Friday follow-up: Bonita football back in a big way
The San Dimas High School football team won 10 more games than Bonita last year. It returned 14 starters from a 2009 team that won the CIF-SS Mid-Valley Division championship, the first in school history. After three consecutive losses to the school's biggest rival, entering Friday night Bonita's seniors were facing the prospect of never winning the Smudge Pot back from San Dimas.
"I don't think too many people were picking us to win," Bonita coach Eric Podley said. "And the people that did think we could win, I don't think they expected that point differential."
Coming off a three-win season, Bonita claimed its first victory over San Dimas in three years with an emphatic 41-20 win Friday night. The Bearcats led 24-7 at the half and swelled their advantage to 20 points in the third quarter. All this despite receiving the news a week ago that starting quarterback Garrett Pendleton would miss the first half of the season with a hairline fracture in his throwing arm.
Making adjustments due to injury is nothing new to Bonita. The Bearcats had players miss games on 27 separate occasions last season. They never had the same starting lineup on offense or defense more than two consecutive games in 2009, according to Podley.
"It's been a rare occasion where we play them [San Dimas] at full strength," Podley said. "This year we didn't have our starting quarterback but at least everybody else was healthy."
Senior linebacker K.C. Huth, a three-year varsity player, stepped on the field across from San Dimas for the first time in his football career. One of the Bearcats emotional leaders played a large role both physically and verbally Friday after missing the past two Smudge Pot games with injuries, the most recent a broken foot.
Though the score appeared plenty lopsided, Bonita was in need of some emotional support during some early adversity Friday night.
Backup quarterback Greg Spathias threw in interception on the first drive of the game. The Bearcats squandered some early opportunities to fall behind 7-0. After running up a 20-point lead, there was a lull in the third quarter after which San Dimas scored its first touchdown since the first quarter to make the score 27-14.
"When we did make mistakes we didn't let them get us down," Podley said. "Our quarterback threw a couple of interceptions but he didn't let that bring him down and he came back to have a very respectable game. This was by no means a perfect performance. We have a lot or room to improve."
A proud Bonita program that has made the playoffs five of the last six years - including last season despite claiming only three victories - has announced itself back in a big way. In a new Hacienda League minus two-time defending champion Charter Oak, there are large possibilities for the Bearcats in 2010.
"Wins like this give validity to what we've been doing in the weight room and the class room and on the practice field," Podley said. "Hopefully this will breed a lot of confidence."
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About Clay
Clay Fowler has been covering high school sports for six years in California and Texas. He was born in Dallas, attended the University of Texas and worked in Central Texas before joining the Daily Bulletin staff in 2006.
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who do you think will win this friday? and why? Claremont or Bonita
Who do you think will win this friday? and why? Claremont or bonita