Tommy Bonner has demonstrated you can go home again.
Bonner transferred from Hanover Central to St. Rita in Chicago for the second semester of his freshman year. But he returned to Hanover Central for the second semester of his junior year and became the starting quarterback for his senior season.
“It’s been great,” he said. “It’s been a really easy transition, really smooth. I’m cool with everybody, tight with everybody, and the coaches are awesome. Everybody just knows me, and it’s not just from football. It’s as a person. They take the time to get to know you, and it helps build a relationship.
“I’m just really glad to be back. To be around this atmosphere each and every day, it’s awesome. I wake up, and I’m excited just to be around these guys. I love it.”
Bonner, who had attended elementary school and middle school in Hanover Community School Corp., was part of a program at St. Rita that finished second in the state twice in the past five years.
“It was a great team over there,” he said. “I had a lot of good friends. I liked the coaches. It’s a great system. But it was so far away, and it was taking a toll on me mentally and physically because I was still commuting from out here. I was a little bit homesick. I missed my guys here. This was always my home. I was ready to be back.”
Now the 6-foot, 200-pound Bonner is ready to lead the Wildcats (8-2) on a deep postseason run. After moving up to Class 4A, they opened sectional play last week with a victory against East Chicago Central, and the Northwest Crossroads Conference tri-champions will play Kankakee Valley in a semifinal Friday night.
Hanover Central won its only sectional title in 2021.
“I do believe in these guys a lot,” Bonner said.
Those guys also believe in Bonner, who has thrown for 1,284 yards and 18 touchdowns with four interceptions and has run for 254 yards and three TDs. He tossed a program-record six TDs in the Wildcats’ win at Lowell on Sept. 13.
“He’s brought a lot of chemistry,” Hanover Central senior running back Caiden Verrett said. “A lot of guys played with him since they were kids and have known him for a long time. I’ve only known him since freshman year, but even then he was a really great guy and he always brought positive energy. He’s a big confidence-booster.
“Me and him in the backfield, I love it. When I get upset about a play, he’s always there to pick me up.”
Bonner spent most of his freshman season playing quarterback and cornerback on Hanover Central’s junior varsity team. But he did have one varsity completion, a 13-yard TD to then-freshman wide receiver Henry Maurer against River Forest.
“Fade route on the left side of the field,” Maurer recalled. “Tommy’s my guy. I played with him freshman year. I played with him eighth grade year too. I have a bunch of memories. He’s been my buddy since fourth grade. Tommy and I have been really close for a while.
“He went away to St. Rita, but he came back, and the relationship was exactly the same. I’m really glad for him to be back, stepping into the role he has.”
Indeed, it has been a major role for Bonner, succeeding three-year starter Matt Koontz at quarterback.
“Freshman year, I was just trying to get a feel for the system,” Bonner said. “I looked up to Matt. He’s an awesome guy, awesome player, and I love him. It was fun to watch, just sitting back and learning.”
Coach Brian Parker had high expectations for Bonner before this season, saying “he’s next in line in regards to that lineage of productive quarterbacks we’ve had here at Hanover Central” and “he’s poised to have a big year for us as well.” And Bonner has delivered.
“After having Matt the last three years, the way he operated at the quarterback position was at such a high level, and he was so productive and was so successful individually and won a lot, then for Tommy to come in, the offense really hasn’t skipped a beat,” Parker said. “It’s a little different with his skill set. We do things a little different.”
Parker noted Bonner’s ability to run the ball.
“He really alleviates a lot of the pressure on Caiden in that we can run the quarterback between the tackles a little bit more because he’s a big, strong kid,” Parker said. “He’s tough, physically and mentally.
“We like to put a designed run early in the game for him just to kind of wake him up and hit somebody, and it seems to work. I can’t say enough about the job he’s done.”
As a sophomore, Bonner played quarterback and safety for St. Rita’s JV team. He moved up to varsity last season, when he primarily lined up as a slot receiver but also got time at fullback and tight end. He had 11 catches for 113 yards and a TD.
“Playing some different positions, it helped me with my feel and understanding of the game,” Bonner said. “It gave me a different perspective. It’s been a fun experience. It’s been a cool journey.”
Still, Bonner has always been a quarterback at heart.
“He’s a sponge when it comes to seeing it, learning it, applying it,” Parker said. “He’s a high IQ kid. He’s a football junkie. This is what he does. He’s played football his whole life. He’s played quarterback pretty much his whole life.
“We ask a lot of our quarterback. Our offense is pretty complicated in some of the stuff we do, and he’s a high academic kid. He has that ability to get us in and out of our stuff. He’s just a tireless worker. He comes every day. He came every day in the winter, in the spring, in the summer, here obviously in the fall. He’s had a really good season, and I’d like to think there’s still some good football ahead of him. He’s very levelheaded, and the moment isn’t too big for him.”
Bonner has been progressing to that point since he returned to Hanover Central.
“His situation is unique,” Parker said. “He’s a Cedar Lake kid. He did go to St. Rita, but he came back second semester last year. So it’s not one of those things where he showed up this summer and we had to accelerate his learning process. He was with us in January, and he got right in our strength and conditioning class.”
Bonner’s teammates have been quick to follow him.
“He’s not a captain on our team, but he’s a leader on our team,” Parker said. “He hasn’t been here very long, but he was homecoming king. He has one of those personalities where people like him, which is important for the quarterback position. It’s the No. 1 leadership position in all of sports, and it’s important for people to like you and to follow you, and that’s what’s happened since he’s been here.”
Bonner didn’t necessarily have those qualities in his initial stint at Hanover Central.
“I was a little more shy freshman year,” he said. “But being a quarterback over the years helps get you out of your comfort zone a little bit. It kind of forced me, and now it comes naturally, just being able to talk to people. I’ve come a long way.
“I’ve had a great high school experience. I like the relationships I’ve been able to build, even with the younger guys. In the end, that’s what matters most, just how much you can impact the people around you. When this all ends, you keep the relationships for a lifetime. I love being around people. I’m a people person, and it’s a real family here.”
