Athlete of the week is St. Anthony's Jake Bonomi 

The moment will never die for Jake Bonomi. And why would it? The last goal of his high school career earned St. Anthony's a championship.

   Bonomi one-timed a perfect pass from speedy Danny Parker and scored the winning goal with 4:03 left in the Class AAA championship game of the Catholic High School Athletic Association on May 15.

    It was vintage Bonomi, an opportunistic goal scorer, who always seems to come up clutch.

    "He has a knack for finding the net, a real finisher," said St. Anthony's coach Keith Wieczorek. "That was the biggest goal of his career."

     The Michigan-bound senior attack led St. Anthony’s to that stirring 14-13 win over Chaminade before a capacity crowd. For Bonomi, who scored multiple goals in 10 games this season, it was his only goal in the final. But, of course, he made his one score – the one that mattered the most.

    “It takes more than one guy to win any game,” Bonomi said. “It’s always about the team. We had so many guys make big plays this year – I happened to get that last one. And if it wasn’t for the great pass from Danny, it doesn’t happen at all.”

    The goal gave St. Anthony’s (15-1), its 10th win in a row and its second CHSAA Long Island championship in six years.

     Bonomi, played in a potent St. Anthony’s offense that averaged 14 goals per game, and compiled 56 goals and 12 assists for the Friars. For his effort, Bonomi was selected as the Newsday Athlete of the Week.

     “He’s had an incredible season,” Wieczorek said. “I’ve gotten on him in the past and he’s responded so well. Some players can’t handle the tough love. But Jake would be off in the first half of a game and we’d make halftime adjustments. And he’d come out in the second half and embrace the criticism and play at the top of his game.”     

     Bonomi was selected to participate in the Under Armour All-American game for seniors only to be played at Johns Hopkins in Maryland on June 29.

     “Jake was on a team loaded with talent and he was one of our leaders,” Wieczorek said. “And we played a very challenging schedule.”

     Bonomi was part of a 1-2 scoring punch at St. Anthony’s. He was the lightning and junior star Brennan O’Neill was the thunder. O’Neill, the number one junior recruit in the country, scored seven goals and added an assist in the championship. His last goal tied the score at 13.

     “He gets double teamed a lot and that leaves me one on one in most sets,” Bonomi said. “He draws so much attention from the defense and rightfully so. And that opens the door for other guys on our offense to score.”

      While O’Neill poured in a season-high seven goals, Bonomi was stymied all afternoon by Chaminade keeper Liam Entenmann. On at least three occasions he had point blank shots where Entenmann flat out stoned him. The lack of success never fazed him.

   “When a shooter goes cold he has to keep shooting,” Bonomi said. “I saved the best one for last.”

   Bonomi’s last memory of his high school career will be cutting across the face of the defense, catching a perfect pass and firing an over the back shoulder shot that found the net.

    It's the way a championship should be won – in spectacular fashion!       

By Gregg Sarra

gregg.sarra@newsday.com@Gregg_Sarra

Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.