Taking it slow after knee surgery has been a bit of an adjustment for Warren senior X’Zavion Montgomery.

After all, the three-phase standout’s game is built on speed.

“It has been a long road,” Montgomery said. “But right now I actually feel good about the recovery process. It’s almost like I have a new knee.”

A uniquely impactful player for the Blue Devils as a sophomore in 2023, Montgomery suffered a torn ACL when he was running a route against Maine South in Week 2 last season.

“I was in a tight formation, and I broke on a post ball that was underthrown,” he said. “I planted my right leg in the turf, and the defender smacked me as I was adjusting to the ball. I could feel it pop. It was bad.”

The injury was bad enough to require a nearly yearlong recovery process.

“The worst part was right after surgery,” Montgomery said. “It was terrible. I remember they wanted me to do physical therapy the day after, but I couldn’t bend my knee at all for about a month.”

Montgomery was unable to contribute to Warren’s run to the Class 8A quarterfinals, and he remained very limited in what he could do during the offseason.

“When you’re injured like he was, it’s a lonely thing to go through,” Warren coach Bryan McNulty said. “You’re not with the team, but you’re trying to be. He stuck it out, and he never missed a day in the offseason, doing what he could.

“I have nothing but the utmost respect for him.”

Warren senior linebacker Royce Lopez is among Montgomery’s teammates who feel the same way.

“I’d always take him to morning lifts even though he couldn’t lift,” Lopez said. “He definitely showed a lot of persistence and patience. I’m proud of him for how he conquered those trials and tribulations, and it brings the morale up for the whole team now that he’s back.”

Being back is measured in incremental steps as the weeks progress. Montgomery didn’t play in Warren’s season-opening win over Hersey, and his long-awaited return came one year after the injury, in Week 2 against Maine South.

Montgomery then made his first start in the Blue Devils’ 22-6 North Suburban Conference win over Lake Forest on Friday, playing much of the game at cornerback.

“When I get hit, it doesn’t bother me, but there’s a little tingling, which I’m still getting used to,” he said. “The next day (after playing Lake Forest), it was sore, but I went in to the trainer and did some exercises, and it felt pretty good the next day.

“If I wasn’t coming off being injured, I’d be starting both ways.”

Montgomery could get that opportunity soon enough. The Blue Devils (2-1, 1-0) already go into every game with one of the state’s top players, Illinois-bound senior running back Aaron Stewart. With junior quarterback Reed Dangel getting more comfortable by the week, the emergence of senior wide receiver Corvel Hodges and the potential for adding Montgomery to the mix, the offense’s best is yet to come.

“I feel like I’m a better cornerback than receiver because tackling and closing on the ball has always come pretty easy for me,” Montgomery said. “With defenses worrying about Aaron, it opens things up for the passing game, and I can definitely help there.”

Returning a punt last week is another sign of progress for Montgomery, who was electric in that role during his sophomore season, returning three kickoffs for touchdowns.

Montgomery’s combination of speed and vision makes him very dangerous.

“That felt pretty good,” he said of his return to special teams. “I made a couple of moves and eluded a tackler. If your goal isn’t to get into the end zone on every return, there’s no reason to be back there.”

Being able to do that again could improve Montgomery’s college prospects. The teams in contact with him would like to see additional film, which figures to be in abundance by November.

Montgomery is also eager to see how good the Blue Devils can be.

“I feel we have a ton of talent on both sides of the ball, and that’s only going to help,” he said. “And as I get more confident, I know that I can be a big factor.”

Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/09/16/football-warren-xzavion-montgomery-torn-acl/