Team at a glance
Nickname Broncos
Colors Maroon and Gold
Stadium 19W070 16th St., Lombard
Enrollment 672
Class 5A
Coach Chris Andriano (30th-year)
2007 record 9-2
Conference 6-1, 2nd

Top returners   
Tom DiCristina    sr.    QB
Christian Westerkamp    jr.    WR
Mark Kaseska    sr.    DL
Brendon Shannon    sr.    DB/WR
Grant Goebel    sr.    LB

Promising newcomers
Alex Walters    so.    LB
Doug Diedrick    so.    LB
Ross Ferraro    so.    DL
Matt Sloan    sr.    RB
Brandon Pechloff    jr.    QB

2008 schedule
Aug. 30    at Sac. Heart-Griffin 6 p.m.
Sept. 6    Benet 1 p.m.
Sept. 13    Aurora Central Catholic 1 p.m.
Sept. 19    St. Francis 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 26    at Marmion 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 3    at Immaculate Conception 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 11    Marian Catholic 1 p.m.
Oct. 17    at St. Edward 7 p.m.
Oct. 25    Driscoll 1 p.m.

Games to watch
Aug. 30 at Sacred Heart-Griffin For a Broncos squad that must reload, this contest posts an immediate challenge.
Oct. 11 vs. Marian Central Catholic An opportunity for Montini to extract some sort of revenge after the Hurricanes knocked the Broncos out of the playoffs last fall.
Oct. 25 vs. Driscoll The regular season finale against the rival Highlanders is always a battle, with the victor taking much-needed momentum into the playoffs.

five-year record
    overall    conference    playoffs
‘07    9-2    6-1    2nd Rd.
‘06    5-5    5-2    1st Rd.
‘05    6-4    6-1    1st Rd.
‘04    13-1    7-7    4A champs
‘03    5-5    5-2    1st Rd.

Introductions are necessary
With only two returning starters on offense and another three on defense, this year’s Broncos squad is full of new faces. Long gone among others are Garrett Goebel, Dex Jones and Chuck Porcelli, a trio of Division I standouts, along with Johnny Borsellino, who contributed in seemingly all aspects of the game.
With such a high turnover, nobody is quite sure what to expect from a Montini squad that is looking to reach the postseason for a 16th consecutive season.
“It was such a senior dominated group from last year,” Andriano said. “But these guys have been in the program for three years. Freshman year they were 7-2, sophomore year 8-1 and last year they were on a 9-2 team. They have been successful. Last year they played back-up roles. If they did their homework and paid attention last year, they should be ready.”

The spotlight is on the QB
Surrounded by a bevy of talented skill players and a top-notch offensive line, quarterback DiCristina burst onto the varsity scene with an outstanding junior campaign. He threw for 1,923 yards and 25 touchdowns, while adding 484 rushing yards and five scores. But now, with an inexperienced O-line in front of him and a host of new running backs and wide receivers, the onus will be on the senior to lead the way.
“The offense runs through him,” the coach said. “He was surrounded by so many great players last year. All he had to do was be Tommy and not worry about making so many big plays. This year, he has more responsibility. He has to be a smart quarterback and make good decisions. He has to grow. But he is such an athlete and you love that kind of weapon. He is a headache for teams to defend.”

The hogs up front
The Broncos averaged close to seven yards per rush in ‘07, thanks in large part to an offensive line that punished the opposition. But all five starters from that group have graduated leaving this year’s version a big question mark.
Josh Stevenson is the center, Mike Size and William Hau fill the guard positions and Carl Meister and Paul Luhrsen handle the tackle responsibilities. That unit will attempt to open up holes for new running back Sloan and Shannon, who have the unenviable task of following in the footsteps of Jones and Borsellino.
“Sloan and Shannon are maybe not as big of names,” Andriano said. “They are not as big or as fast. But I tell you something, they are good football players. It is their turn. They’ve worked hard and I expect them to have big years.”

Plugging up the defense
As good as the offense was a year ago, the defensive unit was the real story as they yielded only 96 points in 11 games. The Broncos pitched five shutouts on the season, including four straight at one point.
Now the defense is in a bit of reloading phase as the team’s top eight leading tacklers from ‘07 have graduated. Kaseska enters his third year as a starter on the defensive line and he is the unquestioned leader of the unit. Shannon returns in the secondary along with Grant Goebel at linebacker.
“They were awesome last year,” Andriano said. “Up front, we were so good. We were physically tough and we had animals up front who could stop running games. The challenge this year is we are not as big or as experienced. It will be interesting to see if we can stop the running game with our four lineman and two linebackers.”

Senior says
Tom DiCristina
Do you guys feel like you have something to prove this fall?
“Our mindset is to come out and show what we are made of. Everybody is saying that we lost all of our guys. But we are using that as motivation. If we can prove them wrong, that will get us even more pumped up.”

Is the streak of 15 consecutive trips to the postseason on the minds of the players?
“Obviously it is something we think about. But we have to take it one game at a time. We have a big first game with Sacred Heart Griffin. And once we get to conference, we will take it from there.”

With such an inexperienced squad, how important is the early portion of the season?
“The first two games will say everything for the season. If we can come out ready to play, we will do fine. I am more excited than nervous. Everybody has the same mindset as me. We are going in there to show what we are made of. We want to go in and play as a team which is what we do best.”

What are your expectations of the team after losing a large majority of starters to graduation?
“I feel as if it is the same year. The line is doing a great job of picking things up. I am not nervous at all. We like coming out as the underdogs. Granted the Division I players were a big plus for us. But I feel just as comfortable now as I did last year.”


By the numbers
15 Consecutive years the Broncos have reached the playoffs, dating back to the 1993 campaign. In that span, Montini has compiled a record of 121-49.

25/7 Quarterback Tom DiCristina tossed 25 touchdowns passes a year ago against only seven interceptions, while rushing for 484 yards and another five scores.

1,273 Rushing yards lost with the graduation of Johnny Borsellino and Dex Jones, a running back duo that accounted for 10 touchdowns on the ground and another nine through the air.