San Dimas: 28 – Bonita: 12
Friday, October 20th, 1995
Once again, San Dimas reclaimed the Smudge Pot against Bonita on October 20th. After being held to 41 yards rushing in the first half, San Dimas came out strong in the second half, on a 12-play, 67-yard drive. Eleven of those plays were directed by Lawrence Morris or Kevin Pedrola. Morris finished a 6-yard touchdown run to give the Saints a 14-6 lead.
The key play of the game was on defense for the Saints. Defensive back, Jason Strickland intercepted a Mark Rivera pass attempt from the one yard line. With 14 seconds left int the half the pass bounced off Bearcat Jason Hertz’s hands into the grasp of Strickland for the touchback. It ended a dominating 69 yard nine play drive by the Bearcats at the end of the first half. The Saints took a 7 to 6 lead into halftime.
“That’s been the name of our season.” Bonita coach Dan Harden said. “Not scoring there changed the course of the game. We couldn’t get the break we needed and it gave San Dimas the motivation coming out of halftime.”
Morris ran for 5, 19, and 15 yards on San Dimas’ next possession, while Pedrola took the ball 16 yards to the Bonita 9-yard line. The Saints faced a fourth-and-goal situation from the Bearcat’s 1. With 11:16 left in the fourth quarter, however, quarterback Josh Coleman rolled slightly left and barreled in for the touchdown. Morris would finish the night with 149 yards rushing on 21 carries and a touchdown to lead San Dimas.
After accumulating 97 rushing yards in the first half, including a 5-yard touchdown run on the Bearcat’s opening possession, Bonita running back Nathan Ransom was restricted to minus-8 rushing yards in the second half. The Saint’s Morris gained 117 yards just in the second half and the Saint’s tough defense allowed the Bearcats only 37 yards rushing in the final 24 minutes. When fullback Mike Scranton ran 14 yards for a score, Bonita trimmed the lead to 21-12. A two-point conversion pass was unsuccessful. San Dimas won and took back the Smudge Pot from last year’s Bearcat victory with an eight-play march of 90 yards to close out the game.
A San Dimas official commented in the final seconds of the game about the Smudge Pot trophy, “It’s a real one. It’s big and chrome, It’s awesome.”
Player |
Position |
Game Stats |
|---|---|---|
| Morris (San Dimas) | Rushing | 21 carries for 149 yards |
| Coleman (San Dimas) | Passing | 5 of 7 for 121 yards |
| Strickland (San Dimas) | Receiving | 89 yards on 3 catches |
| Strickland (San Dimas) | Defense | 2 interceptions |
Varsity Bearcats
Front Row: Terence Cordero, Daniel Sanchez, Devin Diaz, Bryan Gutierrez, Marco Luna, Ronald Rodarte, Peter Clement, Tomas Hahka, Issac Aguirre.
Row 2: Esteban Gomez, Daniel Diaz, Kent Fung, Mark Rivera, Michael Scranton, Dean Jennings, Peter Bahruth, Timothy Carder.
Row 3: Miguel Ramos, Hector Guerreo, Coach Hatley, Coach Murillo, Coach Hall, Coach Harden, Coach Rode, Coach McFadden, Coach Morgan, Eric Eubanks, David Taylor.
Row 4: Kay Sakaue, Gregory Woolley, Devon Harden, Ja- son Simison, Jeffery Linder, Benjamin Drake, Ryan Kreutzer, David Carrillo.
Row 5: Andrew Hughes, Nicholas Fuller, Julio Adame, Tsegab Assafa, Nathan Ransom, Steven King, Jason Liskey, Joshua Ulm.
Back Row: Eric Bakkedahl, Bemenet Assafa, Joseph Ortega, Thomas Hwang, Jonathan Hahka, Rene Casas, Carl Cole, Jared Hertz. Not Pictured: Derek Bishop, Jabari Hamid, Gregory Hemenover, Jason Segal.
Crashing through the Banner
As the Varsity Football team crashes through the banner, pumped up and ready to win, the crowd jumps to their feet in great excitement. With Bearcat fans sitting in the bleachers watching the players running in, the balloons flying up to the sky, and the cheerleaders jumping for joy, the opposing team stops in their tracks to watch the powerful players do their magnificent Friday night routine.
