By Ron Brocato
Halfway through its most rigorous part of the football season, Brother Martin faces its third most formidable opponent on Thursday, Oct. 15, when the Crusaders pop pads with the John Curtis Patriots at Muss Bertolino Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
It’s a short week of practice for players on both sides who are looking for their first wins in a few weeks.
The Crusaders, 1-2 in District 9-5A play, have dropped Catholic League games to Edna Karr and Rummel after defeating Jesuit. The streak has grown to three straight losses for Curtis, which has posted a 2-4 record with zero district wins. Obviously, both teams are anxious to end their victory lull, and are expected to play with that resolve in mind.
Coach Mark Bonis’ Crusaders, the visitors this week, have a 4-2 overall record, holding the No. 5 power ranking among Division I Select schools. The Louisiana Sports Writers’ ranking lists Brother Martin as the No. 8 team on their top poll. Curtis has the No. 10 power ranking and has dropped out of the LSWA Top 10 after losing to St. Augustine (42-32), Rummel (10-9) and Karr (40-28).
But Bonis warns Crusader fans, “The message this week is don’t listen to the noise. This is one of the most talented teams in the state. They still have a top 10 power rating with four losses. Their backs are against the wall, so they’re going to come out fighting.”
As for his team, battling through a four game stretch that still has Curtis and St. Augustine, No. 2 D-I ranked team, to get past in the coming weeks, Bonis said, “This is a great group of players who are resilient and they don’t like the feeling of losing (against Rummel). The effort was there; we just didn’t play well.”
The Raiders are ranked No.1 in power points and are unbeaten in six games. Their defense recovered back-to-back fumbles and enabled the offense to finally click into gear after a slow start. When it did, its engineer was U-High transfer Colton Nussmeier, who passed and ran for two touchdowns apiece in a 178-total-yard performance that resulted in a 33-10 Rummel win.
“We knew that Rummel was the most complete team we had faced,” Bonis noted. “We had won the turnover and explosion battles earlier in the season. But over the last two weeks we have not done that. I let the players know on Saturday that they are a good football team, and they are ready to move on.”
The afternoon game at Tad Gormley Stadium wasn’t all Rummel’s showcase. Brother Martin’s senior wide receiver Easton Royal had his most productive game of the season, using his talent to play at different offensive positions. Although the Raiders’ defense was able to confine him to 14 yards rushing, the University of Florida commit, caught a season-high 11 passes for 100 yards.
Now the team looks toward the match against 26-time state champion John Curtis on the Kenner playground field named for deceased journalist Ed Daniels.
Under longtime Coach J.T. Curtis, the Patriots have won 24 state titles against opponents classified from 3A to 1A over the decades. They joined the Catholic League by playing up to Class 5A in 2025 and have since added titles in 2018 and 022.
As a Division I team, Curtis has a 94-39 overall and a 50-23 district record.
“They’ve found success at every level and are very talented,” Bonis said. “Don’t let their record fool you. Defensively, they have as many stars as anyone in the league with five major Division I commits. So you can’t sit there and look at their record.”
Bonis said his opponent, which has won the majority of its games over the years running a veer offense, has adapted it.
“They’ve changed their scheme,” Bonis said. “They’re not just a split back veer. There is more passing involved, and their formations are different. They will be in a spread formation, then will get out of it, and that is what you have to prepare for in a whole week’s time; something you’re not used to seeing."
Their coaching staff does a great job of preparing them. “We just have to go out and battle them. Our boys will be ready,” Coach said.
