BONITA: 33 – SAN DIMAS: 0
San Dimas came into the Smudge Pot game with the leading defense in the valley, but it was the Bearcats that held the Saints to only 14 total yards of offense in a 30-0 shutout. The victory clinched the second straight undisputed league title for Bonita and was their fourth consecutive Smudge Pot victory over San Dimas.
Both teams have had a successful season so far, with Bonita (10-0,5-0 in league) earning the No. 1 seed in the CIF-Southern Section Division IV playoffs while San Dimas (7-3, 3-2 in league) will go in as the league’s number 3 team.
The turning point in the game occurred during the 3rd quarter when San Dimas down by 9 points, had their drive stalled at Bonita’s 3 yard line. On second-and-2, fullback Juan Donoso was tackled by Bonita’s Josh Carrillo and fumbled. The Saints recovered, but lost a yard. On third down quarterback Ryan Repp was sacked by Ryan Tolan for a 4 yard loss. On fourth down, Manuel Espinoza blocked a 25-yard field goal attempt by Scott Ehret. stemming the only momentum San Dimas managed all night.
During the game, Bonita’s Senior Quarterback Shaun Abkarian threw for 199 yards and two touchdowns including a 65 yard to Zach Bussey in the first quarter. Later in the third quarter Abkarian completed an 81 yard touchdown to Ricardo Stewarto to put Bonita up 16-0. Stewart received the short pass near Bonita’s sideline, weaved across the field past several San Dimas defenders, then stiff-armed the Saints cornerback Eric Ingram at the Saints 20 yard line on the way to the score.
Clarke said the game would’ve been different if the Saints would have punched it in on their one chance. We score there, it’s a 9-7 ball- game,” he said. “You can’t give Bonita. with their athletes, any kinds of breaks.”
Bonita was victorious despite playing an undisciplined game, committing 14 penalties for 172 yards including seven for late hits or unsportsmanlike conduct. “They played a tight first half, but eventually we had too many weapons.” Bonita coach Larry Hatley said. “We’re just more physical throughout the game.”
A scare happened to San Dimas after the game, when Jeff Runnells collapsed in the north end zone. Runnells, who lost consciousness after suffering a concussion in the game, was taken to Pomona Valley Medical Center after receiving medical treatment for almost half an hour on the field. Coach Ted Clarke said Runnels was conscious and answering questions while a hospital spokesman said Runnells would remain overnight to be evaluated.
“We looked at him at halftime”, Clarke said. I looked in his eyes and he looked fine. He’s a tough kid, a very good kid and a very good linebacker. Your kids are always more important than anything.
CIF Southern Section Division IX Semifinal: Bonita Vs San Dimas
For the first time in each school’s history, interdistrict rivals Bonita and San Dimas met in a CIF playoff game. Before an estimated crowd of 4,500 at Citrus College, Bonita defeated San Dimas 41-7. The Southern Section Division IV semifinal victory, placed Bonita (13-0) into the title game against Brea Olinda on Friday, December 10,1999.
“To be here, at 13-0, four years later, that’s a tremendous accomplishment,” Bonita Coach Larry Hatley said. “It shows you what kind of kids we have here. They believe in themselves and they’ve got that killer instinct now. They’re going to be tough to beat.”
San Dimas had a strong season (9-4) shutting out five opponents during the regular season and only gave up 16 points in the first two rounds of CIF. To be defeated twice by rival Bonita so soundly over the last 4 weeks was especially painful for the Saint’s faithful fans. On November 12, Bonita defeated the host Saints, 30-0.
“Obviously, you try to attack weaknesses,” San Dimas Coach Ted Clarke said. “That’s tough to do with them. They have so many strengths.”
Varsity Bearcats
Bonita Varsity Team
For the first time since 1969 our football team qualified for CIF finals. From the beginning of the season everyone held high expectations for our Bearcats, which added a great deal of pressure for the program as a whole to succeed. Finishing league with an undefeated record, there were four games to go for the Bearcats to complete their perfect season. With 3:06 left on the clock in the Championship game our powerful Bearcats had finally worn down the opposing team, Brea Olinda, by completing a 35 yard play to secure the victory!. This season gave Bonita their first Championship title since 1945. This 1999 team also earned the title of State Champions due to their impressive season record of 14-0.
