Sunday Tribbin: Bonita dominating SGV as top sports school, and should continue dominating

Dear From what people tell me said,
You might be right, there could be a few students from outside of La Verne, who attend Bonita. Other schools in the area, such as Charter Oak, South Hills, and Northview, have benefited from students transferring in from Pasadena, Duarte, and Whittier. There is nothing wrong with this, as long as it is done within the CIF rules. Therefore I stand corrected, Bonita does it with talent from La Verne (and a few student-athletes from Pomona)!!

I would have to agree that Damien/St. Lucy's is fairing better overall than any other school.
St. Lucy's: CIF-Southern Section Division Champion-Volleyball
CIF-Southern Division title game-Girls Waterpolo (potential winner)
Sierra League winner in Tennis
2nd in basketball and soccer
Damien: CIF-Southern Division title game-Waterpolo finalist
CIF-Southern Division finalist-Cross Country
Damien Basketball (potential CIF winner) in CIF Semi's
We haven't even hit swimming, baseball/softball and track. Both schools dominate in swimming and will be surprise favorites in baseball/softball with both schools with real pitchers this year. Thats more than the strong showings that you are claiming for Bonita. These are actual results with CIF Champions and Finalist banners with four sports and counting....

Bonita is doing well but St. Lucy's and Damien are joint schools for sports and they should not be ruled out. St. Lucy's won CIF in Volleyball, won Sierra in Tennis, will win CIF in Waterpolo, Soccer just got eliminated in 2nd round of CIF. Damien was a CIF finalist for waterpolo, just lost in 2nd round CIF for soccer and cross country and also has a chance of winning CIF for Basketball. That would be three CIF victories (Volleyball, Waterpolo and Basketball) and a CIF finalist for Boys Waterpolo.

Just saying

Dear Raider Alum,

Did you really just go there? "they do it with talent from La Verne." Are you sure there are no athletes from outside of La Verne that play there? I personally know at least two athletes from Pomona that played one or more sports at Bonita.

OH WELL BONITA, MAYBE NEXT YEAR :(

Raider Alum,

You're on the right track. Here is something I wrote during the last re-leaguing process back in 2009. Take a look

http://www.insidesocal.com/tribpreps/2009/05/column-releagui-1.html#comment-2238154

Congrats to Bonita on an amazing year for all of their sports. The school has a strong support system and tremendous community backing. The best thing, is that they do it with talent from La Verne!! The school is very similar to how Brea Olinda was back in the 90's. Brea Olinda's success forced them into a higher league, and with the exception of Girls Basketball and a few other sports, the Wildcats are currently having a difficult time competing. In looking at how all sports at Charter Oak and South Hills are currently doing in the Sierra League, a mistake was clearly made in moving both of those schools to that league. Here is my take on what area leagues should look like, based on competitive equality in all sports:

Sierra League:
Damien/St. Lucy's
Glendora
Chino
Claremont
Alta Loma
Colony

Baseline League:
Ayala
Etiwanda
Los Osos
Rancho Cucamonga
Chino Hills
Upland

Miramonte:
West Covina
South Hills
Charter Oak
Diamond Bar
Walnut
Bonita

Hacienda:
Wilson
Los Altos
Rowland
Nogales
Diamond Ranch
Baldwin Park

Mt. Baldy:
Ontario
Montclair
Chaffey
Garey
Don Lugo
Pomona

Valle Vista:
Northview
Covina
San Dimas
Azusa
Sierra Vista

Montview:
Duarte
Gladstone
La Puente
Workman
Bassett
Ganesha

I realize a few people will disagree with my re-leaguing model; during the next CIF re-leaguing process, area principals, need to take into account, all sports, and not just football when going through the process.

You are correcto mundo Aram. A strong football team can be par-layed into all other aspects of high school life the rest of the year. Kids get amped up and want to be part of the show. That is why I find it odd that admins do not quickly find football H.C.s and get them on campus. History clearly shows late arriving coaches do not fare well and neither does the school.My gut tells me some of these admins like the drama and draw it out way longer than needed because they like the attention.

Congratulations Bonita High School on your continued success by consistently preparing competitive teams in all sports and academics.

Bonita has great support from their Principal Bob Ketterling who regularly attends events. A wealth of terrific coaches and assistants who support multiple sport participation and GPA maintenance.

The shared success also includes the outstanding work done at Ramona Middle School by Brad Smith, Mike Riggs, and the entire staff in the Physical Education program there.

Bonita has a rich athletic history spanning over a century. The parents are very supportive and the booster club is stong. Many La Verne residents are alumni and multiple generational families are not uncommon. This all helps build the confidence of our student athletes.

I am very proud of my Alma Mater.

GO BEARCATS!!!

It's Bonita's year, but you wonder if any of it will end with a CIF title. I think they get it with the girls team unless Amat can step up and out-savvy them.

And if the baseball team is as good as some people think, they've got a big shot there, too. Baseball and softball teams (Courtney G. at SS now) poised for huge seasons.

Football really set the tone ...

LA Futbol,

Don't get ahead of yourself.

That happened once...the league was named the Miramonte. We didn't have much fun in football...we competed but we all saw the domination of the Los Altos and Charter Oak Programs during those eight years. It's ok, we like where we are today which is the fruit of the 1990s playing up in Division 6 and now 7 since that story book season of 1999.

Unless I'm mistaken Bonita won the Hacienda League title in every winter sport except for Girls Soccer. And even then, they came in a close 2nd. Pretty dominant. They should have moved up to the Sierra League.

I've got 3 CIF rings for my four paws so far this year. You Bearcats or Huskies got any space left?

