Please support our Reporters

The Opening Kickoff Of The 2025 Season In

Days
Hours
Minutes

The West (Central League) takes 47th Hero Bowl, 22-21, thanks to unlikely hero Penncrest’s James Mulholland

Written by: on Friday, May 30th, 2025. Follow Joseph Santoliquito on Twitter.

East defensive MVP #50 Khalil Holley and East offensive MVP #1 Mick Johnson

SPRINGFIELD, PA — None of this was supposed to happen. James Mulholland was not supposed to kick this past season for Penncrest, until two weeks into summer practice when he reached out to Lions’ coach Paul Graham about kicking. Initially, Graham rejected him. Then, he came around.

Mulholland had doubts he was good enough to be selected for the West squad (Central League) in the 47th annual Hero Bowl, played Thursday night at Cardinal O’Hara.

He was.

At the end of it, it was Graham holding the offensive MVP trophy after kicking three field goals—two more than he kicked all last season for Penncrest—in leading West to a 22-21 victory.

Mulholland will be reporting to Army West Point on June 30th.

He will leave some great memories of a career night in which his field goals of 39, 33, and 36 yards were the winning difference.

Last season, he kicked one field goal for Penncrest from 32 yards out.

“This is not a bad way to go out,” Mulholland said. “I’m a little better in soccer than football (laughs). I didn’t really know if I was even going to play in this game. I didn’t kick that much this season. I kicked one field goal all year long, and that was 32 yards. Repetition and the holders were really good to me tonight. At halftime, I thought this was going to be a blowout. That this would be easy. I wasn’t expecting to kick (in the second half) at all.

“Soccer is my main sport. I was kicking to have fun. I’ve only been kicking for nine months. I have to report to West Point on June 30th.”

Springfield’s Chris Dolan had a strong argument for West MVP, catching two touchdown passes of 60 and 25 yards. Regrettably, Dolan’s 25-yard TD reception came with big hit in the end zone, and he came off dragging his right arm off the field and immediately back to the locker rooms.

Dolan, a West Chester commit, last played on October 25 after suffering a broken right collarbone in a game against Strath Haven and had corrective surgery on November 18.

“This was the best thing ever, coming back here and being able to play again,” Dolan said. “The team was amazing. As you can see, we’re all friends. I’ll go to the doctors and find out what’s happening, and it hurts, but it does feel better than (when he broke his collarbone back in October). I knew the game was over as soon as I came down (after the second TD catch). But this is going to work out. I’ll be ready to go for West Chester. I’ll be good again real soon.”

Bonner-Prendie’s Mick Johnson was named East (Del-Val League and Bonner-Prendie) offensive MVP and his Bonner-Prendie teammate Khalil Holley was selected East defensive MVP.

Both would have liked to have gone out winners. But they each ended what was an historic Bonner-Prendie season, winning the program’s District 12 Class 4A championship, and topping it off with Bonner-Prendie’s first-ever PIAA Class 4A state championship.

“I was just happy that I was able to come out here one last time with my brothers and play,” said Johnson, who is going to West Chester and whose electrifying 87-yard TD run got East on the board. “It sank in a little before the game that this was going to be it for me—my last high school game. I almost got a little emotional over it. It felt good we get to solidify our name in school history.”

Holley, who had two sacks and is headed to King’s College, said the intensity was there.

“It is a nice way to go out, and it would have been nice to win this game, but we go with the big one, the state championship, the first ever for Bonner-Prendie,” Holley said. “That’s a good way to go out.”

Scoring Summary

East (Del-Val League) 7 0 14 0-21

West (Central League) 10 3 6 3-22

1st Quarter

West – Chris Dolan (Springfield) 60 pass from Zach Mullin (Penncrest) (James Mulholland (Penncrest) kick), 8:31

East – Mick Johnson (Bonner-Prendie) 87 run (Dominic Nardini (Chichester) kick), 7:16

West – Mulholland 39 FG, :59

2nd Quarter

West – Mulholland 33 FG, :01

3rd Quarter

West – Dolan 25 pass from Mullin (pass failed), 8:49

East – Rob Ford (Bonner-Prendie) 8 pass from Taj Cobb (Penn Wood) (Nardini kick), 3:17

East – Johnson 8 run (Nardini kick), :00

4th Quarter

West – Mulholland 36 FG, 7:16

Joseph Santoliquito is an award-winning sportswriter who has been covering high school football since 1992 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be followed on Twitter @JSantoliquito. Follow EasternPAFootball.com on Twitter @EPAFootball.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *