The evening of Thursday, January 11 was bittersweet for some members of the Crusader football team at their annual convocation. For many team members this convocation was their last time together, but for some Crusaders this was their first convocation experience. In addition, at this event, which also marked the end of the 2017 football season, many of the players and coaches were honored for their accomplishments.
The annual spring scrimmage last May against McDonogh #35, which marked the beginning of their 2017 season, seemed like yesterday for Coach Mark Bonis and his team. Charging onto the gridiron, they held firmly to their motto: “Team. Tough. Compete.” They had made some changes to their roster in the beginning of the season, and had looked to their young starters to play to their maximum effort since many of their former seniors had already graduated. The newer starters played their fullest, but the season came to a close at the Division I quarter-finals with a tough loss to Scotlandville by a score of 35-33. The Crusader team finished the season with a record of 7 – 5. This was also the fourth year in a row the Crusaders had reached the final eight.
During the event, Coach Mark Bonis commented on the year stating “ I would like to congratulate all of those involved in OUR program for this year’s continued success. Throughout the season, itself, we often look past the achievements because of the constant grind of getting ready for the next opponent. I hope since the end of the season; however, each and every one of you has taken the time to reflect upon your accomplishments this year, as well as, your career as a whole as a Brother Martin football player. To quantify things, in the last four years, we have made two quarter-final appearances and two semi-final app. Our four year win total matches the best four year win total here at Brother Martin in the last 40 years. Simply put, the program is in a better place now than when our seniors started. That is due in large part to our player’s response & commitment to our standard of excellence. Seniors, although this officially marks the end your Brother Martin football career as a player, realize you will forever be part of this Brother Martin football family. Thank you for setting a tremendous example for our underclassmen!”
In addition, eighth grade coach Glen Fallon and varsity assistant Justin Franks highlighted season accomplishments from the teams ranging from eighth grade to varsity.
Thank you to our parents, fans, and players for a memorable season!
The 2017 varsity players that received individual recognition were:
Scout Team:
Matthew Christy & Joshua Herbert
Special Forces Players of the Year:
Noah Labbe, Brady Faust, Von Addison, Beau Ranlett, Brendan Brown, Matthew Alfonso, & Victor Tomlinson (top individual points performer)
Team Award: Zachary Breaux & Tanner Olsen
Tough Award: Jared Gaudet & Alex Genois
Compete Award: Erick Lassair & Brady Faust
Finish Award: Joshua Orellana & John Paul “JP” Pierce
Andy Douglass Memorial Award (Highest GPA): John Buchert
Bob Conlin Award: Matthew Alfonso, Brendan Brown, Ben Chaplain, Rhett Fleetwood, & Jabari Watts
Season & Career Interception Leader: Erick Lassair
