FOOTBALL: Bonner-Prendergast Takes Over the Blue; St. Joseph's Prep and Roman Lead the Red

Photos/Videos: Zack Beavers, Tommy Muir, James Quinn, Lou Rabito & Krystal Williams

By John Knebels

PHILADELPHIA – Not just a big victory. Not even huge.

Try . . . immense.

As they celebrated a 26-14 victory over Neumann-Goretti Saturday afternoon in South Philadelphia, Bonner Prendergast’s players and coaches did their best to maintain perspective.

Even though the win didn’t clinch anything, it moved the Friars one enormous step closer to capturing their first-ever Philadelphia Catholic League Blue Division championship, not to mention the school’s first title since 1994.

“We went into this week studying a lot of their film,” said Bonner-Prendergast senior Nick Smith. “It was easy to tell what their game plan would be offensively. They would want to just try and get big plays and feed their best players the ball, and our defensive coaches put together a good plan to stop them by sending a lot of blitzes and running a lot of stunts up front.”

The owner of three Blue Division crowns in four tries, Neumann-Goretti was held to a measly 41 yards rushing.

“We executed our plans,” said Smith. “We were able to get big plays, control the ball, and force turnovers, which led to our win.”

Bonner-Prendergast, which received an interception touchdown return from sophomore Jaylen Johnson, deflated the Saints when senior Zach Coneys caught a touchdown pass from senior quarterback Colin Finnegan midway through the fourth quarter to go up by two scores.

Bonner-Prendergast vs. Neumann-Goretti - PSD Gallery by Krystal Williams

“I remember me getting separation from the corner,” said Coneys. “I dove and reached for the ball.”

The most appreciative person in the area was Finnegan.

Starting for injured senior starter Justin Shepherd, Finnegan completed two passes – both for touchdowns. The other went to junior Austin Cannon.

“It was actually an audible to Zach for him to run that fade,” said Finnegan. “Having two 6-foot-4 receivers (the other being sophomore Jalil Hall) is a big advantage and our coaches preach just letting them make a play on it. Zach was able to track it down and made an incredible catch.

“It was really just another week of locking in at practice and trying to be the best teammate I could be,” said Finnegan. “We all knew going into the game that we were a better team in every aspect. Our defense was able to step up. Our offensive line really showed up and we were able to spread the playbook out a little more.”

Shepherd, who has thrown nine TDs this season and has been cleared to play next week, was proud of his teammate for stepping in and doing the job.

“Obviously I wanted to be out there for one of the biggest games of the year, but things happen,” said Shepherd. “It was tough but the three of us quarterbacks (including junior Joe Sarjoo) all support each other, and at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter who’s out there as long as we are winning games.”

According to aforementioned Smith, the Friars had anticipated this game since the beginning of the season.

Bonner-Prendergast vs. Neumann-Goretti - PSD Highlights by Krystal Williams

“The win felt surreal,” said Smith. “The coaches and players were beyond happy because we’ve had this date circled the moment we saw the schedule since we haven’t been able to beat them for so long. The past couple years we’ve come close, but we weren’t able to come through with the win.”

Bonner-Prendergast coach Jack Muldoon remained level in his assessment.

“I’m excited for my guys and staff,” said Muldoon. “That was a big win over a very talented team.”

West Catholic rebounded from a tough 14-7 loss to Conwell-Egan by shutting out Archbishop Carroll, 6-0. Aided by junior Kahir Thompson’s two interceptions, the Burrs held the Patriots to 92 yards of total offense.

Senior K’Saan Greene provided the game’s only touchdown on a rush and finished with 51 yards on 15 carries.

“Defensively we were able to control the tempo of the game and take away what they wanted to do offensively,’ said West Catholic coach Brian Wood. “We were hit with the injury bug on the offensive line and I’m excited that we had some young guys step in and perform at a high level . . . 1-0 is the goal each week."

West Catholic vs. Archbishop Carroll - PSD Gallery by James Quinn

One of the most exciting games of the season saw Archbishop Ryan edge Lansdale Catholic, 20-17, in double overtime.

After junior Brett Jackson drilled his second field goal of the game (and of the season) to put the Raiders in front, Ryan’s defense thwarted Lansdale Catholic’s attempt to win the game by finishing a goal-line stand.

“We played as a team, that was the biggest thing,” said Ryan senior McDermott Murphy. “All week we preached to each other that we needed one another and we aren’t that team right now that teams are really fearing to get blown out by.

“We are developing the mindset as a team that every time we take the field, it is a battle and we need each and every one of us to make it out with a win. We plan to take the field the rest of the season this way.

