Undefeated Bishop England goes up against 2-time defending AAA state champion Oceanside Collegiate

   The Bishop England High School football team enjoyed plenty of success in its first two seasons under head coach Logan Hall. The Battlin’ Bishops were 8-4 last season and went 9-3 in 2024.

    BE has seemingly taken it to a different level this season. It is undefeated with a 7-0 record and is ranked third in the latest High School Sports Report AAA rankings. Hall isn’t surprised with the tremendous start.

“Yes, we always believed that we could compete in any game that we line up and play in,” the head coach said. “It has been the mindset from Day 1. We try and execute every play, play sound football and look up at the scoreboard at the end to see the result. The expectation is to compete to win and this group is now in Year 3 of that mindset.”

Bishop England has the opportunity to make a big statement on Friday. The Bishops will be making the 14-mile trek from Charleston to neighboring city Mt. Pleasant to face 2-time defending AAA state champion Oceanside Collegiate Academy.

The Landsharks are ranked sixth although they possess just a 4-3 overall record, going 2-3 in non-region contests against three AAAAA schools and two powerhouses from Georgia. However, they are 2-0 in Region 5 after beating previously undefeated Hanahan 31-21 and Georgetown 42-0 the past two games.

BE, which is coming off of a bye week, defeated North Charleston 56-0 in its region opener.

“OCA is a good team; they are well coached and have playmakers on the field,” Hall said. “We have to do a good job tackling in space and forcing them to keep snapping the ball and limit explosive plays.”

  Bishop England has been stellar defensively this season. It has allowed just 50 points and pitched shutouts in its previous two contests.

The Bishops return eight starters led by senior defensive end/outside linebacker Matthew Ponkow, who has been selected to play in the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl all-star game. The other returning starters are senior defensive tackle Jackson Kunz, senior defensive end Luke Balog, senior middle linebacker Luke Russell, junior middle linebacker Trevor Tonon, junior free safety Chase Tonon, senior cornerback Finn Corley and senior SAM/safety William Donato. 

  “I have said all offseason, and even so far (this season), that the defense is our workhorse,” Hall said. “We go as they go, and they have played great this year. Credit to (defensive coordinator) Coach (Karson) Mingo and the defensive staff preparing those guys each and every week for all the different looks you get in high school football each week.

“The front seven are getting after it and controlling the line of scrimmage. We are a bend-but-do-not-break (unit). We have had some big red zone stops that have limited teams to field goals or turnovers.”

  BE has 73 tackles for a loss, 21 quarterback sacks, four interceptions and nine fumble recoveries. Ponkow leads in TFLs with 16 and sacks with seven among his 47 tackles.

Trevor Tonon is the leading tackler with 60 to go along with 12 ½ TFLs, one pick and 3 ½ sacks. Russell has 46 stops, 6 ½ sacks and 15 TFLs, Kunz has nine TFLs, junior linebacker Henry Verner has 40 tackles and 6 ½ tackles, and Balog has 31 stops and 6 ½ TFLs. Senior free safety Jackson Radcliffe has two interceptions to lead the team.

BE hasn’t faced an offense as potent as the one Oceanside possesses. The Landsharks have scored at least 21 points in each contest and have scored 40 points in three of the last four games with the lone exception being the 10-point win over Hanahan.

  The offense is led by senior quarterback Aiden Manavian, who is trying to lead OCA to its fourth straight state title with him behind center. Manavian, who is committed to Davidson and was also selected to the Touchstone Bowl, recently just passed the 10,000-yard passing mark for his career. He had thrown for 13 touchdowns and for more than 1,300 yards through the first six games.

His top targets are senior Jaiden Kelly-Murray, a Summerville High transfer who is committed to Colorado and has been selected to the South Carolina Shrine Bowl team, and senior Cooper Webb. Leading the rushing attack is another senior, James O’Connor.

  The Landsharks have been inconsistent defensively, allowing 182 points, 161 of them coming in the non-region contests.

Through six games, junior outside linebacker Tyler Stafford was the leading tackler with 38 to go with two TFLs. Senior strong safety Michael Strickler had 37 stops to go with two sacks.

Sophomore defensive end Awesome Cull led in TFLs with six, while junior middle linebacker Isaiah Brock had four. Senior cornerback Cole Gaspar had two interceptions, while junior cornerback Damonte Green had one pick and two fumble recoveries.

OCA will be going against a Bishop England offense that has passed the ball 176 times and ran it 197 times. Junior quarterback Banks Luton has completed 101 of 176 attempts for 1,483 yards and 15 touchdowns. Donato is the top pass catcher with 42 for 630 yards and eight scores. Chase Tonon has 22 receptions for 335 yards and four scores, Trevor Tonon has nine grabs for 78 yards, junior Knox Mahoney has nine catches for 146 yards and a TD, and sophomore Sebastian Robyo has eight catches for 167 yards and a touchdown.

The Bishops have a balanced rushing attack. They average 143.0 a game, but the leading rusher is Luton with just 240 yards and one score. Trevor Tonon has 232 yars and three TDs, Chase Tonon has 199 yards and six touchdowns, and senior Connor McGovern has 168 yards.

Hall knows what the Bishops have to do in order to win, it’s just a matter of doing it.

“The formula to win is simple: win the line of scrimmage, win the turnover battle and limit explosive plays,” Hall said. “Do that and we should put ourselves in position to win the game in the fourth quarter.”