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Mullen’s Mason Bonner, who is committed to the University of Michigan, played against Erie on Friday, Oct. 17, 2025. (Photo by Brent W. New\/BoCoPreps.com)<\/p>\nERIE \u2014 It was a statement play in a statement victory for the resurgent Mullen Mustangs.<\/p>\n
Early in the first quarter, facing fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line, the Erie Tigers gave the ball to their go-to guy, Oregon State-bound running back Braylon Toliver. A 7-0 lead looked like a lock.<\/p>\n
Until Toliver ran into Mullen senior defensive end Mason Bonner, who led a swarm of defenders and smothered Toliver for a 3-yard loss. In an instant, the tenor of the game changed, and Mullen went on shock No. 8 Erie 18-6 in a Class 5A showdown on Friday night at Tiger Stadium.<\/p>\n
\u201cToliver was running up and down the field,\u201d Mullen coach Jeremy Bennett said. \u201cWe really have that bend-but-don\u2019t-break mentality, but that was huge. I think that set the tone for the game.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bonner, a 6-foot-7, 220-pound freight train who\u2019s committed to Michigan as a tight end, left the game in the middle of the third quarter with a knee injury and did not return. Fortunately for Bonner, he just suffered a painful bruised left knee, and there was no structural damage. <\/p>\n
Sparked by three touchdown passes by senior quarterback Cole Parsons, Mullen (4-4 overall, 3-0 in the Front Range South League) claimed one of its biggest victories in years, providing evidence that the Mustangs just might be back on the path to the upper echelon of 5A. They need just one more win to clinch the program\u2019s first league title since 2016 under Tom Thennel \u2014 and there\u2019s reason to believe the Mustangs will be a tough out in November.<\/p>\n
Mullen owns eight state championships, but none since current Cherry Creek coach Dave Logan led the Mustangs to big-school titles in 2004, \u201908, \u201909, and \u201910.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was for sure our biggest game of the league, and it just means a ton for us to come out and play like we did,\u201d said Parsons, who completed 21\u00a0of 35 passes for 255 yards.<\/p>\n
Mullen\u2019s losses this season have come against talented teams: No. 2 Ralston Valley, No. 6 Valor Christian, preseason top-10 Regis Jesuit, and Irving, Calif., powerhouse Crean Lutheran, which is 8-0.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think our kids believe now,\u201d Bennett said. \u201cWe played Ralston Valley really tight (a 20-7 loss). We played the No. 10 team in California really tight, and we just couldn\u2019t get over the hump. (Erie) is a great team, and we finally go to the other side. I just think the kids, believing in themselves, and knowing they could pull this off, was huge.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mullen’s Mason Bonner, who is committed to the University of Michigan, played against Erie on Friday, Oct. 17, 2025. (Photo by Brent W. New\/BoCoPreps.com)<\/p>\n
Erie\u2019s offense had been steamrolling opponents. Last week, in a 61-34 win over Vista PEAK Prep, Toliver totaled 192 yards of offense and three touchdowns. But Mullen\u2019s defense, led by senior linebacker Estavan Loya Jr. with six tackles, mostly shut down Toliver.<\/p>\n
Erie (5-2, 2-0) saw its four-game winning streak end and lost its first league game since coach Jeff Giger took over the program 4 \u00bd years ago.<\/p>\n
After a first-quarter stalemate, Mullen scored early in the second. The key play was a 33-yard pass from Parsons to senior wide receiver Amare Kyle to the Erie 4-yard line. Facing third-and-9, Parson saw that Kyle had drawn solo coverage on the outside and decided to go deep down the sideline.<\/p>\n
\u201cAmare was pressed, and Amare has so much speed, so when I saw him one-on-one, I\u2019m taking that every day,\u201d Parsons said.<\/p>\n
On third-and-goal, Parsons threw a strike to senior wide receiver Nick Marcoux for a 3-yard TD and a 6-0 lead. Mullen\u2019s second score was an 8-yard pass to Bonner with 26 seconds left in the second quarter. The Mustangs sealed the game in the fourth quarter with a 19-yard TD pass from Parsons to Marcoux.<\/p>\n
Mullen\u2019s offense showed versatility.\u00a0 Marcoux had seven receptions for 67 yards, Kyle had five catches for 76 yards, and Bonner caught four passes for 43 yards. Senior running back Dante Dupuch rushed for 112 yards on 23 carries, with most of his yardage coming late when Mullen kept the ball out of the Tigers\u2019 hands.<\/p>\n
For a few scary minutes, Mullen\u2019s victory looked like it would be tinged by devastating injury. With 6 minutes left in the third quarter, Bonner hauled in a short pass from Parsons and headed upfield. But he caught a helmet on his knee and went down hard.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just a little contusion,\u201d Bonner said as he stood on crutches after the game. \u201cIt should be good in a week or so. Nothing too serious.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although thrilled with Friday night\u2019s victory, Bonner didn\u2019t want to make too much of it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s a stepping-stone game at all,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have had talent on this team all four years; we just really didn\u2019t come out and execute. We did tonight. We are a group of seniors that\u2019s working well together, working as one. This is coming together.\u201d<\/p>\n