BONITA: 14 – SAN DIMAS: 0
September 24, 1982 at Bonita High School
The 1982 Smudge Pot game kicked off, making it the 11th game played between Bonita and San Dimas. Going into this game, the current Smudge Pot game count between the two schools was 7-3 with San Dimas leading. A strong defensive effort by Bonita, enabled the Bearcats to take home the Smudge pot trophy with14-0 shutout win.
Bonita Coach Dan Castanon, who was participating in his first Smudge Pot game, and San Dimas Coach Don Warhurst seemed very concerned before the game with regards to the crowd. Both the coaches seemed to be worried about the emotions that come along with the buildup of the Smudge Pot game, leading to thoughts about how it could affect the outcome. Rumors had been circulating at the time that this might be the last Smudge Pot game between Bonita and San Dimas, most likely due to the aforementioned reactions by the crowd to previous games. To intensify those rumors, it had been confirmed that San Dimas and Bonita would be put in different leagues the following year.
Although both coaches expected fierce competition at this Smudge Pot, it was noted that Coach Don Warhurst was tasked with rebuilding the San Dimas team, as they had lost 13 starters due to graduation and four of the new starters happened to be sophomores. Not only that, but their starter QB Paul Miller suffered a hand injury in a prior game.
With that, the game had begun with Bonita taking control of the game from the beginning. Come the second quarter, