by Brother Neal Golden, S.C. '57 CJ
October 10: Brother Martin defeats Jesuit 45-42 on Jaylon Spears’s fifth touchdown with only 20 seconds left.
December 4: Brother Martin defeats Jesuit in the second round of the Division I state playoffs 36-34 on QB Garrett Mmahat’s 8-yard run with 49 seconds left.
We older Crusader fans want to thank this year’s team and coaching staff. We won’t have to see our cardiologists for at least a year after surviving these nerve-wracking contests.
Brother Martin came from further behind later in the second Jesuit game than they did in the Curtis game that ended the regular season two weeks earlier. Curtis took a 35-28 lead late in the third quarter before the Crusaders scored the last ten points to win the district championship and sew up the #1 seed in the playoffs. But last Friday the Blue Jays took a 34-24 lead with 9:36 left in the final period, forcing the Crimson and Gold to score 12 unanswered points to advance to the semifinals against Catholic High of Baton Rouge.
When Jesuit went up by ten, they forced a punt on Martin’s next possession, then drove into Crusader territory. Coach Mark Bonis knew his defense needed to rise to the occasion. “You need a little bit of luck to go your way. We brought pressure on fourth down, and QB Luke LaForge missed a wide open receiver. We made the most of it, going down and scoring. After the defense got another stop, Garrett showed what type of winner he is, leading the team down the field on that last drive.”
“With us being such a timing-based team, I feared the bye week before the Jesuit game, and we played like a team coming off a two-week layoff. At the end of the day, though, our kids lived up to our creed. They showed resilience in the face of adversity. They stuck together and found a way to come through with a big team win.”
Brother Martin and Catholic High have met three times in the quarterfinals of the Division I Select School playoffs. In 2014, the Crusaders stopped a two-point conversion try to preserve a 25-23 victory at Memorial Stadium in Baton Rouge. A year later, the Bears came to Tad Gormley Stadium and turned the tables, stuffing Martin’s two-point try with 16 seconds left to eke out a 49-48 win. The Crusaders traveled to the Capital City in 2016 and dominated CHS 28-0.
The Bears come to Tad Gormley this Friday night with a chance to earn their fifth championship game appearance in the last six years.
Coach Bonis says, “Catholic High has a wealth of talent. Offensively, they do a good job of trying to keep everybody happy. They have so many athletes they can’t get them all on the field at once. They do a good job of coaching, including special teams. I think very highly of them and the job they’ve done. But this game is an opportunity for our guys to showcase the God-given abilities they have.”
“It’s a big football game between two Brothers of the Sacred Heart schools. It’s one game removed from the state championship. But you can’t get lost in it. I told our guys to visualize what it would be like after winning a game of this magnitude. But you can’t just think about it. You’ve got to get to work and prepare for this game like any other game.”
“We’re really excited to be in our fourth semi final in seven years. We’d love to make an appearance in the finals for the first time since 1989 for our Brother Martin community. These types of games come down to who executes best. For where we are in the season, we’re banged up just like everybody else. That’s not going to faze this group. They will have what they need to compete at their very best.”