Pep Talks
Coach Hatley’s pep talk consisted of the words, “Get off the ball and cross that goal line! Keep pushing and never, never give up!”
Team Work
Mark Rivera hurls the football towards one of his receiving team mates hoping that it won’t land in one of the opposing team’s hands, which, of course, it did not do. Then came smudge pot. Varsity came out strong and beat San Dimas 31-6. This was the first time in five years that bonita has had the smudge pot. With their win over San Dimas Bonita’s record was 3-3.
-Echoes, 1996
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Varsity Saints
Front: Jose Villarreal, Justin Wade, Casey Baseel, Brian Moses, Marquis Dawson, Billy Sauer, Mauricio Arzate, Carlos Perez, Craig Sawyer, Jason Strickland.
Row 2: Kevin Pedrola, Jeff Bratt, Hiroyuki Oda, Adam Yoder, Joe Nieto, Ryan Malouf, Scott Dreher, Billy Shroyer, Chris Paramo, Chris Guardiola.
Row 3: Michael Choy, Trainers Jill Tunstall, Burt Stem, Coaches Dominic Vinci, David Williams, Lee Fair, Derrick Bedell, Sean Arnett, Mike Bailey, Tim Alley, Harold Usury, Manfred Pereda, Mike Gomez, Manager Jacqueline Oglesby, Trainers Tania Correa and Yvette Garcia, Daniel Hollingquest.
Row 4: Bryan Flores, Joseph Wright, Lawrence Morris, Chris Nichols, Carlos Rodriguez, Alex Donoso, Samuel Kamler, Joshua Coleman, Roger Chapa, John McCollum.
Row 5: Brian Erlendson, Shaun Murphy, Charlie Rodriguez, Aaron Lewis, Nathan Grigolla, Chris Cervantes, Jean-Paul Bouchereau, Tony Mason.
Back: Jeremy Auten, Richard Purnell, Milan Shah, Mike Plount, Ben Ordaz, Steve Jones, Robert Teter, James Barnier.
Jason Strickland, also known as the “man who does it all,” walked away as leading receiver with 315 yards, 16 receptions, six interceptions, and five touchdowns. He was Valle Vista League’s first team defensive back and kicker and second team wide receiver. Jason also played varsity soccer, varsity baseball and maintained a 3.0 G.P.A. “Jason is a tremendous worker and fierce competitor,” said head coach David Wiliams.
“A high for me was the first game where we shut out Don Lugo. I thought it was important because it showed everyone how we improved, ” said lineman senior Joe Nieto. The team finished the season 4-6, all six losses to playoff teams including three who were undefeated at season’s end. “We should have made the playoffs,” said fullback senior Kevin Pedrola, but a coin flip at the end of a regular season determined they would not go. A completely new coaching staff, a few new players, and some serious talent on the team brought positive results. “It was the coaches that gave us inspiration, said senior Aaron Lewis. The strong defense included players Anthony Fletcher who had five sacks; Billy Shroyer with two sacks; J.P. Bouchereau with seven interceptions; and Tony Mason with one interception also helped out offensively as a receiver with 139 yards. The offense was also impressive. Some of the great guarding was done by linemen seniors Roger Chapa and Marquis Dawson, and juniors J.D. Barnier and Scott Dreher. A highlight for the season was the return of the historic Smudge Pot after a 28-12 victory. “I was there when it was taken away, and I was there when we got it back, said senior Roger Chapa. “I feel I have bragging rights for the rest of my life,’ ” said senior J.P Bouchereau. “The season was a success, we finished 3-3 in league. It was especially successful because the seniors set a standard for future S.D. players,’ ” said head coach David Williams.
– Jacqueline Oglesby, El Santo ‘96
Smudge Pot Quotes
""That's been the name of our season," "Not scoring there changed the course of the game. We couldn't get the break we needed and it gave San Dimas the motivation coming out of halftime""
Dan Harden | Bonita Football Coach, 1995
