Nicky Castaldo did not need to look far for motivation when he first arrived at Montini.
Walking the hallways at the Lombard school every day, Castaldo saw the state championship banners. Those state titles – six at Montini between 2004 and 2015 – set quite a bar.
It made the drop-off to back-to-back 3-6 seasons in 2021 and 2022, first playoff misses in three decades, the latter Castaldo’s first year on varsity, all the more disappointing.
It didn’t take away his determination.
“Seeing those banners for state championships, everybody was motivated to get back to this position,” Castaldo said. “Those two years were hard, but I had trust in the program and trust in my teammates to work in the offseason and to come back better and stronger.”
Montini is indeed back.
A program that made eight state championship game appearances in a nine-year stretch between 2009 and 2018 is back for the first time since a runner-up finish in Class 5A in 2018. Montini will play Monticello in a matchup of 11-2 teams in the Class 3A final at 4 p.m. Friday at Illinois State University’s Hancock Stadium.
Montini coach Mike Bukovsky holds immense pride for his senior class, 28 strong, that persevered. Ten of them, Castaldo among that group, started as sophomores for that 2022 3-6 team.
“We set our goals when they came in as freshmen, and I’m very proud of them. Quite frankly, some of their former teammates or players that didn’t choose to come here, went their own way,” Bukovsky said. “These guys stuck and stayed the course. I hope we can finish this in the proper way and they get what they deserve.
“When they came in as freshmen, they not only bought in as a team, but their personal growth. They physically grew as young men, and they worked hard. They are a close-knit team, and they have figured out the balance and respect within the team.”
Castaldo, a senior defensive tackle and Montini’s third-leading tackler, is one that has earned the respect of his teammates.
“He is not a loud guy, not a rah-rah guy, but he has quietly become a guy on our team that physically sets the tone in games and practices,” Bukovsky said. “He came in, like a lot of freshman, he had some skills and ability, but his work ethic and weight room routine and what he has done to make himself better has set him apart from other players. He has been that guy that is one of the guys on the team that can reach everybody.”
Castaldo, now 6-foot-2 and 235 pounds, was a little smaller when he was brought up to varsity as a sophomore. But he was a kid Bukovsky knew would be a special player.
The veteran coach saw a kid with a relentless motor, who played at a high level and took matters into his own hands to be the best player he could be. Castaldo and fellow seniors like JC Hayes, Nick and Vince Irion and Max Bell cut their teeth as sophomores slugging it out in the Catholic League grind.
Nick Irion makes a tackle during Montini’s quarterfinal win over Princeton. He’s one of the seniors who has turned the Broncos’ defense into an ellite unit.
“It taught me the ropes to see what it means to be a varsity football player,” Castaldo said. “It made me work even harder to compete and improve.”
“We took some lumps when this senior group was freshmen and sophomores,” Bukovsky said. “I tell people all the time we weren’t a bad football team. I think their sophomore year we played three teams that played on state championship weekend. We were struggling to put our head above water. Nicky, JC, the Irions, Max, they made a decision right there to take things to another level.”
And they did. Montini went 9-4 in 2023 and took eventual champion Byron to the final minutes of an eventual 26-20 semifinal loss that burned hot within Castaldo.
“Last year, I watched the championship game on TV,” he said. “It was the worst feeling ever to know we were one game away.”
Castaldo this year is one of the anchors of a defense that’s given up just 32 points over four playoff games, avenging that Byron loss, with 21 points, the most Montini’s allowed in a game all year. He has 88 tackles, 14 tackles for loss.
“He is a smart football player, understands the game, has good technique, works hard, is coachable and a very physical kid. He’s a throwback player,” Bukovsky said. “He’s a kid that brings it on every play, doesn’t make excuses. The kind of guy that sets the tone.”
Castaldo said that what makes Montini’s defense so good is their focus on the group and not the individual.
“I think we play as a team. We don’t worry about stats and all of that,” Castaldo said. “We worry about doing our job, and we have trust in our teammates that they will do theirs.”
Trusting the process. Staying the course. Hard work and doing their job. It all has Montini a win away from a seventh state title.
“It means a lot to be in this game,” Castaldo said. “Freshman and sophomore year started 3-6, slowly worked our way back up with hard work and dedication to the program. It’s paid off.”