Bonner-Prendie seeking to prove all the doubters wrong
UPPER DARBY » When Oscar Uduma heard the news he was Bonner-Prendergast’s only First Team All-Catholic League selection, all he could do was shake his head.
“I was definitely a little upset,” said Uduma, who has been one of the best all-around players in Delaware County this fall, flourishing as an all-purpose player on both sides of the ball.
The lack of respect shown for the Friars in the All-Catholic process is microcosm of how the Friars have approached the entire
2019 season.
Maybe some people, including coaches of teams the Friars have manhandled, didn’t want to come to grips with reality and admit how good they have been in
2019. Maybe it’s because the Friars, prior to this year, didn’t have a winning campaign since 2015.
Maybe it’s because they were considered an afterthought for the Catholic League Blue Division championship.
“Players play,” Uduma said. “That’s what we’ve been doing, every single week.”
Since an impressive opening night win over Upper Darby, it has been clear Bonner-Prendie is a much-improved squad that always comes to play. And a stingy defense would be its defining characteristic.
The Friars (9-1) are in the District 12 Class 4A final. The city title game against Imhotep Charter kicks off Friday at 7 p.m. at the
Germantown Supersite in Philadelphia.
Of course, Imhotep is heavily favored. The Panthers are a perennial state championship contender, having won a PIAA title in 2015. However, they have lost three consecutive state finals.
‘They’re really, really good. They’re really fast and really aggressive on defense,” BonnerPrendie coach Jack Muldoon said. “I think we have an opportunity to really play with them. I really believe in our guys and I think we have some components to our game that matches up with theirs. But we’re playing at their stadium, which is a tough place to play, and against a really good football team.”
The Friars have been successful because of their defense. Among the leaders and standouts are seniors Uduma (linebacker/defensive back), Charles Ingram (linebacker) and Chile Adele (lineman).
“I knew last year that we could be beat teams, but we came up short a lot,” Uduma said. “We believed in each other and we are putting it together this year.”
Uduma scored the winning touchdown in last week’s district semifinal (also known as the Catholic League 4A final), a 35-20 win over Archbishop Carroll.
“We have to earn the respect, which is something we’ve been doing all season,” said Ingram, the Friars’ second-leading rusher.
“People keep doubting us, but that’s OK,” said Adele, who has excelled as a two-way lineman. “We just have to keep fighting to get where we want to be.”
First came winning the Catholic
League Blue Division. A hardfought loss to Neumann-Goretti prevented the Friars from celebrating a PCL title, but they defeated Archbishop Carroll in the District 12 Class 4A semifinals and are four wins shy of a state crown.
“I think we can play with just about anyone in our classification, anyone from around this area,” Muldoon said. “So, for us, if our offense can produce points and not mistakes, then I think we will be OK. That was our goal this week in practice, that we have to be on-point with everything and not make mistakes.
“I said to the kids, there are no guarantees. It sounds like coach talk, but there is no guarantee that you’ll ever get this opportunity again. This is where we are, and we’ve worked hard to get here. It’s the ultimate 1-0, win or go home.”
Bonner-Prendie’s defense is allowing 148 yards and 11 points per game, which rank first and third, respectively, in Delco. The Friars’ plus-14 turnover margin in thirdbest in the county.
“I always had faith in my team that we could turn it around,” Ingram said. “We were 1-10 our sophomore season and 3-8 last season. We never gave up. I knew we had the talent and now we’re putting that talent to good use.”
Imhotep is coached by Nick
Lincoln, who was at the helm of Penn Wood from 2014-16. The Panthers, who began the season with three straight losses to powerhouses La Salle, DeMatha (Md.) and Bergen (N.J.) Catholic, are led by dynamic quarterback Jalen Sutton-Christian.
“We have been here four years and our class hasn’t really seen anything like this. We’ve never been in a game like this and all we’ve seen is the lowest of lows,” Adele said. “We look at everything that has happened this year, and it’s a stark contrast to what we’ve been through. At the same time, we’ve got to keep in mind that there are bigger things ahead and we’re not done yet.”