Gabe Montalvo doesn’t concern himself with individual statistics.
When asked about his 260-yard, five-touchdown rushing performance last Saturday that led Lincoln-Way West to a 40-13 win over Peoria in a Class 5A quarterfinal, he puts the focus where it belongs: on the team.
The win advanced the Warriors (10-2) to their first semifinal appearance in school history and a road date with Champaign Central (11-1) at Champaign Centennial at 2 p.m. Saturday.
“I’m just glad we got the win and got past the quarterfinals,” said Montalvo, when asked about his performance. “We have a great offensive line and great receivers that block for me. The holes are usually pretty big. They make my job easy.”
Montalvo is as humble as he is talented.
The 5-foot-10, 185-pound senior ranks among the area’s top rushers with 1,826 yards and 31 touchdowns.
The numbers are even more impressive considering most every opponent devises a game plan predicated on stopping or at least containing Montalvo.
The majority of the time, that strategy has failed.
“Quite a lot of teams put eight or nine players in the box,” Montalvo said. “That leaves our passing game open. We’ve shown we can throw the ball. Then, when teams take guys out of the box, we’re able to run the ball more.”
Montalvo isn’t the type of runner who generally is going to make multiple defenders miss tackles. What he does arguably better than any of his peers is follow his blocks and allow running lanes to develop. Once he hits the open field, he’s extremely difficult to chase down.
“Gabe’s No. 1 trait is his toughness,” Lincoln-Way West coach Dave Ernst said. “No. 2 is he understands what we’re trying to do. Whether we’re running zone, power or counter, he knows exactly what to read. He’s smart and knows how things are going to fall in place. He’s quick and has good balance when he runs. And he’s not afraid of contact.”
If the Montalvo name sounds familiar, well, it should. Gabe’s older brother, Javier, was quite a running back in his own right at West. A 2014 graduate, he’s currently playing at South Dakota.
It’s impossible to watch Gabe Montalvo run with the football and not think of Javier. The two share very common styles.
However, it’s undeniable that Gabe Montalvo has carved out a name for himself at West, though he has nothing but admiration for his big brother.
“I just wanted to do my own thing and not be compared to Javier,” Gabe Montalvo said. “We both run hard and read our blocks pretty well. I kind of just watched him when he was a senior and I was a sophomore. He is a great running back. I don’t think I can be like him.”
He almost didn’t get a chance to follow in his brother’s footsteps out of the backfield.
Gabe Montalvo started at cornerback his freshman year. When he was summoned to the varsity as a sophomore, it was to play cornerback. It wasn’t until last season, when injuries depleted the Warriors backfield, that he was moved to running back.
The rest, as they say, is history.
“I felt really comfortable the first couple of plays at running back,” Gabe Montalvo said. “It just felt like that’s where I belonged.”
“He’s one of our better defensive players coming up but because of injuries, he’s had to play offense,” Ernst said. “He’s been great. He may play running back or safety once he gets to college.”
While Gabe Montalvo hasn’t decided on a college, he knows he’ll major in criminal justice and would like to pursue a career with the FBI.
However, his primary focus right now is on leading the Warriors to a 5A state title. Once that ambition is realized, he’ll shift his attention to the wrestling season and possibly, in the spring, to baseball.
He hasn’t picked up his baseball glove since his freshman year, though he’s considering going out for the team as a pitcher.
“It’s my senior year,” Gabe Montalvo said. “It’s the last time for me to play other sports. I think it would be fun.”
Twitter: @disabato
