Bishops relying on veteran defense to ride high in 2026

Bishop England High School football coach Logan Hall’s resume is top-heavy in offense. 

Hall played quarterback under Coach David Bennett at Coastal Carolina when the Chanticleers won a Big South Championship in 2011. He finished his degree the next year at the University of South Carolina, where he served as a graduate assistant under head coach Steve Spurrier, a legend who just happened to be an offensive savant. 

Hall’s early coaching career at the high school level included stops at Battery Creek High School and Pinewood Prep, where he served as an offensive coordinator. 

Hall is in only his third year as a head coach, but he’s been around long enough to know defense wins championships. 

That’s been one of Hall’s talking points as the Bishops prepared for their season opener against Porter-Gaud on Friday, Aug. 21, at Jack Cantey Stadium. 

“Defense, that’s going to be our horse, and we’re going to ride it,” he said. “We’re going to be good there, and we’re going to rely on it early.” 

Hall’s optimistic because seven starters return on the defensive side, including linemen Luke Balog and Jackson Kunz. The linebacking trio returns intact, including Matthew Ponkow, Luke Russell, and Trevor Tonon.  Chase Tonon is a starting safety while Finn Corley is a lockdown cornerback. 

The Tonons are junior twins but play like grizzled veterans. Chase tallied 116 tackles last fall while Trevor collected 96 stops to finish second and third, respectively, in team tackles. 

The Bishops posted an 8-4 record last fall at the Class AAAA level and allowed 15.3 points a game while recording 3.3 sacks and an interception per game. 

“Defense has a lot of experience, and they have played a lot of football together,” Hall said. “We want to win the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. If we can do this, it will give us a great chance to win the game.” 

There is still plenty of offensive firepower back as the Bishops return six starters from last year’s team that used a balance between run and pass that produced 32 points and 300 yards per game: 155 yards passing and 145 yards rushing. 

“We have five seniors up front,” Hall said. “The entire group committed to the weight room; they have pride in playing the position. If they play well and we can control the line of scrimmage, we will have a chance to be explosive on offense.”  

William Donato is one of the starters back and is listed as an athlete after serving as the backup quarterback behind Quinn Mahoney, who accounted for 4,686 yards in total offense in two seasons. Donato is battling Oceanside Collegiate Academy transfer Banks Luton, a tall and talented signal caller. 

“Both quarterbacks have had flashes of good,” Hall said. “They are both going to play football for us this year. They are both gifted athletes and need to be on the field together.” 

Chase Tonon is slotted to play running back and wide receiver and should have good support up front with returning starters Jake Olsen, Coleman Runey, John Diliegro, and Gavin Bailey heading a veteran offensive line. 

The Bishops posted 9-3 and 8-4 records in Hall’s first two seasons at the school as they competed at the Class AAAA level. They will compete in Class AAA for at least the next two seasons. 

“Dropping back to 3-AAA is great,” Hall said. “We really do not care who or where we play. We want to compete against the best and play our best football. We had a great run in 4-AAAA with a region championship while hosting three home playoff games. We look to build on that progress. Travel will be the best part. Everything is local.” 2026 BISHOP ENGLAND