Bonner-Prendie survives the slow start and runs away from Southern Lehigh

DOYLESTOWN — If the scouting report had been strictly followed, most viewers of Friday’s PIAA Class 4A semifinals might have been surprised.

It took a quarter and a half for Bonner & Prendergast to get a completion from quarterback Noel Campbell, who opened the game with an interception. It would be three more minutes before Jalil Hall got on offense for the first time.

And yet, even though Southern Lehigh muzzled key Bonner and Prendie weapons early, the Friars’ dynamic running attack steamrolled the Spartans with 414 rushing yards in a 55-26 decision at Central Bucks West.

Mick Johnson scored four touchdowns and Saleem Frink added two as the Friars (11-2) reached the program’s first state final in a game that wasn’t even as close as the final score suggested.

The District 12 champion will face Lamper-Strasburg, the District 3 champion that defeated Thomas Jefferson 20-16 in the other semifinal. Bonner & Prendie is the first Delaware County team to reach a PIAA final since Garnet Valley in 2007. The last Delco team to win it all was Strath Haven in 2000.

The Friars rushing game dominated. Frink carried 10 carries for 179 yards, Johnson carried 12 for 148 yards. Even reserve running back Mekhi Martin had seven carries for 76 yards in top-to-bottom dominance. None of Bonner-Prendie’s 34 transmissions were lost.

The District 11 champion Spartans added the score late, long after the result had been decided under the running clock. The game started poorly for the Friars, allowing Southern Lehigh to gain four first downs on a 12-play drive to the 21st. But a false start extended Noah Tapler’s field goal attempt, and his 42-yarder didn’t come close.

Sean Steckert jumped a shallow route from Campbell intended for Hall on Bonner & Prendie’s first snap, and the Spartans were back in business at the 19th. But the Friars defense stepped up, Jeremiah Coleman with a diving interception in the end zone on fourth down. Johnson took the next snap 80 yards from home.

Bonner & Prendie hurt Southern Lehigh early and often. A 39-yard Frink Chunk play started the next series, with Johnson coming from the 1 on the second play of the second quarter to make the score 14-0. The next time the Friars touched the ball, Frink missed a 60-yarder, and a fourth-and-8 hookup from Campbell to Hall set up Johnson’s six-yard TD for a 28-7 lead with 2:24 to play Half time.

At halftime, Frink had 133 yards on the ground and Johnson had 107, accounting for the bulk of Bonner’s 308 yards of offense.

Campbell would find Hall for a touchdown in the third quarter to make it 49-14, with Campbell underhanding the ball, but Hall made a great pass on a 33-yard connection. He finished the game 9-for-16 for 128 yards.

Southern Lehigh’s only offense in the first half came from a Bonner & Prendiemiscue. Ty Morris attempted a jumping punt on his 20-yard run, the right decision to save distance. But he made a mistake and Steckert pounced. Steckert cut the lead in half six plays later with a two-yard TD to make it 14-7.

Frink responded with his 60-yard TD burst. The Bonner & Prendie defense, with Hall taking the lead on the edge, often frustrated Southern Lehigh. That included Hall leading a group tackle with 3:56 left in the second quarter and dislodging Michigan commit Andrew Olesh on a four-and-1 Wildcat keeper at the 34th to give the Friars a short field .

The brothers won the battle of the blue-chippers. Hall, who was headed to West Virginia, had Olesh reporting for most of the day. He finished the game with five catches for 104 yards and the touchdown.

Olesh didn’t break free until 2:44 left in the third quarter when he broke one-on-one coverage with Coleman, the over-top safety, down the sideline for a 44-yard touchdown. The final stats show he had 14 catches for 201 yards, most of which had no impact on the outcome. He and quarterback Colton Sams scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter against mostly Friars reserves, one more insignificant to the final result than the other.

He added a 22-yard TD on the fourth play and a 73-yarder on the final play, with Southern Lehigh using two timeouts to stop the running clock. In total he was targeted 23 times.

Sams finished the game 21-for-34 for 301 yards. He was picked twice, with Amir Williams nullifying a 55-yard pick-six on a penalty kick. Sams was just 9 of 21 for 91 yards before the running clock.

Hall was an excellent disruptor on defense at the rim. Steckt ran for 32 yards on the opening series, then 14 the rest of the game. Hall threw to Steckert for a six-yard loss on Southern Lehigh’s first series of the second half after Frink’s one-yard TD run made it 35-7. CJ Amobi botched a fake punt on the next series to set up another short field. On the first play, Campbell took Hall to the 32, then Johnson finished with a one-yard dive.

Originally published: November 29, 2024 at 9:52 pm EST