Echoes, 2000
Big-play Bearcats roll on Bonita routs Trojans, 57-21
Maybe a case of the nerves isn’t all bad. It would be hard to blame Bonita High for having some pre-game jitters Friday night in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division IX playoffs. After all, the Bearcats 3 entered the contest against Irvine’s University High as the top-ranked team in the division. Those nerves were certainly evident at the start of the contest as University put together a three-play, 73-yard touchdown drive to open the game.
Needing to respond, the Bearcats did so in the form of 50 unanswered points on the way to a 57-21 rout of the Trojans at Glenn Davis Stadium. Bonita will meet Troy, a 28-7 winner over Savanna, in the Division IX quarterfinals. A coin toss will decide who is to host the game. I think we were overly aggressive at the start.” said Bonita head coach Larry Hatley “We weren’t doing our individual jobs. We knew we could wear them out if we did so. The process began quickly with DeAndre Belin running all over would-be Trojan tacklers. Berlin had already rushed for 200 yards with more than six minutes left in the second quarter.
Belin started with a 79-yard burst on Bonita’s second play from scrimmage, setting up a 15-yard touchdown pass from Shaun Abkarian to Damien Randles, tying the game at 7-7. A Zach Bussey 30-yard field goal gave Bonita a 10-7 lead and then the Bearcats got big play after big play. Josh Carrillo blocked a Trojan punt and David Rodriguez recovered the ball in the end zone for a 17-7 Bonita lead. A 76 yard touchdown run by Belin was filled by an even more impressive run from the junior tailback.
With the ball at the University 45, Belin took the handoff and was stood up in the back- field by a host of Trojans. In- stead of going down Belin shrugged off one tackler after another, and when all were gone, headed down the sideline for a touchdown. Ricardo Stewart joined the big play group with a dazzling 74-yard punt return for a score as the Bearcats opened up a 36-7 lead. Belin rushed for 275 yards and three touchdowns.
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Varsity Saints
Front: Greg Chico, Kevin Deal, Kyle Meriam, Anthony Nelson, Fumihide Itokazu, Chris Ward, Teddy Repp, Daniel Persyian, Reggie Morrison.
Row 2: Daniel Thornton, Nate Antunez, Ryan Repp, Joe Castro, Eli Smalley, Curtis Chen, Mike Truman, Anthony DeLaRocha, Matt Dominguez.
Row 3: Trainers Lisa Horn, Patty Gonzales, Chanel Wright, Assistant Coaches Creg Sochuster, Brian Murphy, Jeremy Topete, Coach Ted Clarke, Assistant Coaches Rick Martin, Mike Goodwin, Anthony Fernandez, Brian Sosnovsky, Trainers Jill Tunstall, Shannon Graef, Kristine Henson.
Row 4: Eric Ingram, Juan Donoso, Bart Marshall, Erik Gomeztrejo, Chris Greenwade, Curtis Brown, Nick Ortiz, Joey Prestella, Cory Haygood.
Back : Brian Hochenedel, Scott Heaton, Joey Mason, Jay Smith, Jeff Runnells, Chris Webb, Larry Bonomo, Cameron Nazemzadeh, Robert Santiago.
Intense Defense
“We have accomplished a lot this year and have had an outstanding season,” said senior Hide Itokazu. The Saints proved that they were not a mediocre team as they made it past the first round of playoffs, and to the CIF semifinals. Although they lost the Smudge Pot and the semi- final games to Bonita, they still accomplished a lot. “We knew that we could beat them, but we had too many mistakes, ” said running back and corner senior Eric Ingram. Many things contributed to the team’s success. “Our defensive line is one of the best in the league and has gotten lots of recognition,” said Hide. “Without Coach Martin showing us what to do and making us practice over and over again, we wouldn’t have been as strong as we were, ” said corner and tight end senior Brian Hochenedel. “Practices were hard but they really paid off because they made us a better team, ” said sophomore quarterback Ryan Repp. Players had study sheets and were tested before games on which plays to run against an opponent’s formation. “Everyone on the team gets along really well, and when we are out on the field we can anticipate what each other is going to do, so it makes it much easier, ” said Brian. “Friendship, team unity and coaching have made this a good season, ” said senior Cory Haygood.
