West Catholic deals Bonner & Prendie a loss to forget, and then some

UPPER DARBY — The sound was frightening.

Under pressure all night, Bonner & Prendergast quarterback Kyle Lazer tried to escape the fierce West Catholic pass rush and started forward. He made it a couple of yards past the line of scrimmage when a streak of white and blue launched itself like a missile, straight for Lazer’s head.

The crack reverberated throughout the whole field and up into the crowd on the mezzanine level. An audible and collective gasp from those in attendance followed. Lazer lost the football he was carrying, which wasn’t a surprise considering the hit he just took to the helmet. All eyes looked for a yellow flag.

None emerged, so the Friars’ coaching staff into a frenzy.

On a night when absolutely nothing could go right for the Friars amid a 41-0 home loss to West Catholic, they just wanted to make sure they left their field in one piece. But the way the game was going and being called (or not) by the officials, there wasn’t a guarantee that was going to be the case.

There were five instances of helmet-to-helmet hits by West Catholic and an additional one by Bonner & Prendie that went uncalled by the officials. Lazer was pulled from the game by the Friars’ trainer, who spent a lot of time working on him on the sideline in what could only be considered a concussion protocol. Earlier in the game, West Catholic defensive lineman William Talington was knocked out of the game by a teammate, who came flying into a pile to make a tackle and nailed him with a helmet-on-helmet hit.

That one wasn’t even in the count of officials misses, since it was two teammates.

After the hit on Lazer, Bonner & Prendie coach Jack Muldoon had seen enough.

“It really concerns me that they’re more worried about the damn sideline than they are about refereeing the game and the kids’ safety,” Muldoon said. “I don’t know how they can’t see it. They’re standing right there. You can hear them. I am concerned.”

The sideline issue that Muldoon referenced came in the second quarter. West Catholic had just stopped the Friars inches from the goal line on fourth down, and the Friars were hoping to make a defensive stand to get the ball back and try to cut into the Burrs’ lead.

But as Zahir Booker was running toward the sideline, the back judge, who was a good 15 yards away from the play, bumped into Bonner & Prendie defensive coordinator Kairi Cooper. He was given an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for interfering with an official. It allowed West Catholic to get out of the hole. Two plays later, the Friars were flagged again. Cooper stepped onto the field to question the call. The official hit him with another unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

Muldoon admitted he decided to wave the white flag by not allowing Lazer to go back in after he was cleared.

“Look, that’s how they tackle, we know that,” Muldoon said. “At this point, we’re looking at a one-game season (the playoffs start next week at Archbishop Carroll). I figured let’s make sure he can play in that game.”

The Friars (3-7, 1-6 Catholic League Blue) netted just 17 positive yards in the game. They amassed 86 yards of offense, but were whistled for seven penalties for 69 yards. Their lone drive that had a chance to swing momentum in the second quarter was thwarted at the goal line when Lazer was stopped on a quarterback sneak.

West Catholic (8-2, 6-1) jumped all over the Friars in the first quarter. Zaire Hart-Hawkins scored on a six-yard run for the first score of the game, Marcel Jackson caught a break as his knee hit the ground when he fielded a punt, but the officials missed it and he returned it 46 yards to the Friars’ 5. One play later, Jackson punched it in off tackle for a 14-0 lead.

On West’s next drive, Nelson Mandala Menash broke off a 47-yard touchdown run, and the Friars were in a deep hole.

Zahir Booker did the most damage though for the Burrs. He finished with 148 yards rushing and 31 yards receiving and two touchdowns.

The Burrs tried an onside kick to start the second half despite being up 28-0 (it failed). And then they went to the air and threw a touchdown, their starters still in the game up by 35 points with a running clock.

“There was nothing good about this game,” Muldoon said. “I told the kids that as soon as they walk off the field to just forget it happened and to look forward to next week.”