Montgomery, Warren take down York

It seems to be his M.O.

In a key win over Libertyville on Oct. 10, Warren High School senior Aaron Montgomery scored a touchdown running, threw a key halfback option pass, intercepted a pass and had trouble handling a punt.

Flash forward to Saturday's IHSA Class 8A state playoff game in Gurnee.

The foe was Elmhurst York. And there was that Montgomery fellow doing his thing (s).

He scored the game's second TD on a 2-yard run.

On Warren's next possession, the former lower-level QB threw a 24-yard TD pass to Chet Michna.

Later in the first half, he notched his team-leading 7th interception of the season.

And yes, he also muffed a punt -- which proved to be harmless.

Warren (9-1) survived a dozen penalties and again relied on its excellent defense to take this contest 21-9.

The Blue Devils will head to Schaumburg on Saturday (5 p.m.) for a second-round game. The Saxons (6-4) stunned once-beaten Glenbrook South 20-16.

"It's playoff football and anything can happen," Montgomery said. "I just try and help my team."

The Warren defense set the up the game's first score. An interception by John Veenhuis set up a 39-yard TD pass from Zach Shaw to Ryan Maguire. That closed the first quarter.

A steady diet of Mike Liao up the middle (11-56) led directly to Montgomery's TD and a 14-0 lead.

Following Montgomery's interception, the senior made it 21-0 with that toss to Michna.

"They just put that play in on Monday," Montgomery noted.

Maguire had Warren's third interception of the day in the third quarter.

Tyreese Woodard also had a fumble recovery in the fourth quarter.

"Our defense is solid," noted linebacker Kevin Robinson. "Nobody comes to our house and pushes us around."

Montgomery has a simple plan when dealing with the opponent's QB.

"It's about reading the quarterback's eyes," he said. "And knowing where the routes are going."

Running back Tom Lindal had another solid game (17-126).

The Warren defense had help from Woodard (fumble recovery, QB sack), Robinson (7 tackles), James Poliquin (QB sack) and Maguire (5 tackles, interception).

Penalties may have hurt the Devils, but Warren coach Dave Mohapp also gave some credit to the other side of the field.

"That's a good football team," Mohapp said. "They had our offense off kilter. They did a nice job."

Those expecting the matchup of Warren against Glenbrook South will be disappointed. The once-beaten Titans were shocked by 13th-seed Schaumburg 20-16 on Saturday. And just as the Devils had to keep an eye on York QB Tom Judge, the Saxons QB is quite good as well.

Anthony Iannotti is a double threat. He rang up 188 yards on the ground against GBS, including a 69-yard TD run in the fourth quarter. The 6-foot-5, 225-pound senior also completed 10 of 20 passes for 80 yards and a TD.