— Aekta Patel
El Santo, 1999
Saints Vs Garden Grove
Clarke ordered the right combination Friday night when the Saints traveled to Garden Grove In the opening round of the CIF. Southern Section Division, IX playoffs, Sprinkle a little offense with a standout defense, then shake and bake for two hours. The blue-plate special came out perfect in the form of a 24-7 victory over the Argonauts (7-4). The victory also marked San Dims’ first playoff victory in 15 years “It was a huge win for the program, Clarke said. “It’s the first time in 15 years we’ve won a playoff game. That’s huge for the program and the kids. The Saints (8-3) advanced to play fourth-seeded Valencia, a 23-15 winner over Corona del Mar next Friday The home team will be determined by coin flip. A short passing game worked in the first half to give the Saints a 14-7 lead. Clarke then chose to run the ball at a tired Argonauts defense in the second Half “(Garden Grove’s) a real agressive group, Clarke said “We had to have a short Passing game to counter their blitzing.” The Saints’ defense held Garden Grove to 49 yards rushing and 97 yards passing. The Saints set the tone early. On the game’s second play from scrimmage, linebacker Jeff Runnells, who just returned from a concussion in the week’s game against Bonita, scored a touchdown on a 40- yard interception return. “(Runnells) was ready to play today,” Clarke said. “He just got cleared by the doctor. We didn’t know if he would be. He’s just the heart and soul of our defense “I was scared coming out (to play)” Runnells said. I was afraid I’d hit my head “But after that interception, I didn’t worry about it again.” San Dimas running back Eric Ingram led the offense with nine Carrie’s for 38 yards including a 12 yard touchdown run. He also caught a 58 yard TD pass.
Saints find a way to win
by Larry Hinton
There are several ways to win a football game, other than chewing up yardage by running up and down the field. San Dimas High School found another way Friday night when the Saints played host to Valencia in the CIF-Southern Section Division IX quarterfinals.
Two field goals by kicker Scott Ehret and a 75-yard punt return by Daniel Thornton was just enough to carry the Saints past Valencia, 12-9. “Our kids are a great bunch,” San Dimas coach Ted Clarke said. They believe in themselves and are really overachieving San Dimas (9-3) will now await rival Bonita, a 35-22 winner over Troy, next Friday. The home team is determined by coin flip. Leading 9-7, Ehret notched his second field goal of the game, this time from 36 yards, with 7:34 to play to put San Dimas ahead, 12-7. The Saints then held on, stopping the Tigers on three consecutive possessions. On the first series, Valencia drove 36 yards to the San Dimas 33 before Tigers quarterback Brian Bartczark threw four in completions.
The Saints took over downs, but got nowhere and punted back to the Tigers, who took over on the 21.Valencia drove to the 49 before the Saints’ defense once again stopped it, this time on fourth-down interception by safety Matt Dominguez with 1:45 to play. Matters grew precarious for San Dims when Saints quarterback Ryan Repp attempted to run out the clock by kneeling down 5 yards back on each of the next few plays. Repp soon found his team on the 25, fourth and-23, and called time out. But San Dimas didn’t have any timeouts left. “I knew we didn’t have any left,” Clark said. “I was trying to tell (Repp) to slow down. But I talk so much with my hands, he misunderstood. I thought it was going to be like the Michigan incident in basketball.”
But no penalty ensued. With 18 seconds left, Dominguez lined up to punt. But he turned and ran the ball out of the end zone for a safety to get the Saints out of trouble.
Valencia took the free kick after the two points at the 42. But Dominguez intercepted the second of two desperation passes to end the game. Both teams sported standout defenses that shit down the other’s offense. San Dimas managed just 20 yards rushing, after counting the minutes-39 yards for Repp on sacks and kneel downs. Valencia (9-3) rushed for 93 yards. The Saints took a 30 lead in the second quarter when Ehret, who earlier missed a 37-yard at- tempt, kicked a 41-yard field goal after Bartczak fumbled and Saints lineman Joey Mason recovered at the Tigers 27. With 3:26 to go in the half, Thornton fielded a punt at the 25, got numerous blocks, then sprinted down the left sideline giving the Saints a 9-0 lead.
Smudge Pot Quotes
"Bonita held the Saints to 14 yards total offense in a 30-0 shutout that clinched the Bearcats' second consecutive undisputed league title."
Gabe Lacques | San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Staff Writer, 1999