Archbishop Ryan defeated Lansdale Catholic 20-17 in double overtime - PSD Photo by Krystal Williams

“The emotion was just proud, really. It was sloppy at times, but a win is a win and it was hard fought, which made it better.”

Conwell-Egan raised its record to 3-1 with a pair of wins.

In a 14-7 victory at West Catholic, junior quarterback Stephen Tryon threw a touchdown and ran in another. A week later, six different players reached the end zone in a 49-6 success over visiting Cardinal O’Hara.

Against West, Tryon tossed a 20-yard touchdown pass to junior Tayshaun Thenor with less than three minutes remaining in regulation to sever a 7-7 tie. The Eagles then stopped the Burrs on defense.

“I remember looking at the scoreboard and thinking this drive is our last and we need to score right now,” said Thenor, who also plays linebacker and defensive back on defense. “Pre-snap, I saw that there was only one man to beat if my offensive line held up, so I trusted them and came through the hole.”

Conwell-Egan vs. West Catholic - Reel by Zack Beavers

In the win over O’Hara, one of junior Sam Cooper’s two touchdowns included a 71-yard reception from Tryon. Senior Colin Majors tallied a season-high 166 yards on 23 carries. Thenor (9 carries, 71 yards) and sophomore Sincere Fairey (4-60) also ran wild.

“Our overall effort was really good,” said C-E senior Luke Trunell. “Before the West Catholic game, we were coming off a tough 10-0 loss to Lansdale Catholic, so we wanted to get back in the win column. Our game plan was to play aggressive on defense and put together long drives on offense, and I think we did a really good job of that.

“I think that it says a lot about our team’s ability to bounce back. We went over the film, corrected our mistakes, had a good week of practice, and went out and played a really good game.”

Trunell said the remnants of the 10-0 loss to LC two weeks earlier still annoyed his teammates as they prepared for O’Hara.

Conwell-Egan vs. West Catholic - PSD Gallery by Zack Beavers

“We kinda felt like we dropped a game we should have won earlier on, and in the PCL, every game is a must win,” said Trunell. “Since then, the coaches have been drilling into us to stay focused and play our game. Our game is to be aggressive and attack the ball on defense, and to pound the ball on offense with our backs. That’s just what we did the past two weeks, and it’s what we gotta do for the rest of the season.

“Coach (Jack) Techtmann’s saying is, ‘There’s no such thing as an ugly win; a win is a win.’ So that is what we go by. Every win is a good win.”

Next man up. That’s the mantra of consistently successful programs, and no program has been more successful in the PCL than St. Joseph’s Prep.

Two weeks ago, an injury to junior running back Khaseem Phillips opened the door for Erik Sanchez. The junior then went out and scored the first three touchdowns of his career in a 35-6 win over Archbishop Wood.

With Sanchez sidelined in this past Saturday’s tilt against rival La Salle at Franklin Field, junior Taj Dyches overpowered the Explorers with 143 yards and three rushing touchdowns, leading the Hawks to a comfortable 40-11 success. Senior Andrew Bachman intercepted a pass for a Prep defense that limited La Salle to 93 yards of offense.

St. Joseph's Prep vs. Archbishop Wood - PSD Gallery by Lou Rabito

Sanchez expressed his thoughts after the win over Wood.

“The first touchdown, I had to keep my legs going and knew I was gonna score,” he said. “The second one was all my line. They opened up the holes for me. All I did was run through them. The third was on the goal line after a big screen run and I was kinda upset because I got tackled on the play before and I knew I had to just punch it in.”

Prep junior quarterback Samaj Jones isn’t surprised at all by the Hawks depth.

“Our other running backs are down, and we still have another guy ready to roll with the ones, and that’s what he did,” said Jones. “Our offensive line put the team on their back and led us to victory.

“The offense was really smooth this past weekend. No punts at all is always good from an offensive standpoint.”

St. Joseph's Prep vs. La Salle - PSD Photos by Tommy Muir

St. Joseph's Prep vs. La Salle - PSD Gallery by Zack Beavers

Roman Catholic edged Archbishop Wood, 12-7, a win that may pay further dividends since both teams belong in the Class 5A division. At 2-0, the Cahillites are tied with St. Joseph’s Prep atop the Red Division standings.

Seniors Jamir Robertson and Mao Howell each rushed for 105 yards. A Robertson run and a 16-yard pass from freshman quarterback Samaj Beals to senior Walt Clymer accounted for Roman’s scoring. Junior Jah Jah Boyd’s interception helped the Cahillites’ defense hold the Vikings to 58 total yards of offense.

“I think we were able to win because we are a resilient group,” said Roman coach Rick Prete. “We made a lot of mistakes, but you have to give credit to Wood for their part in that.”

*** Most individual statistics courtesy of Ed “Huck” Powers.***