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Football: John Rhode powers Montini past Marian Central
Updated: November 12, 2011 8:20PM
John Rhode isn’t just tough on opposing defenses, he’s also hard on his own.
In a matchup of high-level quarterbacks, Rhode threw for 395 yards and six touchdowns as Montini rolled past Marian Central 52-27 Saturday afternoon in Class 5A quarterfinal action in Lombard.
Rhode missed the teams’ first meeting this season, 21-20 Marian Central win in Week 4 while rehabbing a thumb injury.
“It’s a big difference,” Montini defensive back Joe Cione said of having Rhode back. “He’s a great quarterback. In practice, just going against him every day makes me better. He throws perfect balls.”
Rhode completed 27 of 38 passes with one interception, while Marian Central’s Chris Streveler was 24 of 34 for 202 yards with four interceptions. Cione got three of those picks in a four-minute stretch at the end of the first half when Montini (10-2) pushed its lead to 42-13.
“I thought the defenses would really have to be the difference,” Montini coach Chris Andriano said. “Both offenses are special. I thought the interceptions were the difference.”
But don’t discount the importance of Rhode’s return. He threw four touchdown passes to Nebraska-bound receiver Jordan Westerkamp (10 catches, 155 yards) and two to Joe Borsellino (five receptions, 65 yards). Borsellino also ran for a touchdown and Andrew Harte kicked a 41-yard field goal for the two-time defending Class 5A champ Broncos.
“It was rough sitting out [the first meeting], watching us lose,” Rhode said. “But I was glad to be back and the guys were glad top have me back.”
He’s also happy to have targets like Westerkamp, Borsellino and Anthony Taylor (seven catches, 110 yards).
“They were double-covering Jordan,” Rhode said. “That takes a guy out of [coverage] mix. The other two guys are pretty athletic.”
Streveler had touchdown runs of 58 and six yards in the first quarter, which ended with Montini up 14-13. But the Broncos outscored the Hurricanes (11-1) 28-0 in the second quarter for a 42-13 lead and Marian Central got no closer than 17 the rest of the way. Streveler added another touchdown run and threw a scoring pass in the second half, finishing with 132 yards on 23 carries.
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