By Ron Brocato
They may be a bit battered and bruised going into the Select Division I playoffs, but the Brother Martin Crusaders know that they have much work to do with the start of the “championship season” in their headlights.
Having drawn a first round bye as a result of their 7-3 regular season record that gave them a No. 8 seed, Coach Mark Bonis’ squad will use the week off to heal and prepare to meet the winner of this week’s Bonnabel vs. Peabody game on Nov. 20. Bonnabel, the No. 9 seed, hosts No. 24 Peabody on Friday, Nov. 13 at Joe Yenni Stadium, and Bonis and coaching staff members will be interested spectators.
So, the week off is a work week, after all. Bonis and staff plan to put it to good use following the regular season-ending 27-14 District 9-5A victory over Holy Cross on Nov. 6.
“We’ll try to heal ourselves from a brutal Catholic League schedule and use the time to focus in on the fundamentals that we need to work on,” Bonis said in reflection on the past 10 weeks of arduous play. “This is our time for self-scouting all three phases to see the good, the bad, and the ugly.”
The “ugly” part concerns the coaches after witnessing the Crusaders quickly falling behind Holy Cross before recovering to score 27 unanswered points. But that rally came late after the Crusader coaches found a way to offset the Tigers’ no-huddle, hurry-up offensive attack.
The visiting Crusaders managed to tie the score at 14-all entering the fourth period, but the talent of senior wide receiver-turned-running back Easton Royal was instrumental in breaking the game open.
The Florida-bound sprinter was the workhorse in the rally, carrying the ball a season-high 16 times for 165 yards and three touchdowns. He added a fourth on a kickoff return that quickly covered 75 yards.
Brother Martin ended its district schedule with a 4-3 record that ties the team for fourth place in the final standings with Rummel.
A potential playoff game against Bonnabel, the District 10-5A champion, would be the 13th meeting between the two, dating back to 1972. Brother Martin holds a 9-3 series lead over the Bruins, while the Crusaders have never played Peabody, a longtime Class 4A basketball power with few football accolades.
The second round game is tentatively set for Friday, Nov. 20 at 3:30 p.m.
A Brother Martin victory could set the stage for a return match with No. 1 seeded St. Augustine in the quarterfinal round on or about Nov. 27. Like the Crusaders, St. Augustine has a first round bye, then will host the winner of the Holy Cross vs. John Ehret game on Nov. 20 at 7 p.m.
Bonis said the seasoned Crusaders have one thing on their minds, and it’s not St. Augustine, the Catholic League champion, to whom they lost, 49-35, on Oct. 23.
“I think that the kids have bought into who we are and understand that we are part of a process of taking it one game at a time,” Bonis said. “They know we can’t get to St. Augustine until we get through the winner of the Bonnabel-Peabody game. And we still have a lot of work ahead before we face those guys.”
