Crushing blocks by Brother Martin blockers open a hole for running back Julian Cutter (10) in a game against East Ascension on Sept. 5, won by the Crusaders, 29-22.
By: Ron Brocato
Brother Martin and Jesuit will meet on the football field for the 60th time on Friday, September 26th (7 p.m. kickoff), as the fastest 10 weeks of the calendar year approach the halfway point of the 2025 season.
Expecting this match-up to draw a large crowd, both teams will enter Tad Gormley Stadium with 3-0 records in this District 9-5A campaign opening game.
Historically, the game attracts the most attention of all Catholic League games. And although the Jesuit-Holy Cross game dates back to 1922 and stands as one of the oldest continuous rivalries in the U.S., games between the Crusaders and Blue Jays have outnumbered all other league rivalries.
Since that first game in 1969, scores have been close. Brother Martin holds a scant 31-28 lead in the series. It took four years for the Crusaders to establish themselves as competitors against the eight-time state champions. And Brother Martin faithful have Jesuit to thank for the sudden turnaround.
In their third season following the consolidation of St. Aloysius and Cor Jesu into Brother Martin High School, the football program demonstrated significant progress under second-year head coach Bob Conlin. His inaugural team in 1970 finished with a strong 7-3 record, but narrowly missed qualifying for the state playoffs, instead earning an invitation to a postseason bowl game.
The following year, Conlin felt he had the talent to compete in the Catholic League, but his anticipation was dashed in week 2 when Jesuit shut his Crusaders out, 16-0, on a muddy Tad Gormley Stadium field. The game statistics showed that Jesuit led in every category: first downs, 9-4; rushing yardage, 152-28; and passing yardage, 60-31. His team had completed just 3 of 10 passes attempted.
This was unacceptable, and Conlin pulled off a feat that had been attained just once in local prep circles. Over the course of a week, Conlin changed the offense to a run-oriented veer concept, and his coaching staff and players bought into it.
Over the next 12 weeks, Brother Martin not only won every game but also tied unbeaten St. Augustine for the league championship via a 7- 0 victory on the final week of district play, but beat the Purple Knights again for the state Class 4A title, 23-0, four weeks later. The Crusaders, though predominantly junior laden, rendered just 48 points with seven shutout wins.
Just once before did local prep history record such a turnaround.
In 1948, Fortier lost its season-opener at Port Arthur, Texas, 24-0. Coach Buck Seeber ditched the “Notre Dame Box” formation in favor of a single win package, and won the school’s only state title in the process.
On Friday, Brother Martin will take its place among its district peers as one of seven Catholic League teams to enter the fray with unbeaten records. And Jesuit stands in the way of that first step toward a title. And those young men in uniform know exactly what this game means.
But both players and fans need to keep the clash in perspective, noted Crusaders’ head coach Mark Bonis, who has been on both sides as a Jesuit player and Crusaders’ mentor.
“This is a big rivalry. But Rummel is a big rivalry and so is St. Augustine,” he said. “In this district, every game is a rivalry.
“I know what this game means, but you can’t get lost in it. I approach it as a game that should fuel your preparation and performance in practice.” And that’s the message he passed on to his players.
‘From a coaching standpoint, this should be like any other game. That’s how you approach it. For the fans, I get it; it’s a big rivalry. But my job is to get our guys focused on their performance.”
As a Jesuit player, Bonis‘ teams lost to Conlin’s Crusaders in his first three years (1993-1995) as an offensive line starter before winning as a senior, 24-0. As Brother Martin’s head coach, he has defeated his alma mater 10 of 19 times.
And this game figures to be a clash of titans.
“Both coaching staffs know each other well,” Bonis pointed out. “You have equal caliber of players, so (the outcome) will come down to a handful of plays. And what you have to do is to create more explosions, protect the football, and win the turnover battle,” he continued. “And you have to be productive on first down plays and efficient in the red zone. So the game could come down to who can win in the trenches on both sides.”
The outcome of this landmark 60th meeting could be determined by one play or come down to a one-possession situation.
So now the fun begins.
