By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
After losing four straight to state contending 8-man teams, Cair Paravel Latin ended its football season on a high note with a 62-12 win over Maranatha Academy Friday night at Highland Park.
The Lions rapidly put 62 points on the scoreboard on their Senior Night, needing just 24 minutes to get the win at the halftime break.
“Our guys came out and executed the way we wanted them to,” Cair Paravel Latin coach Doug Bonura said. “We were able to get a lot of guys in the game tonight and learn on the spot. They responded well after losing last week, which was a rough one for us. Being able to come back and play the way we wanted to play was great to see.
“But with all of that being said, I’m disappointed that we’re not going to the playoffs.”
In its first full year as a member of the Kansas State High School Activities Association, Cair Paravel Latin received an un-warm welcome. The Lions were delivered a juggernaut of a schedule for nearly the entirety of the 2022 campaign.
“This year was a bit of a disappointment because we have a tremendous team with a lot of talent,” D. Bonura said. “This year was good and humbling for us. Our district has several teams who are top-20 in the entire state. We learned so much about this year and we look forward to taking those lessons into next year.”
Out of the Lions’ eight regular season games played, only three of the teams that Cair Paravel has played has had a losing record. Cair Paravel Latin has won all of its games against those three teams with a losing record.
In its three games won, Cair Paravel Latin has outscored the opposition, 178-28. The Lions do what they’re supposed to do, blow out the teams that they’re supposed to beat.
On Friday night, Cair Paravel Latin was able to execute the game plan flawlessly against a wounded Maranatha Academy squad.
The Lions 40-point first quarter was impressive.
In fact, it took Cair Paravel under four minutes to put up 24 points on the scoreboard and it was evident that the Lions would roll over the Eagles in the beginning portion of the game.
Lion senior running back Jachin Bonura had an eye-opening game on Friday night, touching the pigskin eight times for 218 yards and four touchdowns.
Cair Paravel junior quarterback Evan Will had a quick but perfect night. Will went 7-7 for 117 yards and three touchdowns.
Defensively, the Lions were stout. Seven sacks, two interceptions, 14 tackles for losses and a defensive touchdown. Noah Collins’ pick-six was for 37 yards.
The game started and ended in a blink of an eye. Similar to Cair Paravel’s season. A dominating home performance to cap off a season filled with lessons was important to this young and aspiring Lions group.
“Our guys competed in every game this year,” D. Bonura said. “We played the way we wanted to. We are going to have to work on our technique going forward and polish a lot of things for us to move in the direction we want to go in.”
Cair Paravel Latin finished its season with a 3-5 overall and 1-4 district record.
CAIR PARAVEL LATIN 62, MARANATHA ACADEMY 12
Maranatha Academy (0-7, 0-4) 6 6 – 12
Cair Paravel Latin (3-5, 1-4) 40 22 – 62
Cair Paravel – Ja. Bonura 46 run (2-pt is good)
Cair Paravel – Ja. Bonura 48 pass from Will (2-pt is good)
Cair Paravel – Collins 37 interception return (2-pt is good)
Cair Paravel – Ja. Bonura 27 pass from Will (2-pt is good)
Cair Paravel – Roeder 38 run (2-pt conversion is good)
Maranatha Academy – Higginbotham 26 pass from Nelson (2-pt is no good)
Maranatha Academy – Higgenbotham 13 pass from Nelson (2-point is no good)
Cair Paravel – Ja. Bonura 47 run (2-pt is no good)
Cair Paravel – Je. Bonura 47 run (2-pt is good)
Cair Paravel – Gossard 9 pass from Will (2-pt is no good)
Individual statistics
Passing: Cair Paravel Latin – Will 7-7, 117 yards; Pavlik 2-2, 24. Maranatha Academy – Nelson 8-16, 105 yards; Smail 1-4, 7.
Rushing: Cair Paravel Latin – Ja. Bonura 3-118, Pavlik 3-26, Je. Bonura 1-47, Roeder 1-38. Maranatha Academy – Nelson 8-(minus)-54, Higginbotham 6-45, Smail 4-17, Wiley 4-(minus)-3.
Receiving: Cair Paravel Latin – Ja. Bonura 5-100, Will 2-24, Gossard 1-9, Helmbold 1-8. Maranatha Academy – Higginbotham 4-63, Smail 4-34, Dean 1-5.