Smudge Pot Game

Anniversary Games

This year, SmudgePotGame.com is highlighting five anniversary games from the rivalry’s history: 1976, 1986, 1996, 2006, and 2016. Spanning 40 years, the five games tell part of the larger story of a rivalry that has repeatedly shifted between periods of San Dimas and Bonita success.

The first of this year’s anniversary games came in 1976, when San Dimas defeated Bonita 26-7 in the fifth Smudge Pot game. The teams were tied 7-7 at halftime after Bonita quarterback Sanford Coggins connected with Rich Doyle for a 27-yard touchdown on the final play of the half. San Dimas took control after halftime behind Perry Aris and Bob Pleasant. Aris intercepted Coggins early in the second half, while Pleasant helped power a Saints rushing attack that eventually pulled away for the victory. San Dimas went on to win the Hacienda League championship and reach the CIF semifinals that season.

Ten years later, the 1986 Smudge Pot became memorable for more than the result on the field. San Dimas built a 13-0 lead before Bonita mounted a late comeback. With less than two minutes remaining, Bearcat running back Sam Bonanno broke through several tackles for a 42-yard touchdown, but the Saints held on for the victory. At halftime, Bonita legend and 1946 Heisman Trophy winner Glenn Davis was honored as the Bearcat Bowl was officially renamed Glenn Davis Stadium. The night connected the modern rivalry to one of the greatest athletes in Bonita High School history.

The 1996 game marked the beginning of one of the most significant runs in Smudge Pot history. Bonita defeated San Dimas 19-7 under first-year Bearcat head coach Larry Hatley. That victory launched a school-record seven consecutive Smudge Pot wins from 1996 through 2002. Bonita would ultimately win 10 of the 11 rivalry games played between 1996 and 2006, transforming the balance of a series that San Dimas had dominated during many of its early years.

That remarkable Bonita run was still going strong when the teams met again in 2006. The final score, Bonita 35, San Dimas 14, makes the game appear more one-sided than it actually was. Jeff Chavez scored twice on the ground and connected with Sean Vasquez for a seven-yard touchdown pass that gave Bonita a 21-14 halftime lead. San Dimas nearly tied the game just before halftime, driving inside Bonita’s 10-yard line, but the clock expired after Danon Palmer was stopped in bounds near the goal line. Bonita took control in the second half and won the Smudge Pot for the third consecutive year.

The most recent anniversary game came in 2016, when San Dimas reclaimed the trophy with a 42-14 victory at Citrus College, ending Bonita’s three-year hold on the Smudge Pot. Senior Jarrell Sykes delivered one of the standout individual performances in the rivalry’s recent history, finishing with 231 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns. He rushed for 187 yards and caught a 44-yard touchdown pass on the Saints’ third play of the game. San Dimas finished with 424 rushing yards, controlling the game on the ground and bringing the trophy back to San Dimas.

Taken together, these five games illustrate how the rivalry has changed from generation to generation. San Dimas controlled much of the early history of the Smudge Pot, Bonita produced a record-setting stretch beginning in the late 1990s, and both programs have continued to create memorable performances and moments in the decades since.

The 2026 Smudge Pot gives another generation of Bearcats and Saints the opportunity to add its own chapter to that history.

The Smudge Pot trophy itself remains a reminder of the communities’ shared citrus heritage. In 1972, the mayors of La Verne and San Dimas agreed to award a chromed smudge pot to the winner of the annual football game, recognizing the citrus groves that once defined both communities. What began as a local trophy has become the enduring symbol of more than five decades of football between Bonita and San Dimas.

Visit the Games menu to explore summaries, photographs, rosters, season histories, and game details from Smudge Pot football dating back to 1972, including this year’s five featured anniversary games and the players, coaches, and moments that have shaped the rivalry.