Brother Martin placekicker Maximo Barrios is surrounded by teammates to celebrate his winning field goal against Jesuit. Joining in the celebration are Crusaders Brady Balser (29), Dominic Jabbia (44), Johnny Revels (48) and Brodie DuMnntier.

True to the Creed

by Ron Brocato

Above the din of the large Tad Gormley Stadium crowd, perhaps the words of the Crusader Football Creed were reverberating in the head of Brother Martin’s placekicker, Maximo Barrios, when he positioned himself to kick a 38-yard field goal in a Sept. 26 game against District 9-5A rival Jesuit.

I believe in Team.
I respect my teammates.
I seek to positively affect them through my actions.
I understand and accept my role on this team, no matter the circumstance.

Barrios had the full confidence of his head coach, Mark Bonis, who sent the 150-pound junior onto the field with just 4 seconds showing on the south-end stadium scoreboard to decide if the Crusaders would continue their unbeaten streak through the fifth week of the season.

Earlier in the game, Barrios’s punting gave Jesuit decent field position to begin two drives that the Crusaders were able to stave off.

To make matters worse, Jesuit’s coaching staff attempted to “ice” the kicker by calling a time-out just before the ball was snapped.

But unfazed, Barrios stepped into the ball. It fluttered in mid-flight but had enough air under it to clear the crossbar for a hard-earned 31-29 victory.

Having fulfilled the intention of the Creed, Barrios soaked in the congratulations of his grateful teammates.

Bonis was more than pleased with the Crusaders’ performance. They led for most of the game behind the passing of junior quarterback Hudson Fields, who completed 21-of-30 passes for 308 yards and a touchdown. But then the rival Blue Jays fought back to take a 29-28 lead with just 1:08 left in the game.

But the words and spirit of the Creed rang true one more time:
I believe in being Tough, both physically and mentally,
I am resilient in the face of adversity,
Willing to lay my body down as I give my full effort on the field.

Bonis’s team heeded the intention.

With time running out, Brother Martin began its victory march, starting at the 33-yard line. Using Fields's passing arm to complete five straight passes, the Crusaders advanced to the Jesuit 21-yard line with just 20 seconds to play.

Jesuit stopped a mistimed lateral to standout receiver Easton Royal for a six-yard loss, precariously bordering on Barrios’s field goal range. That was the only mishap Royal would encounter. He finished the game with eight receptions for 172 yards and two touchdowns.

Then, with 14 seconds left to play, Fields found senior wide-out Rowan Lipscomb open at the Blue Jays’ 21-yard line, where he caught the ball to set up the winning kick.

Bonis was relieved that the pressure was off his young players, and was particularly pleased with the manner in which they answered the challenge of one of the school’s oldest rivals.

“I’m proud of all our guys to find a way (to win),” he said later, noting, “This isn’t LSU football, but Catholic education high school football is just as important to our young men. And that’s why we coaches are in the Catholic League — because we want to make a difference in their lives and to help them become better men.”

Another passage in the Creed confirms the determination to succeed:
I relish the opportunity to Finish.
I have the courage and confidence to perform fearlessly and relentlessly,
Until we collectively reach our goals.

Goal achieved. The next quest comes on Friday (Oct. 3) when the Crusaders meet Archbishop Rummel at Joe Yenni Stadium. Kickoff is at 7:00 p.m. Rummel takes a 2-2 record into its home game against the 4-0 Garnet Knights.

Maximo Barrios gets his foot into a 38-yard field goal that gave Brother Martin a 31-29 victory over Catholic League rival Jesuit on Sept. 26. Holder Brodie DuMontier watches as the ball clears the line of scrimmage with 2 seconds remaining in the game.

Brother Martin student section celebrates last week's win over Jesuit; looks for another against Rummel on Friday.

“Road Warriors” Crusade at Yenni

by Ron Brocato

After four weeks and 430 miles of back-and-forth travel to play early season football games, Brother Martin’s “road warriors” are in Metairie on Friday (Oct. 3) to face District 9-5A rival Archbishop Rummel.

And, yes, the Crusaders are once again the visitors for the 7:00 p.m. kickoff at Joe Yenni Stadium, so it’s considered another road game.

The meeting between the two Catholic League schools will be the 59th in the series that dates back to Brother Martin’s first school year of 1969-70. Rummel holds a slight 30-28 edge.

The outcome is meaningful for both squads.

A Brother Martin victory would keep Coach Mark Bonis’ team undefeated with five wins at the end of the first half of the season as district play intensifies. The Crusaders won their first league game last week thanks to a last-second field goal to rally past Jesuit, 31-29.

The situation is more desperate for the host Raiders, who opened district play last week with a 21-19 loss to John Curtis. A second straight setback would be their third defeat of the season, having also lost to Lafayette Christian (27-26) in their season debut.

Rummel bounced back to easily defeat its longtime rival, Shaw, 29-0, in a non-district game. Paradoxically, a week later, Shaw turned the state rankings upside down by routing previously unbeaten, and Rummel conqueror, Lafayette Christian, 31-13.

Bonis is aware of the urgency for his Rummel coaching counterpart Nick Monica.

“Having lost last week to Curtis, their backs are against the wall. So you know they’ll come out fighting,” Bonis said.

“Coach Monica will have his team ready to play.”

Two losses in a district that includes Edna Karr, the reigning Division I champion and ranked No. 1 among Division I select schools; No. 4 St. Augustine, No. 7 Curtis and the No. 9 ranked Crusaders, would create an almost insurmountable task of gaining a home game in the state playoffs.

Brother Martin still has to play the three higher ranked district schools in the Louisiana Sports Writers Association poll, and second-year district rival Warren Easton (3-1 record and averaging 41 points per game). But at least the Crusaders will be considered the home team against Curtis and Easton.

“By playing those two teams, you will find out a lot about yourself,” Bonis said.

But he has already seen encouraging signs from the results of tough matchups against East Ascension, St. Paul’s, New Hope, and Jesuit, all of which fell to the Crusaders.

Rummel figures to be the Crusaders’ most competitive to date.

“Like the Jesuit game, this one’s going to be close,” the coach said. “It may come down to a couple of possessions. Rummel’s speed makes them impressive on offense and defense, and they match up well with us on the perimeter. So it may come down to play in the trenches on offense (linemen vs. linemen).”

Like many teams at the halfway point of the season, there are some nicks and bruises.

“Yes,” Bonis confirmed. “We have a few key injuries, but we did a good job of creating depth. So when you look at the situation, it’s the next man up, and I think (the coaching staff) has done a good enough job of preparing our younger players for when their moment comes.

“It’s a scary feeling to play a team like Rummel with some younger players, but it’s also an exciting feeling to see those young men (perform) when they are put in that situation.”

And the 8,000-seat Yenni Stadium stands should be at near capacity for one of the most ardent Catholic League rivalries of the season.