Coll’s catch-and-dash catches UD off guard
UPPER DARBY >> Bonner & Prendergast’s Alex Coll has several family members that graduated from Upper Darby, including his mother and his older brother, Vince, who was a standout wide receiver for the Royals two years ago.
“Most of my family were Upper Darby Royals,” he said. “Bonner’s big rival is Cardinal O’Hara, but mine has always been Upper Darby. I grew up going to Upper Darby, so this game means the world to me. And to go out like that …”
Coll dropped the mic on an incredible season opener at Memorial Field. The Upper Darby Bowl and Delaware County Athletes Hall of Fame Kickoff Classic ended in thrilling fashion when Coll ran a comeback-and-go route to perfection up the Bonner & Prendie sideline. Coll was able to beat double coverage and was left wide open. Quarterback Evan Raiburn threw a perfect pass, and Coll dashed 48 yards for the game-winning touchdown with 58 seconds to go in the fourth quarter.
Coll and the Friars held on for a 30-23 victory over the Royals. It marked the first victory for first-year Bonner head coach Jack Muldoon.
The game of the week in Delco certainly lived up to the billing.
“A win would have meant a lot, but to go out like that really means the world to me,” said Coll, who finished with two catches for 78 yards. “They gave (the ball) to me once earlier in the game, and I caught it, so (his coaches) were saying, ‘We got to feed you.’ We did a comeback-and-go, a double move... and I saw the one guy fall in front of me. I made my move and saw nothing but green in front of me.
“I was just hoping not to drop it, and thankfully the ball landed right in my hands. Evan was throwing dimes all day.”
Raiburn completed 6 of 11 passes for 128 yards. Bonner’s defense stood tall in the final moments as Upper Darby quarterback Nate Rimel engineered a last-second comeback attempt. Tom Millison intercepted Rimel’s final prayer pass as time expired.
It was a sweet way for Muldoon to log his first win. The longtime assistant coach and self-proclaimed “Bonner guy” was most of all happy for his players and staff.
“I have a great coaching staff. We have a lot of coaching experience,” Muldoon said. “We all hold the kids accountable for everything they do. I think a lot of it has been … they’ve bought into it and accepted this is the way we want to do it. I have a great passion for the school, so it comes natural. It’s easy for me. We’re a different offense, we’re a lot different. We replaced our whole offensive line and we changed our defense, so there’s a lot of change. We have some really great skill players. It was a good start.”
Senior running back Joe Hartley-Vittoria was named Bonner & Prendergast’s MVP by the Delco Athletes Hall of Fame. Meanwhile, sophomore running back Quaron Davis earned the award for Upper Darby. Each player will receive a scholarship of $250, provided by the Delco Athletes Hall of Fame.
Hartley-Vittoria was the Friars’ workhorse. He churned out 91 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries. At 5-7 and 180 pounds, Hartley-Vittoria is a tough runner who stays low to the ground, making him difficult to tackle upon initial contact. His 9-yard dash in the second quarter gave the Friars a 16-0 lead. Fullback Shawn Harmon rumbled to paydirt from 26 yards out in the first quarter to give Bonner & Prendie the early lead. Harmon, a 6-2, 245 pounder, racked up 75 yards on just eight carries.
Down 16 points, the Royals responded with a pair of second-quarter scoring runs by Rimel, a 1-yard sneak, and Camille, a 26yard sweep. The Royals trailed by two points at intermission, and went ahead early in third quarter on 5-yard dash by Davis, who compiled 131 yards on 23 totes. After another Hartley-Vittoria scoring scamper late in the third quarter put the Friars back in front, the Royals marched down the field on 13 plays, culminating with a 27-yard field good by Sammie Beweh with 7:18 to go.
Upper Darby had a tremendous chance to seal the game as it drove inside the Friars’ 20-yard line with under three minutes to play. Alas, a botched snap on second down moved the Royals in the wrong direction. Rimel couldn’t completed a fourth-and-long pass, allowing Bonner & Prendie to take over at its own 24 yard line with less than two minutes to play. Before Coll scored the game-winning TD, Kyrin Jackson stepped up with a pair of catches to ignite the offense.
This, of course, was a frustrating defeat for a tough-luck Upper Darby squad.
“You have 12 games and you don’t like to give them away,” coach Rich Gentile said. “Not taking anything away from Bonner, because they did a great job, but I felt at the end … we shouldn’t have been in that situation. I give them a lot of credit up front. Their backs run really hard, they’ve got great speed and they’re just a tough team.
“But it all comes down to making plays, and they made one more play than us.”