Friday afternoon, one thought crossed Tom Meakim's mind: He needed to be at Monsignor Bonner for the big announcement.

Monsignor Bonner's basketball coach, Meakim said he was at the Catholic high school in Upper Darby Township Jan. 6. That was when the Archdiocese of Philadelphia -- based upon the urging of a Blue Ribbon Commission report -- announced that Bonner/Archbishop Prendergast and three other high schools would close due to declining enrollment, among other things. So, Meakim figured, why not be there for Friday's announcement of whether the schools' appeals would be granted?

"It was the only place to be," Meakim told Delco Hoops by phone.

In a televised news conference, Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput announced that the appeals of the four high schools that had been recommended for closure were granted, meaning the doors to Bonner/Prendie would remain open. St. Hubert's Catholic School for Girls and West Catholic, in Philadelphia, as well as Conwell-Egan Catholic, in Bucks County, also were saved by the archdiocese.

"Obviously we're elated," Meakim said. "Frankly, I'm very happy for the other three schools, as well. As I've told you before, my ancestors are West Catholic people. And the other two schools, I'm happy for. I'm most happy for my players, especially the juniors. They have a chance to finish where they started."

Chaput's announcement came with a caveat: Bonner and Prendie will have to merge. The all-boys and all-girls schools, respectively, had shared the same administration for the last few years, but had done so under different roofs. That will change for the 2012-13 school year.

"That's funny you ask, but weren't not changing names," Meakim said. "The school, maybe there will be other changes down the road, but I'm not privy to that yet. I was told the Friar will be Bonner's mascot and the Panda will remain Prendie's. I'm glad those aren't changing, because our team just got new uniforms last year."

When he made it to Bonner's campus Friday, in time for the 3 p.m. announcement from the archdiocese, Meakim said he ran into three seniors from this year's team -- Paul Pfeffinger, Dan McLoone and Mike Proska. Meakim said junior Pat Vanderslice greeted him with "a big hug."

"Pat took the news Jan. 6 the hardest," said Meakim (pictured), referencing the date of the original announcement, that Bonner would close. "He's probably the most-relieved I've seen because, what he was facing was, his whole family is full of Bonner people. Where was he going to go? He'd be scored at every family party that he went to. I'm relieved he doesn't have to make that kind of decision. None (of my players) ever approached me as to what their options were because, I take it, they were very hopeful that they'd be spending next year at Bonner. And, thankfully, that's the case."

"It's been a hard seven weeks, but a hard year ever since the rumor started floating around in September," Meakim continued. "It's been a hard year for any Bonner athlete. I'm one of those people that believes there's good to come out of everything. I like the plan the school has put together for academics, and that our alumni have continued to step forward. They were a sleeping giant that got woken up."

(Times staff photos / JULIA WILKINSON)

At what seemed like Monsignor Bonner's final home game in the storied history of its boys basketball program, the underclassmen on the roster donned specially-made T-shirts for warm-ups. The green threads read: "FRIARS FOREVER."

It seems that could be the case.

First reported Friday afternoon by MyFoxPhilly.com, Monsignor Bonner/Archbishop Prendergast are among the four high schools that avoided closure by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia following extensive appeals processes and fundraising efforts.

The others were West Catholic and St. Hubert's in Philadelphia and Conwell-Egan in Bucks County. Those four high schools had been placed on the Archdiocese's "recommended closure list" by the Blue Ribbon Commission, which revealed the results of its report last month.

It's believed Bonner/Prendie raised more than $5 million, while St. Hubert's collected close to $1.5 million. The Archdiocese made the announcement at 3 p.m. with further details.

UPDATED: 4:21 p.m.

If you're a fan, a parent, or a player, you've probably experienced a heavy heart in the last week. The reason being, every time you've turned around, it seems as though another high school is being told it could close.

Friday night, a warm crowd filled Cardinal O'Hara's gym in hopes of Monsignor Bonner springing an upset. It didn't work. The winless Friars, who were told last week by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia that their school will close, suffered a 51-25 loss to the host Lions. Matt Chandik gives us the report.

Leading up to the game Bonner players and coach Tom Meakim anticipated a return to the glory days of their heated rivalry, with a packed house full of emotions. At least that part worked out for the Friars.

On the other side, O'Hara fans gave a moment of silence in honor of Lions coach Tim Kelly's wife, Kathleen, who passed last week. Rob Parent spoke with Kelly about his side of an emotional game.

About 20 minutes to the south, Chester High is dealing with talk of its school closing. The Chester Upland School District, financially strapped, will not meet its pay period Wednesday, meaning every employee will go without pay from now until the foreseeable future.

So if Chester High closes, where does that leave the nationally ranked Clippers?

Certainly an emotional week in Delco Hoops.