Montini rushes past Aurora Central

Montini’s football team has been known as more of a passing team for some time now.

Senior Dimitri Taylor reminded people Friday that the Broncos can still run the ball a little bit too.

Taylor broke out with 242 yards and three long touchdown runs on only nine carries to help Montini post a 38-7 Suburban Christian crossover win over Aurora Central Catholic in a battle of two playoff-bound teams.

Taylor ran for scores of 58 and 47 yards in the first half and added a 47-yarder in the third quarter for good measure.

“DT showed up tonight, and that’s a big, big plus for us in terms of the playoffs,” Montini coach Chris Andriano said. “We’re more of a throwing team, but we’ve shifted gears a little bit here now. We’ll be a little more conscious of the running game. It was great to see DT have a good night.”

Backup quarterback Mark Gorogianis, who played in place of starter Alex Wills (concussion) for the second straight week, also scored from 12 yards out and tossed an 18-yard touchdown pass to Joe Borsellino to open a 35-0 lead for Montini (7-2). All five of those scores came on consecutive drives and none of the drives lasted longer than 46 seconds.

The quick strikes offset Aurora Central Catholic’s advantage in time of possession. The Chargers (6-3) started the game with a 16-play, 75-yard drive that took the first 9:30 off the clock, though the drive ended with an interception — one of four ACC turnovers in the loss. When Montini took its 35-0 lead early in the third, the Broncos had the ball for fewer than five minutes total.

“We controlled the clock,” said ACC coach Brian Casey, a Montini graduate. “Certainly we would have liked to have punched it in. We had nothing to lose. I think we competed better. Last week, I thought we kind of laid an egg (in a loss to Marmion). I thought we were intimidated. We weren’t intimidated tonight. We came out and played from the word go.”

Montini senior kicker Andrew Harte continued his storybook season with five extra points to push his streak to 93 straight. He also booted the program’s longest field goal ever, a 54-yarder, in the fourth quarter. His previous long was 48 yards.

“He’s an amazing kicker,” Andriano said. “The best we’ve had, obviously. He has to be one of the best in the state.”

For the first time in 15 years, Aurora Central Catholic will be preparing for the postseason, and the Chargers are pumped for the opportunity.

“This hasn’t happened in a long time,” Casey said. “We sold $10,000 worth of playoff merchandise. It’s cool for these kids to see their peers walking around in football clothes again.”