Bro. Neal’s Chat with Coach Bonis #3: Carver Wrap up, Ponchatoula Preview
Anyone expecting a high-scoring game when Brother Martin played Carver last Friday night at Tad Gormley Stadium was sadly disappointed. Neither team scored in the first half, and the third quarter produced more futility. Finally, the Crusaders took the lead on a 29-yard field goal by Jack Landry ‘20. A few plays later, linebacker Noah Chachere ‘21 recovered a fumble on the Ram 42. On the very next play, running back Chris Smith ‘20 broke loose up the middle for the first touchdown of the evening. The Crimson defense preserved their second shutout in two games, 10-0.
“Our defense had a great level of preparation in those two games in order to stop two different types of offenses,” said Coach Mark Bonis. Many times, the Carver quarterback dropped back to pass and couldn’t find anyone open. “That speaks highly of the way our secondary played. We mixed things up. Sometimes we brought pressure; sometimes we didn’t.”
As to the scoreless first half, “I wasn’t expecting that. I expected it to be a shootout. You always want to put points on the board. We knew their defense and their caliber of players would provide a challenge. In the end, we were able to wear them down.” Quarterback Garrett Mmahat ‘22 didn’t throw well on the run. “He was frustrated. He felt that, on a couple of rollout passes, the ball came out of his hand differently. There were some throws we missed, two first-down conversions and one in the end zone. We’re working to improve those aspects this week.”
On Smith’s beautiful touchdown run: “All night, a block here or a block there would have sprung him loose, but there was always one missed block. At the beginning of the scoring play, someone came in unblocked, but Chris made the guy miss in the backfield. Then he capitalized on everybody else’s blocks. You can’t necessarily tell how good a back is until you see a play like that. He made a cut early in the run where the guy was unblocked and made another cut later down the field. It shows how he’s improved and matured as a back. His hard work in the off-season came to fruition.” Several colleges are interested in Smith. “These next couple of games leading into the early signing period are important for him. He has to ignore the noise and control what he can control.”
The Crusaders now prepare to travel to Ponchatoula on Friday night where they started the season with the jamboree victory over Fontainebleau. The Green Wave is led by T.J. Finley, who looks more like an offensive lineman than a quarterback, and is committed to LSU. He’s 6’7”, 230 pounds with a cannon for an arm. “He throws a very accurate ball,” says Bonis. “They also have a very good backup quarterback, Jacoby Mathews (#2). The offensive line is very well-coached, and they have good skill players on the perimeter. This is the type of balanced offense that gives you the most trouble.” Mathews is also a fine safety and a dangerous kick returner.
“We’re preparing for two different styles of offense,” says Bonis. “They run the spread with Finley, but we have to be ready in case they bring in #2 to run the double-slot option that Green Wave Coach Hank Tierney ran at Shaw.”
“This will be a really tough game, but we’re excited about going there. It’s a great opportunity for our kids to play somewhere else. Going on the road brings your team together. This is what high school football is all about – going to a town you didn’t know anything about. It will provide our players with great high school memories.”
