: Tavian Talton returned the opening kickoff 63 yards for a touchdown to help lift St. Francis (1-1) to the shutout triumph in Wheaton. Blayke Lohmann caught a 14-yard touchdown pass and returned a punt 25 yards for another score, while Taj Evans, GQ Querrey, and Jayden Van Denend added touchdown runs for the Spartans.

West Chicago 38, Maine East 0: Lucas Wheat tossed a 40-yard touchdown pass to Logan Richards, and Derek Murphy added a 24-yard touchdown run, as the Wildcats (1-1) cruised to a 38-0 nonconference road win over Maine East.

Hinsdale Central 35, West Aurora 14: Quarterback Beau Gatewood tossed three touchdown passes and ran for another during the Red Devils’ nonconference win in Hinsdale. James Skokna caught a pair of short-yardage touchdowns, while Brady Hannigan hauled in an 11-yard touchdown pass in the first half for Hinsdale Central (2-0). Tyler Fecht threw a 29-yard TD pass to Richard Bell, while Bryce Riley (21 carries, 140 yards) added a 75-yard scoring run for the Blackhawks (0-2).

Addison Trail 20, Bartlett 6: Louie Franczak’s 17-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter broke a scoreless tie, and quarterback Robert Morales tossed a 19-yard scoring pass to Jaden Romeus with 4:23 remaining to seal the Blazers’ nonconference win over visiting Bartlett (0-2).

Kaneland 17, Lemont 10: The Knights (2-0) built a 17-0 halftime lead and withstood Lemont’s second-half comeback bid during a nonconference victory in Lemont. Colton Ludwig and Jackson Little scored the Knights’ touchdowns.

Jacobs 21, Hampshire 14: The Golden Eagles (2-0, 2-0) survived a fourth-quarter rally for a Fox Valley Conference victory over Hampshire (0-2, 0-2) in Algonquin. Jacobs quarterback Austin Stennett passed for 206 yards and an eight-yard touchdown to Chris Williams, who added a short touchdown run. Griffin Chamberlin threw for 200 yards and added a touchdown run for the Whip-Purs.

Dundee-Crown 22, McHenry 15: Tristan Gatenby ran for 130 yards and a pair of touchdowns, including a 57-yard score that snapped a 15-15 deadlock with eight minutes remaining to lift the Chargers (1-1, 1-1) to a FVC victory over host McHenry. Quarterback Isaac Grzynkowicz started the scoring for the Chargers with a four-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.

Cary-Grove 25, Prairie Ridge 12: The Trojans (1-1, 1-1) overcame a slow start to win in Crystal Lake. Quarterback Jackson Berndt ran for a pair of scores and tossed a 37-yard touchdown pass to Ty Tenopir, while Matthew Maka had a pair of interceptions for Cary-Grove. Defending FVC champion Prairie Ridge slipped to 0-2 for the first time in 24 years.