Bonner vs Springfield PIAA 5A QF 3/13/26
This Friday's PIAA 5A Quarterfinal matchup between two Delco schools sitting just 4.5 miles apart has some deep rooted history and connections spanning four decades!
Bonner : District 12 - 3 seed , 21-6 record
Springfield : District 1 - 4 seed , 23-5 record
The Cougars offensive leaders, sophomore Will Carr and junior TJ Valletti, both have fathers that wore Bonner Green. TJ’s father, Joe, is an ’01 grad (2001 team pictured below). While Will’s father, Bill, was the team's leading scorer (13.9 PPG) and 1st team All-Catholic in '92.
Then there is Springfield junior Dan Meakim, whose father, Brendan, also played for the Friars in the mid-90s. His grandfather, Tom Meakim, coached Bonner from 2010 to 2014; during that tenure, he coached both current Friars head coach Billy Cassidy and Keefer Francis (the father of Bonner guard & PCL MVP Korey Francis).
Adding another layer to the mix? Bill Carr’s coach his Sophomore and Junior season at Bonner, Springfield head coach Kevin McCormick. Coach McCormick, also a Bonner alum '77, served a stint as the Friars' head coach in the 1990–91 seasons before beginning his current 32 year tenure at the helm of Springfield. As a player McCormick averaged 8.8ppg in PCL play his senior year including 16 pts in a Southern Division Semifinal win vs Roman at the Palestra!
To wrap it all up, Bonner assistant Justin Collins is a Springfield '17 grad who also played under McCormick.
But familiarity is out the window. It comes down to Friday night hoops in Delco with a state semifinal spot on the line!
Tale of the Tape
Friday March 13th @ Cardinal O’Hara 6:00pm
Bonner-
Points For: 67.4 ppg
Points Against: 55.8 ppg
Top Performers: Korey Francis 21.4 ppg, Kam Jackson 15.3 ppg, Jakeem Carroll 10.5 ppg.
Springfield-
Points For: 49.1 ppg
Points Against: 38.5 ppg
Top Performers: Will Carr 11.7 ppg, TJ Valletti 11.2 ppg, Tom Toomey 7.7 ppg.
2001 Bonner Squad , Photo by Ted Silary
Front row : Badir McCleary, Kevin LeSage, Joe Valletti, Bill Rowe, Bill Armideo, Frank Nunan.
Back row :Derrell Thompson, Anthony Bennett, Brian Bedesem, Vince Taraborrelli, Matt Kearney.