Football Preview: Bonner-Prendergast tries to forget about what might have been
UPPER DARBY >> Mason Peterson was sitting in class last November when he was told to report to the gymnasium at Bonner-Prendergast with the other members of the Friars’ football team.
Peterson, a junior running back at the time, had no idea why he was summoned. As soon as he walked through the gym doors, though, he knew the news was not good.
“The seniors were crying,” Peterson recalled. “As soon as I saw that I knew what it was. I didn’t have to be told.”
Any chance the Friars had of winning the PIAA Class 4A championship was gone, stopped by a positive COVID test within the team that forced the Friars to shut down for two weeks. Bonner-Prendie was 3-0, had outscored opponents, 97-7, and was scheduled to take on Upper Moreland in the first round of the state playoffs that week.
Instead, the Friars had to watch as Upper Moreland defeated Archbishop Ryan, 35-0, to advance to the quarterfinals.
“It was frustrating because we had a good team and we would have been the state champions,” center Nick Bozzetto said.
The Friars would close out a 4-0 season with a 38-25 victory over Archbishop Wood 20 days later, the first win over the Vikings in program history, but that win could not make up for the crushing blow they were dealt three weeks earlier and has given the Friars motivation for this season.
“The mindset this year is that we should have won it so we have to go do it this year for last year’s team,” Peterson said.
That won’t be easy. The Friars must replace quarterback Nick Lazer, receiver/defensive back Ayden Garnes and tight end James Welde, among others, but they have a solid nucleus combing back that should have them in the playoff hunt.
Peterson, a senior, is one of the top returning running backs in the league. The All-Catholic selection ran for 410 yards and scored five touchdowns last year. He’s received recruiting interest from Temple, Akron and Connecticut, among others.
The 6-3, 285-pound Bozzetto is a three-year starter at center and a returning All-Catholic. Wide receiver/defensive back Armon Mapp is another three-year starter. Junior Dave Kpeglo, a 6-3, 245-pound tackle/defensive end, is a rising junior to watch.
Among the other players to watch are seniors Will Walters (WR-S), the nephew of former O’Hara quarterback and NFL player Anthony Walters, Damir Williams-Bey (RB-S), David Washington (DE-TE), Myles Reynolds (DE-TE) and juniors Elijah Beatty (DB) and Robert Presbury (WR-DB).
Sean Mulholland, a transfer from Garnet Valley, is in the mix at quarterback and defensive back.
“We lost a lot of good players,” Bonner-Prendie coach Jack Muldoon said. “Of the 13 seniors we had, 10 went on to play college football. They’re going to be tough to replace. But I feel we’re in pretty good shape. I’m hoping we can compete in the Catholic League and hopefully be one of the better teams in Delco.”
The players are even more optimistic.
“This team can be great,” Kpeglo said. “I think It can be one of the best Bonner teams ever. Our work ethic is unmatched. We have some hustlers on this team. We’ve got a good young crew. The Class of ’23 is coming on and our Class of ’24 is good, too.”
