November 2, 2023

Chat with Coach Bonis #9: John Curtis Review, St. Augustine Preview

by Brother Neal Golden, S.C. (CJ ’57)

"For the third time in the last two seasons, the John Curtis Patriots had the Crusaders’ number as they won 26-7 last Friday night at The Shrine on Airline.

The Patriots ran the ball 32 times for 259 yards and three touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Curtis defense held the Saders to just 66 yards rushing.

Curtis took the opening kickoff and drove to a touchdown, which came on a 22 yard pass from QB Dagan Bruno to LSU commitment Michael Turner in the end zone. The PAT was missed. 6-0 Curtis with 7:06 left in the first quarter. 

Bruno threw only seven passes all evening, completing five for 88yards.

After Brother Martin went three-and-out, Curtis marched to a second touchdown. The biggest gainer was senior RB Marlon Prout’s 32 yard scamper to the BM seven. Junior RB Jack Corcoran scored on the next play. 13-0 Patriots with 2:29 left in the first quarter.The Crusaders responded with their best drive of the night. Starting from their 40 after the kickoff went out of bounds, they moved relentlessly downfield as junior QB Seth Dazet connected on four passes, including the 14 yard touchdown pass to freshman WR Easton Royal to cut the lead to 13-7 with 6:22 left in the second quarter.

It looked like the Crusaders had survived the early Curtis onslaught and would go into halftime with some momentum when they punted to the Curtis 23 with less than two minutes on the clock. But Prout took a handoff on a classic “Statue of Liberty” play and broke loose down the right sideline for a touchdown to make it 19-7 with 51 seconds left in the half.

“That play before half was huge for us,” said Patriots coach J. T. Curtis. “With the missed extra point, it was a one-score game. If they get a touchdown, they have the lead.”

The Crusaders needed to score early in the second half, and they got an excellent chance to do so. After a fumble recovery at the Curtis 36, RB Sidney Harris, Jr. ran the ball six times to make it fourth-and-1 at the 3. But the Patriots stuffed him to take over on downs.

They then removed all doubt about who would win when they drove 97 yards to put the game on ice. The big play was Bruno’s 41 yard pass to Turner to the BM 30. Four plays later, RB Jason Gabriel scurried the last 23 yards to make it 26-7 Patriots with  7:51 to play.

Coach Mark Bonis: “We had some opportunities. Going into the game, we knew we had to make the most out of every opportunity, and we didn’t. There were two key plays. The first was the touchdown right before the half. And then we had a chance to pull within one score when we got to the 2 yard line but weren’t able to punch it in.

“We knew we would be limited in our possessions, and we had to make the most out of every opportunity. In the grand scheme of things, there were a handful of plays here and there that prevented us from having success.

“We did do some good things and got better in some facets of the game. But there’s a lot of work that has to be done. We’re still trying to improve as we approach the playoffs.”

The Crusaders fell from #2 to #5 in the LHSAA Power Rankings for Select Division I. 24 teams make the playoffs in that division with the top eight enjoying a first-round bye. 

So the task at hand is clear. Defeat St. Augustine Friday night at Tad Gormley Stadium and earn the bye.

“We’ll be lined up against the most talented team in the district in my opinion. They put it together in all three phases last week against De La Salle (38-20). They didn’t turn the ball over. They have several good running backs and some weapons at the receiver and tight end spots. They also have a massive offensive line. Their defensive line is outstanding. They have the best sophomore defensive lineman in the country in Jahkeem Stewart.

“They’ve gone toe-to-toe with Karr, Curtis, and Zachary, which is one of the top teams in the state. We’ve got to bring our A game in all three phases.”

The coaching staff must work around the special schedules this week for Open House. 

“We’ll practice Thursday right after school ends at midday. After that, players will have the opportunity to take care of their bodies better than usual with the idle time (before Open House).

“Friday we’ll have the usual school routine in the morning. Then they can eat lunch and do the things that give them an advantage after being on their feet all night.”

The banged-up Crusaders need a win Friday night to get the much-needed bye. But the conundrum is that the injuries make it more difficult to win the final regular season game.

So they need the full support of the Crimson and Gold nation Friday night!"