St. Francis has a number of stars. All of whom are equally responsible for the Golden Knights 9-1 record through the regular season. The Golden Knights have, for the most part, excelled in all three phases of the game. They’ll need to continue on that pace as they travel to Palos Verdes (6-4) Friday night […]
St. Francis has a number of stars.
All of whom are equally responsible for the Golden Knights 9-1 record through the regular season.
The Golden Knights have, for the most part, excelled in all three phases of the game.
They’ll need to continue on that pace as they travel to Palos Verdes (6-4) Friday night in the first round of the CIF-SS Division 3 playoffs.
Palos Verdes has Cathedral in common with the Golden Knights.
The Phantoms defeated St. Francis 24-17, and earlier in the season, slipped by the Sea Kings, 28-23.
The Golden Knights defense has been remarkable all year, and they deserve as much credit as anyone for this year’s magical run.
The backfield, though, of quarterback Michael Bonds, and running backs Elijah Washington and Jace Harrick have not only been productive in terms of yards and points, they’ve also kept superstar quarterbacks on the sidelines thanks to a big advantage in the time of possession battle.
Bonds transferred to St. Francis this year to play for his uncle, Jim Bonds, when his father’s job was relocated.
He’s been nothing short of spectacular.
As innocent as he looks, and as mellow as he talks, Bonds is an assassin on the field.
Bonds has completed 133 of 211 passes for 1,850 yards. He’s thrown 22 touchdowns, ran for three more, and has only been picked four times.
To put his TD to interception ratio into context, a 3-to-1 average is considered pretty good.
Bonds is at a better than 5 to 1 ratio, for an offense averaging 33 points per game.
His top three targets include Daniel Scott, who is undoubtedly the Golden Knights best athlete, and has 9 receiving touchdowns.
Gabriel Mathews (6 TD catches) and Greg Dulcich (4 TD catches) join Scott as go-to guys through the air. The triple threat have combined for nearly 1,400 yards receiving.
His stats aside, what is perhaps more endearing is how his biological family and his teammates have become one in the same.
His mom is at every practice, he has family members who fly in for games, and he genuinely considers his teammates as brothers.
“My experience at SF has been so much better than I ever expected,” Michael Bonds said. “From my teammates to the coaches, to my teachers and the administration, I feel like I am part of a brotherhood and great family! I think I was accepted by my teammates as soon as they realized that my last name would not mean any special treatment for me. They know that I work hard at getting better every day, and I think that helped me get accepted.
His teammates are also his biggest fans.
“Michael is a great leader on offense. He leads vocally and by example. He’s great with his feet and can throw the ball as well as anyone I know,” senior receiver/defensive back Gabriel Mathews said.
Washington is a junior running back and linebacker.
If you just looked at his size and his youthful appearance, you’d never know what a truly impact player he has become.
His father Kyle is on the coaching staff, and the rest of his family is at every game, cheering on someone who is described as just a really solid, humble and intelligent young man.
As much as Washington might want more carries, you’d never hear him complain, because he knows both he and Harrick do different things and both make the offense more versatile.
Washington has carried the ball 95 times for 576 yards and 6 touchdown runs. He also has 12 catches for 136 yards and scored a TD through the air.
“I feel like everyone has a role on this team, and mine is to just do my job in terms of running the ball and playing solid defense,” Washington said. It’s also contributing to the team as best I can, and taking no credit for what I do, because it’s really the 10 other guys out there on the field with me, and the guys on the sideline that help make this team the well-oiled machine it is.”
Washington credits his father Kyle for the player and person he is today, and says how fun it is to have him around daily, because he’s that solid as a coach.
Washington also credits Bonds and Harrick with being great athletes, great friends and two guys who do nothing, but make the Golden Knights better.
“(Elijah) brings speed and agility to the table, but he can also get the hard yards when we need it,” Mathews said. “I think they could both easily be the star back on any other team, but the fact that we have them working together is a scary sight for many of our opponents.”
You might think two guys playing the same position would have a fractured relationship, but with Washington and Harrick, it’s all about whatever is best for St. Francis on any particular play.
