October 1, 2021

Chat with Coach Bonis #3: Jesuit Review, St. Augustine Preview

by Brother Neal Golden, S.C. (CJ ’57)

The Crusaders and Blue Jays played a game last Friday night that will go down as one of the most exciting in the annals of the historic series that began in 1921.

“Another unbelievable game for both programs,” coach Mark Bonis said afterward. “You can tip your hat to both programs. You hate to see somebody lose; I'm glad our guys came out victorious. Our kids, man, they never say die.”

Brother Martin took the lead in the first quarter when RB Torey Lambert took a handoff and threw an 18 yard touchdown pass to senior WR Julian Oubre to take a 7-0 lead.

The Crusader defense controlled the line of scrimmage and stuffed the Jesuit attack through three quarters, holding the Blue Jays to just three first downs and forcing eight punts.

Meanwhile, the Brother Martin offense missed two field goals after bogging down in Jesuit territory and hurt itself with turnovers, including three fumbles in the third quarter. Coach Bonis says, “The first drive was very good. But we got off track and lost focus after that. We didn’t finish drives when we had opportunities to put our opponent away.”

In the final period, Jesuit senior QB Jack Larriviere took matters into his own hands. He gained 50, 10, and 14 yards to put the ball on the Brother Martin three. He took it over from there to tie the score.

How would the Crusaders handle the frustration of being tied after dominating the game for three quarters? “We had them prepared that there would be ups and downs,” says Bonis. “I think our kids and our coaches handled it very well.”

After Jesuit scored a touchdown in the first overtime, Crusader senior QB Garrett Mmahat pushed his way into the end zone on fourth down to tie the game at 14.

When the Crusaders failed to score on fourth down in the second extra period, the Blue Jays lined up for a chip shot field goal from the ten on first down. But the kick hit the left upright and bounced back.

On to overtime #3. DB Jahron Manning ended the Jesuit possession with an interception in the end zone. Bonis didn’t go the field goal route and was rewarded when Torey Lambert burst into the end zone to top off the improbable 20-14 victory.

Bonis: “Even in the second overtime, when people thought that was it, we really thought we had a chance. We thought we had an advantage on our PAT block team. They’re really good. Although we didn’t block it, we may have rushed it.”

“Our players and coaches stayed calm throughout the whole game. They never got too high or too low. We do mental training every week. No matter what happens, you have to stay focused on the task at hand and keep fighting. There’s a tremendous advantage that can be gained through mental training. It’s underutilized.”

The next foe is another traditional rival, St. Augustine, in a game set for 2:00 p.m. on Saturday at Tad Gormley Stadium. “As always, their offensive and defensive lines are very big and athletic. They have some great talent. The quarterback can hurt you with his arm and feet, and they have two good running backs. They went toe to toe with Zachary, one of the best teams in the state. They were just a few plays from winning that game.” The final score was 45-35.
“They have an outstanding crew of big, fast linebackers. The secondary is great in man-to-man coverage. From top to bottom, St. Aug. is the top team in the district when it comes to talent.” Coach Nick Foster came from the outstanding Karr football program to take over the Purple Knights last season. “He knows what it takes to win and is building on the success St. Aug. has had in the past. We’ll have our hands full. They have a great kicking game with two dangerous returners.”

“It will come down to our guys relying on our coaching points. Don’t play fearful; just react as you’ve been taught.”