Bonner
Published: Friday, November 4, 2011
By JOHN LOHN
SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
CHESTER - The first shot, a 10-year drought ender, couldn't keep Cardinal O'Hara on the canvas. So, Monsignor Bonner kept swinging until it earned what it wanted, a knockout of its Delaware County rival.
That TKO arrived Friday night at Widener University's Leslie Quick Stadium, but it didn't occur until the waning seconds of the 12th round.
Fighting off an O'Hara charge that would have gone down as miraculous, Bonner notched a 20-14 win over the Lions in the semifinal round of the Catholic League Class AAA playoffs. The Friars' win put them in the title game, almost assuredly against Archbishop Wood, which is slated to face Archbishop Carroll today in the other semifinal.
With less than two minutes left and Bonner in possession, the Friars appeared poised to run out the clock, if not secure a two-touchdown advantage. But as Abraham Jaward (87 yards, touchdown) approached the end zone, O'Hara's Damiere Shaw produced a clean strip for a fumble recovery, giving the Lions a last chance at an improbable win.
Shaky for the first three quarters, sophomore quarterback Dashawn Darden played the role of a cool veteran in the final minute. Completing five passes, including a pair to Shaw and two to Thaddius Smith, Darden put O'Hara in position to prevail. Ultimately, his final pass - intended for Smith - landed incomplete as time expired, giving Bonner back-to-back wins in the series.
"That was unbelievable," said Bonner coach Tom Oropeza. "I don't know what to say. What a football game. At the end, we were almost at the point where we could have kneeled down and run out the clock. Then O'Hara gets the ball and drives. O'Hara deserves credit. They never quit."
The same could be said for Bonner, a program that went through terrible times before Oropeza took command and began the resurrection of his alma mater. It can be argued that the biggest win of Oropeza's tenure was this fall's regular-season win over O'Hara. Now, that triumph falls to the No. 2 slot.
With the game tied at 14-14 early in the fourth quarter, following Jay Watkins' 62-yard touchdown catch from Darden, Bonner rode the arm and legs of Jim Haley to the deciding score. The co-MVP of the Catholic League in the Class AAA division, Haley led the Friars on an 11-play drive that spanned 80 yards and nearly six minutes. In addition to running for 26 yards on the series, Haley capped the drive with a scrambling, 12-yard touchdown strike to John McGilligan.
"Once they got the ball back, we had to shut them down," Haley said. "With 3.3 seconds left, we were praying to God. The one thing coach told us was to protect the ball and we didn't do that. But that's football. The big thing is we got the job done."
It's not surprising Haley shared divisional MVP honors with Wood's Desmon Peoples, a running back bound for Rutgers University. Aside from passing for 99 yards and two touchdowns and running for 46 yards, Haley was superb in the secondary, both in pass coverage and run-stopping duties.
Until O'Hara's final drive, Haley and the Bonner defense neutralized the Lions' offense. Except for two big plays from Watkins, who added a 64-yard run to set up O'Hara's first touchdown, the Lions sputtered. It wasn't until the fourth quarter that the Lions found an offensive rhythm.
"I'm proud of this group. They didn't show any quit," O'Hara coach Danny Algeo said. "To be out of timeouts and almost go 90 yards or whatever, they showed a lot of guts. But it stings."
Complementing Jaward's rushing effort, Ismir Gibson checked in with 87 yards on 13 carries. Paul Pfeffinger paced the Friars with 38 yards on two receptions, including a 23-yarder that gave Bonner a 14-7 lead at halftime.
Against Wood, Oropeza knows his team will be in for a major challenge.
"Everyone made a play tonight," Oropeza said. "It was probably the most unselfish game we've played this year. We're going to have to play pretty darn close to perfect football (against Wood). And they're going to have to make some mistakes."
