Scout In Attendance: Bonner-Prendie @ Upper Darby
Photo: Coach Beaty
In this article:
This is the first of a new series at Prep Redzone Pennsylvania where I will break down a game each week that I personally attend. Now with football back amidst little to no COVID restrictions, it’s time to get my boots on the ground and see prospects live in action.
The first week, I had the pleasure of watching (0-0) Bonner and Prendie travel to Upper Darby (0-0) in what ended up being a fight for yardage on both sides of the ball. Bonner won that fight thanks large in part to the highest-ranking player on the field. Senior running back [player_tooltip player_id="91467" first="Mason" last="Peterson"] (R/54) who places as the 5th best 2022 back in Pennsylvania, put the Bonner offense on his back and was an absolute bell-cow all evening. The dominant back left his mark, toting the rock 32 times for 177 yards and 2 touchdowns on the night. Both touchdown runs were bull-dozing carries that left Upper Darby defenders wishing they hadn’t even tried. Lower body strength and balance are a major plus in Peterson’s game, as is his ability to cut laterally out of his hole. What impressed me the most was his ability to keep up this physical style of running for the duration of the game. He took hit after hit on 32 carries and still carried the rock hard all the way down to the last whistle. He and the Bonner offensive line all but put this game away.
Juniors [player_tooltip player_id="160576" first="Answer" last="Saie"] and [player_tooltip player_id="140948" first="Patrick" last="Awo"] alleviated Peterson and provided the Bonner offense with sparks when needed. Awo showed awesome open-field vision on a 2nd-half kick return that he took back for a touchdown. Said kick-return was called back on offsetting penalties, nonetheless, Awo showed what he is capable of when returning kicks. Saie was given the ball in space on multiple jet-sweeps, where he took advantage of great outside blocking. Saie chewed up 80+ yards total on said sweeps alone. He was active at corner as well as when blocking on offense.
[caption id="attachment_195028" align="aligncenter" width="266"]
Photo: Coach Beaty[/caption]
I still can speak highly of two ranked players on the Upper Darby defense. [player_tooltip player_id="149976" first="Julien" last="Laventure"] (R/87) and [player_tooltip player_id="149994" first="Covenant" last="Horace"] (R/319), two seniors whose games drew me out to attend, both impressed me on defense. The 18 points put up by BP were hard-fought thanks to these two. Laventure was a force along the defensive line, securing nine tackles and doing his best to contain Peterson on inside runs. What stood out to me most about Laventure was his unwillingness to give up, in a game that was in reach, while dealing with what looked like some severe cramps. Laventure was in and out of the game but refused to let the cramps sideline him, returning to the field time after time. All the while leading the defense and providing energy. Where he got all the energy is beyond me. Seeing his toughness and leadership meant more to me than his quick hands and powerful base. These are the qualities that don’t stand out on film, which proves the importance of getting out to games in person. I’ll be speaking of said toughness when discussing his name to college coaches. As for [player_tooltip player_id="149994" first="Covenant" last="Horace"], the senior ATH/DB was a flash on defense. Consistent in run support from his DB spot, showing off some great break-on-ball ability to disrupt passing lanes. He made his presence felt, bring ball carriers down with attitude and with some thump.
The Bonner defense showed what every team in the PCL has to look forward to this year. BP has players at every level, but good luck getting past the defensive line and pass-rush. [player_tooltip player_id="142830" first="David" last="Kpeglo"] (R/77) was a matchup nightmare. He’s got an intriguing build for an interior defender. Lean, cut, and athletic as hell. The kid had multiple TFL’s, his speed and quickness inside were a bit too much for the UD offensive line to handle at times. Dealing with his prowess inside was enough of a problem, add [player_tooltip player_id="161717" first="Myles" last="Reynolds"] to the mix and you have a serious duo to block upfront. This entire defensive line is athletic, not a single pound out of place when speaking on Reynolds build. He’s got the prototypical build to rush the passer and can do so with his hands up or off the dirt. He is currently a watch-list player, but that’ll change rather quickly, he recorded multiple sacks and a safety on the night. Shout out to senior linebacker Scott Bernhard who also looked good that evening. He’s currently unranked but more run-stopping like I saw that night will land him a spot this January. Junior DB [player_tooltip player_id="140947" first="Elijah" last="Beaty"] was kept clean due to a non-existent passing attack out of UD.
[caption id="attachment_195027" align="aligncenter" width="300"]
Photo: Coach Beaty[/caption]
The Upper Darby offense was lackluster all except for Junior running back [player_tooltip player_id="140961" first="Montez" last="Ellis"] (R/309) who was the lone bright spot. He gave life to what was a dead offense on multiple occasions, showing off his toughness play in and play out as well as his overall foot speed, taking a handoff 70+ yards to the goal line that would set up UD’s lone score.
Photo: Coach Beaty[/caption]
I still can speak highly of two ranked players on the Upper Darby defense. [player_tooltip player_id="149976" first="Julien" last="Laventure"] (R/87) and [player_tooltip player_id="149994" first="Covenant" last="Horace"] (R/319), two seniors whose games drew me out to attend, both impressed me on defense. The 18 points put up by BP were hard-fought thanks to these two. Laventure was a force along the defensive line, securing nine tackles and doing his best to contain Peterson on inside runs. What stood out to me most about Laventure was his unwillingness to give up, in a game that was in reach, while dealing with what looked like some severe cramps. Laventure was in and out of the game but refused to let the cramps sideline him, returning to the field time after time. All the while leading the defense and providing energy. Where he got all the energy is beyond me. Seeing his toughness and leadership meant more to me than his quick hands and powerful base. These are the qualities that don’t stand out on film, which proves the importance of getting out to games in person. I’ll be speaking of said toughness when discussing his name to college coaches. As for [player_tooltip player_id="149994" first="Covenant" last="Horace"], the senior ATH/DB was a flash on defense. Consistent in run support from his DB spot, showing off some great break-on-ball ability to disrupt passing lanes. He made his presence felt, bring ball carriers down with attitude and with some thump.
The Bonner defense showed what every team in the PCL has to look forward to this year. BP has players at every level, but good luck getting past the defensive line and pass-rush. [player_tooltip player_id="142830" first="David" last="Kpeglo"] (R/77) was a matchup nightmare. He’s got an intriguing build for an interior defender. Lean, cut, and athletic as hell. The kid had multiple TFL’s, his speed and quickness inside were a bit too much for the UD offensive line to handle at times. Dealing with his prowess inside was enough of a problem, add [player_tooltip player_id="161717" first="Myles" last="Reynolds"] to the mix and you have a serious duo to block upfront. This entire defensive line is athletic, not a single pound out of place when speaking on Reynolds build. He’s got the prototypical build to rush the passer and can do so with his hands up or off the dirt. He is currently a watch-list player, but that’ll change rather quickly, he recorded multiple sacks and a safety on the night. Shout out to senior linebacker Scott Bernhard who also looked good that evening. He’s currently unranked but more run-stopping like I saw that night will land him a spot this January. Junior DB [player_tooltip player_id="140947" first="Elijah" last="Beaty"] was kept clean due to a non-existent passing attack out of UD.
[caption id="attachment_195027" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Photo: Coach Beaty[/caption]
The Upper Darby offense was lackluster all except for Junior running back [player_tooltip player_id="140961" first="Montez" last="Ellis"] (R/309) who was the lone bright spot. He gave life to what was a dead offense on multiple occasions, showing off his toughness play in and play out as well as his overall foot speed, taking a handoff 70+ yards to the goal line that would set up UD’s lone score. 
