October 7, 2022
Chat with Coach Bonis #5: Karr Review, Jesuit Preview
by Brother Neal Golden, S.C. (CJ ’57)
"The Crusaders began District 9-5A play last Friday against Edna Karr at Behrman Stadium in Algiers. Hopes for a fast start by the Crusaders were dashed when Taron Francis returned the opening kickoff 81 yards for a touchdown. The two-point conversion made it 8-0.
The Cougars extended their lead to 15-0 early in the second quarter with an 8-yard pass to Makhi Paris. The Crusaders responded with a drive that culminated in Torey Lambert’s 2-yard plunge into the end zone to cut the lead to 15-7. But Karr responded immediately with another touchdown pass to Paris to extend the lead back to 21-7. The score had been set up by dual-threat QB A. J. Samuel’s 41-yard run.
After the Cougars made it 27-7 with two minutes left in the half, Jordan West returned the kickoff into Karr territory. The Crusaders drove all the way to the one with 20 seconds left but couldn’t push across the goal line as the half ended.
It was imperative for the Crusaders to score first in the second half. Instead, Karr added to their lead with a 59-yard catch and run by Tyrone Wilson to make it 33-7. Chris Vasquez’s 3-yard run in the fourth quarter made the final score 40-7.
The Cougars outgained the Crusaders 410-232. Yet the teams tied in first downs with 15 each.
Coach Mark Bonis says, “We missed out on two opportunities to score in the second quarter and make it a more competitive game. Down 15-7, we get a first down on their 30 with a chance to make it 15-14 or 15-10. But on first down, we get behind the chains. You can’t be behind the chains against those guys. Then at the end of the half, we had to burn timeouts because of substitution errors. We needed those timeouts when we weren’t able to score right before halftime. Score there, and we make the game more interesting since we got the ball to start the second half.
“I’m not happy with the way we’re playing offensively now. We’re not where we need to be at this point in the season. But our kids battled the whole game. I just wish we’d have had two more scores.
“We’re 3-and-2. We’ve lost to the best team in Division II, St. Thomas More, and the best team in 5A, Karr.”
Brother Martin celebrates homecoming in the annual meeting with Jesuit tonight at Tad Gormley Stadium. The Blue Jays are 2-4 overall and 0-2 in district with losses to Curtis and St. Augustine.
“They’ve played a tough schedule. They lost to a really good Slidell team and to Ruston. All the games were close. They very easily could be 4-2 or 5-1. They lost a couple of key defensive linemen from last year’s team that reached the Division I final. They lost their quarterback, who was a really good player. Everyone else is back.
“But this will be a typical Jesuit-Brother Martin football game. Throw the records out the window. Block out all potential distractions.
“For us, two things are important this week. Exams are #1, football is #2. But you’re dealing with high school kids. We’ve been on a different schedule during test week. Friday is a concern because they get out after the first exam, and you have to worry about what they’re doing the rest of the day. We tell them to do what they do on a normal day. Make sure they don’t lose sight of anything because it’s homecoming or because we’ve got to get them back from last year. That’s nonsense. This team’s a different team from last year, and this season’s a different season. This game is big because it’s the one we’re playing now. Go execute the way you’ve been trained.
“We’re 3-2 against a really tough schedule. Now’s the time to buy into the things we hold dear, our program principles. Get back to who we are. Make sure we understand football fundamentals. We’ve faced some adversity. Now we get to see who we are. In our district, nobody’s going to feel sorry for you.
“We wiped the whole first half of the season this past Monday. We went through the gauntlet part of the schedule that we knew would be challenging. We wanted to see exactly where we were and challenge ourselves early in the year. Now it’s time to reap the benefits of that.
“We need to be better in our RPO (run-pass option) game. We expect to see drastic improvement there. As the RPO game has success, you’ll see more explosive plays.
“I’m excited to go out there and get after it again. Get back on the field to see the progress we’ve made."
Be sure to join us in support of the Brother Martin football team vs. Jesuit during our Homecoming game at Tad Gormley Stadium tonight, October 7th at 7 PM!
