Montini Catholic quarterback Israel Abrams scored five touchdowns to lead the Lombard school past Marist 35-28 on Friday, Sept. 4, in Chicago.

The senior threw three touchdown passes and ran for two more as the two-time defending Illinois High School Association (IHSA) state champions improved to 2-1 on the season, according to Shaw Local's Friday Night Drive. The Chicago Catholic League (CCL) road win came one week after Montini's 25-game winning streak, the longest active streak in the CCL, was snapped by Sandburg in Week 2.

Abrams, the No. 3-ranked quarterback in the country according to 247Sports.com, completed 12 of 24 passes for 251 yards without an interception. He added 41 rushing yards. The five-star recruit, committed to the University of Miami, threw for more than 4,000 yards as a junior. Shaw Local named him among the CCL's top 10 individual performers for Week 3.

His top receivers produced. Luca Florio hauled in three catches for 100 yards and a touchdown. Damacio Ortegon added four receptions for 67 yards and another score.

Marist pushed back. RedHawks quarterback Jake Fleming completed 20 of 29 passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns but threw one interception. Running back Conor Hunt carried Marist's ground game with 112 yards and two scores. The RedHawks fell to 2-1.

The final score mirrored Montini's Week 2 loss. The Broncos lost 35-28 at Sandburg, then won 35-28 at Marist, landing on opposite ends of identical scores in consecutive weeks against ranked opponents, as High School on SI noted in its state rankings Monday, Sept. 7. Montini sits at No. 19 in SI's Illinois Top 25 and No. 14 in the Chicago Sun-Times Super 25.

Head coach Mike Bukovsky praised Abrams in an Aug. 20 Chicago Tribune feature on area quarterbacks before the season. "And his arm is good as I've ever seen at the high school level," Bukovsky said.

Both teams face ranked opponents next. Montini travels to No. 8 Nazareth Academy in Week 4. Marist faces No. 2 Mount Carmel.