Bonner defeats West Philadelphia to claim fourth consecutive 4A City Title

Tagged under: District 12, Scoreboard, Scores

Mike Livingston | November 16, 2024

PHILADELPHIA — The 2024 Monsignor Bonner Friars have been defined by one thing, offense.

Since the outset of the season where the Friars dropped 42 and then 62 on Archbishop Ryan and Archbishop Wood in back to back weeks the team has lived and died by its electric ball movement. That trend continued for Bonner in its 50-14 4A city championship victory over West Philadelphia High School Saturday afternoon.

“We knew that if we had opportunities we would convert at some point,” said Friars head coach Jack Muldoon. “We only had three possessions in that first half and scored on two of them. We didn’t really come out as explosive as we usually do, since we usually score early. In the second half though we just persisted and played our game to make the score what it was.”

Going up against a Speedboys team making their first appearance in a city championship game since 1941 the Friars were looking to play the villain all the while halting a team with a world of momentum on their side.

Early on, the momentum West had showed. While they weren’t able to take it into the endzone the Speedboys worked a few huge drives to chip time away and bruise through the Bonner defense on the back of senior running back Zhafir Cleveland.

Nonetheless it was Bonner who struck first with a wildcat run from senior back Mick Johnson who ran it in for his 18th rushing touchdown of the year to give the Friars an early 7-0 advantage.

The two clubs continued to go back and forth with some good stops by both defenses. Though Bonner came back in the second quarter and struck again with Johnson who broke free for a 55-yard touchdown to make it 13-0 after the missed PAT.

The Speedboys took over and proceeded to work an eight minute drive that was stopped inside the ten yard line by the Friars just as the game reached halftime with a 13-0 advantage for the Friars.

“After the first half we went to the locker room and coach was talking to us,” said Johnson. “He said we had to finish, fishing the drive, the play, the season and especially the game. We just locked in together and did that.”

The Friars received the second half kickoff and took the ball straight down field as Saleem Frink ran it in from 13-yards out for the score to make it 20-0 Bonner.

On the ensuing drive however it was West Philly who got to work. On the back of Cleveland who got the ball on nearly every snap of the drive the Speedboys rushed it in for their only score of the afternoon. That made the tally 20-8 Bonner after Cleveland also ran it in for the conversion.

The Friars matched the Speedboys quickly as sophomore quarterback Noel Campbell found senior wideout and West Virginia commit Jalil Hall on a diving catch in the back corner of the endzone to make it 27-8 Bonner.

“First half it was the running game,” said Campbell. “The wind was against us so we had to figure something out with the run game. Coming out in the second half though, having the wind with us along them bringing more guys in the box we finally got a lot more over top.”

West quickly coughed up the football on the next drive as quarterback Xavier Howard fumbled it away and Bonner recovered.

With just seconds to go in the third quarter it was Campbell and Hall connecting yet again on a nearly identical play to make the score 34-8 Friars.

The Speedboys then opened up the fourth quarter as Howard was picked off by Bonner’s Jeremiah Coleman. The Friars took advantage as Saleem Frink ran it in from 39 yards out to make it 43-8 Bonner.

The Friars would proceed to block the ensuing West Philadelphia punt and set themselves up at the five yard line where Campbell connected with CJ Amboi for the score to give Bonner a 50-8 lead.

The Speedboys quickly ran down field with under two minutes to go as Cleveland ran it in for his second score of the game and then took the conversion in himself to make it 50-14. Woefully however, a scuffle ensued following the conversion which resulted in the game being called with about a minute to go and West exiting the field prematurely.

With the win the Friars will move on to face Pope John Paul II next week in the first round of state playoffs. While the Speedboys finish their historic season as city champion runner ups and look to next year as they continue to grow their program under head coach Karl Patrick.

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