Brother Martin, Bonis family score two big wins this week

It was another eventful week in the life of Mark Bonis.

The coach who nearly lost his life in 2019, is full of life now.

So is his son, “Mighty Marc,” who had successful surgery Thursday as he continues to prove to be strong and resilient.

“We’ve been through a 3-year process with my son,” Bonis said. “God’s been good. We’ve been very blessed.”

The 2021 Brother Martin team of Bonis is proving to be strong and resilient.

The Crusaders opened the season with an 8-7 win at East Ascension, scoring with 35 seconds left to pull off the victory.

Then, on Friday night against arguably its biggest rival and the alma mater of its head coach, Brother Martin overcame adversity to outlast Jesuit 20-14 in triple overtime.

In a fierce defensive struggle, Brother Martin scored on its opening possession, driving 80 yards on its opening possession on a trick play as running back Torey Lambert threw a halfback pass to Julien Oubre for an 18-yard touchdown pass to give the Crusaders a 7-0 first quarter lead.

The score remained the same until the fourth quarter when the Blue Jays finally mounted a drive and scored on a 3-yard run by quarterback Jack Larriviere.

The game went to overtime, tied 7-7.

Both teams scored in the first overtime as Larriviere hit Jace Larsen on a 9-yard touchdown pass to make it 14-7 Jesuit.

Brother Martin answered as quarterback Garrett Mmahat scored on a 5-yard run to make it 14-14, sending the game to a second overtime period.

The Crusaders reached the Jesuit 2-yard line and on fourth-and-goal, opted to go for it, rather than try a field goal, and Mmahat’s pass fell incomplete.

Jesuit coach Ryan Manale did not waste any time, going for the win on Jesuit’s first play from the Brother Martin 10-yard line but a 27-yard field goal attempt hit the left upright, sending the game into a third overtime.

In that period, Jahron Manning came up with the big play, intercepting Larriviere in the end zone.

The Crusaders took total advantage as Lambert scored on a 7-yard run to provide the margin of victory for Brother Martin. Lambert finished with 31 carries for 116 yards and a touchdown and threw for a score.

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Speaking on The Three Tailgaters Show on NASH ICON 106.1 FM Saturday morning, Bonis said. It was quite of an emotional swing, from getting stopped to seeing Jesuit miss a field goal.

“We had three plays we liked in that situation to go for it in the second overtime but we didn’t execute the play call very well,” Bonis said. “In that decision, we had faith in our defense. We love our block team in the kicking game. When they missed the field goal, we knew we could win. Our guys never had doubt, never quit. Our guys were excited about the miss but they were able to finish.”

Brother Martin is accustomed to close games, especially against Jesuit.

“We prepared ourselves for this type of game,” Bonis said. “We’ve been in two battles, back-to-back weeks. It’s just another typical Brother Martin-Jesuit football game. First and foremost, I’m happy for them (our guys). They worked their tails off. Hats go off to Jesuit. They’re a good football team. It’s a big game for our community.

The Crusaders are 2-0 with a pair of jump ball victories with a tough game against St. Augustine set for next Saturday afternoon.

“The positive out of the last two weeks is that our guys are resilient in the face of adversity,” Bonis said. “The defense has played very well both weeks but offensively, we have to improve and we have to get there fast. I thought going in that the team that got three scores would win. No doubt St. Aug is as talented as anyone and coached well.”

At game’s end, Bonis captured the win for his son and the win for his team in appropriate fashion.

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“Tonight, to finish off this way, it’s been miraculous and a wonderful week,” Bonis said. “I would say Marc has now had four or five surgeries now. After this, I am going to run home to see him and my wife. He’s home now. I want to see him before I get into the St. Aug game plan. We have had adversity but God has been great to us. We are very blessed to be where we are today. I’m really speechless.”