MISHAWAKA — Students, staff, family or alumni in the Penn High School community might know senior Christian Bonner as a standout football player committed to Indiana Wesleyan University.
They might know him as a starter on the Kingsmen’s 18-7 boys basketball team.
They might know him as a key contributor on the unified track and field team.
They might know him as a strong outside hitter on the back-to-back IHSAA sectional champion boys volleyball team.
They might know him as the son of Endesha Bonner, a long-time assistant coach on the girls basketball staff.
They might know him as a strong vocalist in the decorated choir.
They could even know him as a volunteer at the concession stands during a rare night where he doesn’t have a game or practice.
Regardless of how one might know Christian Bonner, the fact is that it would be difficult to find someone in the Penn community who doesn’t know him. With less than two weeks left in his high school tenure, Bonner prides himself on not being defined by any one attribute or extra-curricular.
“I like to be different,” Bonner said. “I don’t want to be one-dimensional … Ever since I was young, I’ve been able to be everywhere and be all about different things. I like to stay busy. If I didn’t do sports, I’d probably get a job. Everyone needs their own “me” time, but being here to make memories with people is something you don’t get back.”
With the Kingsmen’s last day of school on June 4, Bonner is making the most of his final two sports. Unified track and field sectionals and boys volleyball regionals are the same day: Saturday, May 23.
Penn will compete in both, and Bonner will suit up for the volleyball program as they face 23-2 Lake Central at 10 a.m. CT at Valparaiso High School while his Kingsmen unified track and field teammates vie for sectional glory at NorthWood High School at the same time.
Bonner joined the Kingsmen’s boys volleyball team midway through the season in 2025, and he later told the coaching staff he regretted not joining sooner. Co-head coach Kelley Watts said she had just one jersey left at the time, signifying that Penn had just enough room for Bonner.
More than a year later, Watts said it’s hard to imagine the program without him.
“He was impactful from the first moment we let him get on the court,” Watts said. “His energy, his positive spirit, his athleticism, his knowledge, his movements.”
Bonner’s mother, Cynthia, was a middle school girls volleyball coach in Elkhart and for Northern Indiana Volleyball Association (NIVA) when Bonner was growing up, which meant he ended up spending a lot of time on the court and even began playing club volleyball at a young age. While football is undoubtedly his passion, Bonner isn’t ready to say goodbye to volleyball just yet.
“I feel like I can come here and really express myself; it’s something some people might not know about me,” Bonner said. “It’s a lot of fun, and being here with these guys is something special.”
The Kingsmen lost their regional semifinal game 3-0 to Washington Township last season, serving as motivation to not let the same fate befall them this time around. However, Lake Central is the defending regional champion and is the ninth-ranked team in Indiana.
Sophomore Tate Willis, who has also shined as an outside hitter for Penn, said the Kingsmen’s underclassmen are determined to not let the high school careers of seniors like Bonner end prematurely. He said that’s the least he can do for someone like Bonner, who has been a leader and a friend to Willis, whether it’s on the volleyball court, the weight room or the hallways.
“He’s encouraging, and he wants to be there for you,” Willis said. “He’s got a really good personality … He’s really open to your opinion, too. He won’t just be like, ‘This is how it is;’ He’ll be open to your ideas, and he’s just a really nice guy. You can’t get mad at him or think his opinion isn’t valid.”
On top of his back-to-back titles with the volleyball team, Bonner helped lead Penn’s football team to an IHSAA Class 6A sectional championship and an 11-1 record this past season. Bonner believes his high stakes experience in multiple sports should help him find ways to inspire his teammates in the build-up to their regional semifinal against the highly favored Indians.
“There’s a different feeling knowing it’s win or go home,” Bonner said. “With this being my senior year, I want to go out with a bang. If we can get to state, I want to get to state.”
Even if that dream isn’t fulfilled, Bonner’s legacy as a Kingsmen has already been cemented.
“He’s just a Penn kid through and through,” Watts said.
Kyle Smedley is a sports reporter at the South Bend Tribune. Contact him via email at ksmedley@usatodayco.com or follow him on X @KyleMSmedley.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: 4-sport athlete Christian Bonner proud to lead Penn boys volleyball
Reporting by Kyle Smedley, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
