Roman Catholic, Bonner-Prendergast for the first time in the state football semi-finals

Sometimes it takes patience to achieve success. When Jack Muldoon and Rick Prete took over the leadership of their football programs, they established new systems, finished on the losing side and had successful seasons in recent years that fell short in the state playoffs.

Now the coaches at their high schools are taking a new approach. For the first time in each program, Bonner-Prendergast and Roman Catholic will compete in the PIAA state semifinals. The Philadelphia Catholic League joined the PIAA in 2008.

On Friday, Muldoons Friars (10-2) face Southern Lehigh (10-2) in Class 4A at Central Bucks West, while Prete’s Cahillites (10-4) travel to West Chester Henderson to face West Chester Rustin (13-2). ) to compete. 1) in class 5A. Both games take place at 7 p.m

“This means everything to me,” said Muldoon, who graduated from Monsignor Bonner in 1975 and became head coach in 2016 after being involved with the program for four years. “I work at school. I am the Director of Alumni Relations. I’m here every day. I have many dear friends and alumni who have supported us. It means a lot to me to come here.”

The programs have had successful seasons over the years. There is also a rich history between them and loyal alumni who support them. But to get back to the top, schools had to start at the bottom.

Prete, who was named Roman’s head coach in 2019, didn’t know much about the PCL. The Norristown native, who served in the Army from 2002 to 2014, was offensive coordinator and receivers coach at Imhotep Charter for two seasons. Previously, he helped coach Malvern Prep’s offense in 2014 and 2015.

“When we started competing against Roman when I was at Malvern, I liked the dynamic and the diversity of the kids on the field and they met the criteria of what I was looking for to be able to lead a program that needed to be elevated said Prete. “It was just a personal challenge of mine that I wanted to take on.”

Prete replaced Jim Murphy, who had previously led the Cahillites from 2000 to 2007, compiling a record of 64-34 (32-22 in the Catholic League). Murphy returned to Roman in 2015 and resigned in 2018 after a 1-10 season.

When he arrived at Broad and Vine Streets, Prete first learned of Roman’s previous successes, like in 2007, when the team finished 12-2 and defeated St. Joseph’s Prep for the Catholic League Red title.

” READ MORE: What to know about local football teams in the PIAA semifinals

Then he began to implement his plan.

“Coming from the military, I just knew that repetition was important, and repetition makes you better,” Prete said. “It was obvious we needed to do a lot more by introducing a mandatory weight room and setting firm dates for commencement. If you miss it, you won’t be able to play here.

“Maybe you don’t see results overnight, but my first year team went from zero wins the year before to five wins, which we weren’t happy about, but it just showed that there’s a little more work to do to help kids. Six years later, these seniors have completed this schedule all four years of their high school careers, so the boys are continuing to develop.”

Over the last two seasons, Prete led the Cahillites to 9-3 records but didn’t do much damage in the postseason. Last year they reached the state playoffs but were eliminated in the first round by Imhotep, which now competes in Class 6A.

Muldoon has had similar results. The Friars have had successful seasons since 2019, but lost in the state quarterfinals each of the last three years.

“We talked about it during the season,” Muldoon said of returning to the playoffs. “It was a big win for us. It was a huge victory for the school to reach this point. Our goal is to win 1-0 every week and let’s try to play in December. We would like to represent our school in the state championship game. But it takes one day at a time.”

The schools also have something in common: they can recruit players from other areas.

Enrollment in Catholic schools is not what it used to be. Fewer children from surrounding neighborhoods attend these schools, meaning it’s up to coaches to build relationships and reputations that inspire students to participate in their programs.

“We’ve gotten better little by little,” Muldoon said. “We are now a focal point for children. We have a lot of college coaches like James Franklin (from Penn State) coming through here in his helicopter, and coaches from Oregon, Duke and Syracuse coming back. We can offer this opportunity for our children who want to play at this level.”

” READ MORE: Bonner-Prendie has lost in the state quarterfinals three years in a row. Senior Jalil Hall wants to change that.

Both teams have players who have written their names in the record books. Roman junior quarterback Semaj Beals set the city record for passing yards with 6,927 yards, while senior receiver Rayshawn Scott broke the city’s single-season receiving record with 1,317 yards.

Bonner-Prendie sophomore quarterback Noel Campbell set school records for completions (157), yards (2,395) and touchdowns (26) this season. Receivers Jalil Hall and Jeremiah Coleman also set school records.

The coaches are ready to continue their success. Prete said regardless of whether Roman wins a state title, there is always room for improvement.

“I’m still focused on where we can continue to grow and get better,” he said. “All the work our kids put in and everything the school does to get us to this point, I still see a lot of potential for us to get a lot better.”

“The current mindset is – and I know this sounds kind of cliché – to continually improve. They’re doing great things right now and we have the opportunity to do something, but we just have to keep going.”