St. Francis senior Tanner Glock is making an impact in many ways for his team.

Whether playing wide receiver, running back, safety or cornerback, Glock is often in the thick of the action.

Glock said playing multiple positions fits his football personality.

“I like playing wide receiver because when I get the ball in my hands, I feel like I can help our team succeed in many different ways,” Glock said. “I also feel the same way when I run the run at running back. Defensively, I like playing corner and safety because it’s the hardest position on the field to go out and guard someone one-on-one. I like that challenge.”

The Spartans are happy to utilize Glock in different forms in the Class 5A playoffs, unleashing his vast talents on their opponents. The Spartans rode a big game from Glock to a 44-15 victory over Chicago King in a quarterfinal playoff game on Saturday.

Glock set the tone with a 32-yard scoop-and-score fumble recovery for a touchdown in the first quarter. With the win, the Spartans (9-3) find themselves in familiar territory but looking for a different result, advancing to their fourth straight state semifinal at Belvidere North (12-0) on Saturday at 2 p.m.

“My mindset going into each game is I have to dominate the person across from me, whether on offense or defense,” Glock said. “I go in thinking I’m the best on the field on either side of the ball.”

St. Francis coach Bob McMillen said Glock is an indispensable player for the Spartans, who rely offensively mainly on wide receiver Zach Washington, a Michigan State recruit, and Southern Illinois recruit Dario Milivojevic.

“(Tanner) does whatever we need him to do to help us win,” McMillen said. “He’s been playing really well for us. He gets overlooked offensively because of Dario and Zach. But he does so much. He’s a Division I safety. He’s a guy we’re really counting on both sides of the ball as we continue in the playoffs.”

The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Glock, a two-time Chicago Catholic League All-Conference selection, had one of the top performances in last week’s victory. Glock added seven tackles, caught five passes for 63 yards and a touchdown and ran the ball four times for 23 yards.

“I think the key to my good game last week was preparation all week during practice, just going over the plays and watching film on defense to understand that we could get turnovers early and often and knowing what’s going be open on the offensive side of the ball from a coverage standpoint,” Glock said. “I also give a big shout-out to my quarterback, Brock [Phillip], because he always puts the ball in the right places at the right time.

For the season, Glock has nearly 500 yards receiving with four touchdowns and has intercepted seven passes. Glock said he prepares mentally for each game to make a big impact.

“My mindset is a huge key to my success because playing with confidence makes me feel unstoppable on the field leading to me making big plays on both sides,” Glock said.

McMillen said the Spartans will be facing a tough opponent on Saturday.

“We’re playing at high level now and keep on getting better and better every week,” McMillen said. “We’re getting ready to play a tough Belvidere North team that’s firing on all cylinders. They’re a well-coached team, scrappy and play hard and very physical. They’re 12-0 for a reason. They beat a very good Cary-Grove team last week.”

Montini update

Two more wins.

Montini’s season-long goal for back-to-back state championships is reaching the final two hurdles. The Broncos took care of business with an impressive 35-0 rout over Coal City in a Class 4A quarterfinal last weekend.

After winning the 3A state championship last season, the Broncos (12-0) are riding a 22-game winning streak into Saturday’s 2 p.m. home game against Morris.

“We were very impressed with Coal City on film and knew they were a balanced team and we had to do some things to slow down their passing game,” Montini coach Mike Bukovsky said. “Our defensive coordinator, Cam James, did a super job putting together a game plan. Our linebackers and front three and four played outstanding and kept their running game at bay. Offensively, our offensive coordinator, Charlie Bliss, made a couple of adjustments after the first quarter.”

Bukovsky said one of the unsung standouts for the Broncos throughout the season, including in Saturday’s shutout, was junior center Michael Lombardo. The 6-1, 280-pound Lombardo is a player to watch, Bukovsky said.

“Michael played one of his best games of the year last week,” Bukovsky said. “He’s healthy after battling injuries earlier this season. He’s a big reason for our success. We have some other offensive lineman getting headlines, but Michael played well on Saturday, allowing us to run the football.”

Bukovsky said Morris is another tough test for the Broncos.

“I go way back, so Morris, to me, is a blue blood program,” he said. “They have a great program and have been highly talked about and ranked all season long. We knew this would be a potential matchup back before the playoffs started. They’re very balanced and a physical team and have success in the running game.”

Nazareth-Fenwick set

By defeating Lake Zurich in a Class 6A quarterfinal, Nazareth set up an interesting matchup against neighborhood rival Fenwick on Saturday. The Roadrunners (11-1) host Fenwick (9-3) at 1 p.m. The Roadrunners, who have won three consecutive 5A state titles, erased a 12-point deficit to reach the semifinal round.