The only thing that bonita is good for is in&out across a street and shogun's! For real bonita kids are not trying to walk the streets of the sgv,because they will get beatdown!

You are probably talkin about the sgv geographically right?
Because if you include the city of CH, its no competition. 2010-11 is the year of the Huskies!

DR said:"what the worst wilson high school"

Wilson water polo made playoffs, girls soccer made playoffs, boys and girls made 2nd round in basketball, they only lost to D ranch last year in track and sent multiple tracksters to CIF last year, all of which will be returning this year, tennis will make playoffs for sure, and though everyone around here laughs, they are CIF champ caliber in badmiton

am beginning to think you are really a Los Altos blogger and not from Wilson

jackboy,

It's obvious that Bonita is indeed having one of those years, and believe it or not, my point wasn't about putting a knock on Bonita.

It's just that every so often we get a thread like this were someone comes out and says that one school is better than the other and then the fur begins to fly.

It's just that I don't think it is fair to say that one school is better than the rest because quite frankly, not everyone competes against the very same competition or even against one another. If they did, then ok.

That would clearly prove Fred's point. But they don't right ?

So, please tell me how in the world can anyone come out here and say that one school is "dominating the SGV ?"

I mean really........

jcaz,
Bonita is in my opinion, having one of those really good years, mainly because the senior class is exceptionally strong, just like it was at Charter Oak in football a couple of years ago and Glendora Baseball last year. This years teams, (Major sports) Football, Basketball, Track and Baseball, I think Bonita takes all local schools this year heads up. Fred’s right, Sometimes as you know you just get a nice little bubble of kids to go through your program.
Next year it would really surprise me if we are close to this season’s football and basketball teams, this years juniors are really going to have to step up. All schools with a decent sports program go though this. It’s just our turn.

I do agree that regardless of the releaguing discussion, Bonita deserves credit for what its athletic programs are doing this year. This isn't a school that has this type of success every year. It goes in cycles and right now Bonita has arguably the best junior and senior class across the board. I believe Northview had a year like this a few years back when it won a CIF title in baseball with several other sports winning league titles too. So, you're right Aaron, kudos to Bonita, this is time for the school to enjoy one of its best sports years if not the best sports year ever, I totally agree. BTW, with the five teams left, which one has the best shot at a title?

The only "punishment" that they got was having to compete in the Inland instead of the Central Division for football. The move to the Sierra for their other sports does not have that much of an effect since playoff divisions are based off of enrollment and competition. (For the most part)

Don't get me wrong. I agree. But the argument about divisions was kind of annoying for a Sunday morning when this topic is meant as a celebration of athletic excellence across multiple sports.

Fred,

So, if school's such as Charter Oak (et all) were all back in those lower level's and had gone deep in the playoffs your point would be that they would be (or could) be just as good as Bonita was this year ?

Hey, i'm just asking because you said that "South Hills, Charter Oak and Glendora's lower levels were punished as an athletic program for having good football teams when voters were supposed to consider all sports when rendering their decisions."

Just asking, and BTW Jackboy, i'm afraid your right, I really haven't been around to much prep sports this year. Been kinda busy.

Aaron, you can make a great case that both Bonita Basketball teams are among the the best in the Valley and the soccer teams both in the top five among Valley teams also. Football is one of the top five valley teams, and so on down the line and in the spring, baseball and softball can play with anyone too. In other sports like track, swimming and water polo, Bonita is among the best in the Valley as well, so you can easily make the case that this year they have the best sports school. With the exception of football, which has the Sierra League and Baseline in Division 2, and Amat in the Pac-5 -- almost all other Valley teams compete in low-level divisions in CIF. The point I have made all along is that South Hills, Charter Oak and Glendora's lower levels were punished as an athletic program for having good football teams when voters were supposed to consider all sports when rendering their decisions....Politics, you betcha.

what the worst wilson high school

Boys Basketball-3A
Girls Basketball-3A

Boys Soccer-4
Girls Soccer-3

Girls Water Polo-5

You shouldn't be jawin' right now. Look at the playoff brackets and tell me that these are easy! They aren't and Bonita at less than 2000 students is competing where they should.

jcaz,
You don’t get out much, do you?
Fred’s just calling them as he sees them! He’s been to a lot of our games this 2011 and 2011 year and has done a nice job covering the Bearcats. jcaz, you are welcome to come out and watch us play. All winter sports are still in the hunt for a CIF title and Baseball just around the corner.
Go Bearcats!

Fred, of course you make a good point with respect to that football argument. But maybe the real question you should ask here is, how good are they really when you compare them to the other school's level of competion ?

To sit here and ditz Charter Oak because they went up a notch is is absolutely crazy !

I mean, how can you say that a sports program is any lesser if they play against cometion that is far supior to that of a school such as Bonita ?

I mean, at what level does Bonita compete at in all of those sports you just mentioned anyway ? I actually really don't know. Maybe they are in division 1 in some of them, but in all of them ? I don't think so.

So with that in mind, how can you give a school the top billing if they never play against the same quality of opponents that schools such as South hills did last year (Tesoro).

For example, many folks in here point out the fact that Amat plays baseball in a lower division, but not to many folks would say that they couldn't compete against the very best in the nation, even if they are in a lower division.

So if a team such as Charter oak were to lose against a high quality team and Bonita were to win a CIF championship against a lower sports program and in a lower divsion, then they are the best in the Valley ?

Uhhh ok........

Hey Bonita fans, i'm not saying that any of these wins and CIF championships weren't well deserved, but if you you start to say that Bonita is the the best school in the valley sports wise, then your going to have to ask that question a bit more differently don't you think ?