After much publicity, the battle of the Suburban Catholic Conference’s last remaining undefeated teams more than lived up to the hype as Montini defeated St. Francis 41-21 in Lombard.
 

Despite the score, the game was anything but one-sided as St. Francis, fresh off its defeat of state-power Driscoll, again showed it belongs with the elite in the SSC.
 

“Montini played a great football game,” said St. Francis coach Greg Purnell. ”We didn’t executed when we had a chance to really make a game out of it, you just can’t turn the ball over like we did.”
 

A red-zone interception by Montini lineman Mark Kasseska swung the momentum in the Broncos’ favor as the Spartans were on the verge of cutting the home team’s advantage to 14 going into the half after an inspiring 50-yard drive.
 

Thanks to the interception and a strong performance from quarterback Tom DiCristina, Montini (4-0, 3-0 in SSC) maintained its unblemished record.
 

DiCristina completed 15-of-23 passes with five total touchdowns to spearhead Montini’s scoring assault.
 

The 5-foot-10 senior had an impressive first half picking up four touchdowns through the air, capping off his night with a 3-yard rushing touchdown late in the third quarter.
 

“I think our coaches get the credit for this one,” said DiCristina. “We went over film so much, we practiced hard, and we just wanted this one.”
 

Despite falling to an early 14 point deficit, St. Francis (3-1, 1-1 in SSC) fought back due in large part to a bona-fied running attack headed by the thunder and lightning combo of Stan Bobowski and Mark Kachmer.
 

The tandem combined for 283 yards on the ground, accounting for all three of the Spartans’ touchdowns.