“EDub does a great job in 3rd down situations, with screen passes or short routes, where we can dump it to him and he’ll pick up good yards,” Harrick said about Washington. “He can also make a guy miss with his good feet and speed. Elijah also has great vision.”
What makes Washington’s performance through 10 games so special is that he’s at his best when the game in on the line. It’s those moments where he is able to clutch up and make a play on both sides of the ball.
While Washington is more the ‘speed guy,’ Harrick is the kind of player who’s going to drop his shoulder and get those extra few yards after contact.
Harrick, the grandson of former UCLA basketball coach Jim Harrick is a very intelligent, hard-running and complete ballplayer.
He’s carried the ball 133 times for 699 yards.
Harrick averages 5.3 yards per carry, has scored on 4 TD runs, and averages 78 yards per game.
It’s very clear what his job is.
“Coach Bonds’ offense is to be able to do it all,” Harrick said. “We have to be able to block well, run hard, and catch the ball. My favorite part about being on this team is that we are all super tight. We love to have a good time and all seem to have to the same drive and focus. Everyone contributes on this team.”
His teammates love the way Harrick runs the ball with a purpose.
“Jace is a hard runner. We can always count on him to get the hard yards when we need them in short-yardage situations. He’s a tough kid and has proven to be durable throughout this season. Elijah is his perfect counterpart,” Mathews said.
As focal as Bonds, Harrick and Washington are to St. Francis’ success, there are so many guys who make this team what it is.
Daniel Scott, Bobby Gazmarian, Maxx Jakeway, Gabriel Grbavac, Greg Dulcich, Gavin Campbell, Will Mudie, Dulles Hanula and Gabe Mathews have all contributed mightily as well.
The St. Francis faithful would like at least one more home game, and that field and those fans make it a very tough place for a visiting team to win games.
But to get that shot, they’ll likely need a turnover-free effort Friday in Palos Verdes.
If the Golden Knights are to win, it will mean the running and passing game were relatively equal and their special teams, led by Dulles Hanula, gave them a much-needed leg-up on the road.
Quotable:
St. Francis coach Jim Bonds: “The leadership and play from Michael Bonds, along with the one-two punch of Jace Harrick and Elijah Washington in the backfield has been huge part of our success! The play we have received from those three players is beyond any and all expectations we had going in to the season. All three of them have been big league!”
Daniel Scott: “I think it goes without saying that they are the core to our offense. Michael opens up everything in our offense. He leads the team on long drives, which is difficult for opposing defenses. His pin-point accuracy on his passes makes it that much harder on defensive backs, and he can even scramble for a first down. I have yet to find a flaw in that kid. Jace and Elijah are very hard runners. They allow the passing game to open up, which makes Michael’s job, along with myself and the receivers jobs easier when defense’s have to put an extra guy in the box to stop them.”
Michael Bonds: “EW and Jace are great runners. They are also very smart and read the play and the hole very well. Both of them run through people and are able to break tackles. They have great ball protection, and are tireless.
I am sure that if we gave the ball to each of them 30 times a game, they would put up huge statistics, but they are not about that. They are great teammates, they block well, they do whatever the coaches ask them to do, and just like the rest of the offense, they don’t care who gets the credit, they just want to win.”
Jace Harrick: “Mikey kills it in the passing game. The kid is so accurate and can always keep plays alive. And once he feels the pocket collapsing, he can take off for a 40-yard gain. He does a tremendous job leading us and a person we can rely on to make big plays. It’s very humbling to be able to play with two great athletes like these guys.”
Elijah Washington: “Playing time hasn’t been an issue. I love splitting time with Jace, because of how dangerous we are when we are both running the ball. Starting on defense at linebacker has been fun this year. I’ve played both the positions I play now all my life and it’s always tipped more towards running the ball (as which position he has more fun at) because it is just what I like to do, and I like making plays on offense. My favorite part about being a member of this team is just having fun with my brothers. We are all out there grinding everyday, and it’s so fun building these friendships that will last my entire lifetime.”
