Monsignor Bonner's 1994Catholic League Football Champs
 
  This story was written after coach Mike "Stump" Coyne's Friars, who started the season 0-2, blanked Carroll, 21-0, to win the championship for the first time since 1961 and finish 11-2 . . .

By Ted Silary
  Mike Mitros has feet.
  If that pronouncement surprises and you think that you truly pay attention to high school football, for shame.
  Yes, Mike Mitros, Monsignor Bonner High's senior quarterback, was the kid who used his strong right arm to become the city leagues' all-time leader in career passing yardage this season.
  But what did you think, that his legs had been transplanted from Herman Munster? That all he could do was ploddingly backpedal? That sometime later in life he'd have to settle for becoming a cigar store Indian?
  When the Friars didn't drive opponents crazy with passing this season, they mostly relied on an option attack. And when that happened, Mitros showed his other skills.
  Intelligence. Ballhandling. Savvy. Toughness . . .
  Before a large and often raucous crowd at Plymouth-Whitemarsh High, Mitros last night threw one touchdown pass as Bonner squashed Archbishop Carroll, 21-0, to win its first Catholic League title since 1961.
  The aerial score came last. Beforehand, Mitros rushed for a pair of touchdowns.
  We're not talking cheapie sneaks. We're talking dashes of 32 and 35 yards, which enabled Mitros to register 109 yards on 14 carries.
  After the clock wound down, after Bonner's faithful streamed onto the field to slap backs and shake hands and unleash war whoops into the brisk air, much of the talk centered on how the Friars had depended much more on runs than passes.
  Coach Mike "Stump" Coyne mentioned that Mitros, based on what he'd seen while preparing for snaps, had often called audibles out of pass plays into running plays.
  "The way they were playing defense, they made it tough to pass," Mitros said. "To take control, we had to run more often.
  "That's in our scheme. We've run the option for how many years now? I can't be afraid to take a hit. We were going to keep running until they took it away from us. "
  Mitros's first score came on Bonner's first series. After sliding past the line of scrimmage with minimal difficulty, he brushed off the most serious attempt at a tackle, by linebacker Paul Hernandez near the 10, and cruised into the end zone.
  His second score came on the first possession of the second half. On third and 4 from the Carroll 35 - four plays after the Patriots were hit with a killer flag (they had 12 men on the field as Bonner prepared to punt and a whistle was blown for a 5-yard penalty when it became obvious that no one was making an effort to leave) - Mitros showed good footwork on a counter option and streaked in untouched.
  Tom Oropeza, who played part-time at guard and starred at linebacker, called Mitros the toughest kid he knows.
  "When he comes down the line of scrimmage," Oropeza said, "you better have three guys waiting for him, if not more. "
  Coyne was a bit more expansive.
  "Head, heart; Mike's got the whole thing," he said. "This kid plays like a lion.
  "Colleges are missing out on a helluva player. Just because he's not 6-4 . . . Delaware's going to take a look. I hope the kid gets something nice. He deserves it. " 
  continued right below . . .

By Ted Silary
  Jon Bystrek has no idea what Consumer Report might say about the 1989 Plymouth Acclaim.
  All he knows is, he drives one and it has helped him to remain at Monsignor Bonner High.
  Bystrek, a 6-foot, 200-pound senior, is a fullback, punter and return man for the Friars, who on Saturday night bested Bishop McDevitt, 33-14, in a closer-than-that Catholic League semifinal at Plymouth-Whitemarsh High.
  As last school year ended, Bystrek had every intention of leaving Bonner and went so far as to register at Chichester.
  "The tuition at Bonner was going up again; they were stopping the busing from 'Chi' to Bonner; I had an '84 Cavalier with a lot of miles on it; I was thinking about gas and insurance; Chi is only a five-minute walk from my house - it just seemed like there were a lot of reasons to transfer," Bystrek said.
  "But then I talked with my dad (John). He made some good points. Even though he said it would be a hassle to drive that half-hour every day, he said it would be worth it in the long run to stay around my friends. "
  Then Mr. Bystrek sweetened the pot.
  "He said he knew someone that wanted the Cavalier, and that he'd get me another car," Jon said. "He's helping me with gas and insurance, though I did make some money cutting grass and working at Phillies camps and now I work bingo at Bonner. The miles are piling up on the Plymouth, too, but it's dependable. "
  Bystrek scored twice against the Lancers. After Levar Talley (21 carries, 106 yards) ran 3 yards for the game's first touchdown, Bystrek fielded the kickoff and motored 86 yards for what he said was the first return touchdown of his life. Later, he added a 16-yard run for a score and played a part in the game's most interesting play.
  With the teams tied, 14-14, late in the third quarter, Bonner set up for a 41-yard field goal attempt by quarterback Mike Mitros. One snag: Mitros is not Bonner's kicker. After accepting John Whalen's snap, Bystrek, the holder, moved to his right and pitched back to Mitros.
  Under heavy pressure, and while running straight toward the sideline, Mitros fired a BB - off his back foot, no less - toward the end zone. Chris Hemmert made a leaping catch and Bonner was ahead for good.
  "If we think (a trick play) is not going to work, Steve Mancini just shifts from the wing back to kicker," Bystrek said. "Mike thought we had a chance to score on the pass, so we went with it. "
  Said Mitros: "I saw Chris waving and just threw it. I knew if I kept it high, he'd be sure to get it. I didn't see it. I got buried. "
  Mitros finished 10-for-15 for 172 yards and two touchdowns. Careerwise, he is 310-for-581 and holds city-league records for yards (4,767) and touchdowns (40). St. Joseph's Prep's Frank Costa, now at the University of Miami, passed for 4,660 yards from '87 to '89. Earlier Saturday, Germantown's Spencer Whetts had thrown two touchdown passes in a Public League semifinal to momentarily tie Mitros at 38.
  Meanwhile, under his shoulder pads, Bystrek wore a T-shirt toasting a school other than Bonner. Like fellow seniors Mancini, wideout Frank Serratore and lineman Brian Oakes, Bystrek attended St. James before its closing in June 1993.
  "I've worn it for the last six or seven games," Bystrek said. His father and uncle, Stan, are St. James grads. So is his brother, Stan, who in 1990 was a second team Daily News All-City catcher and is now in the Marine Corps. ''St. James is not going to go down, ever. It's in all of our memories. Don't get me wrong. My heart and head are at Bonner, but a part of St. James is always with me. "
  Bystrek's favorite sport is baseball, in which he is also a catcher. He has heard from Drexel and hopes to receive more interest now that he has raised his score on the Scholastic Assessment Test to 990.
  "Growing up, I've met some great teachers," he said. "I think I want to be a teacher-coach."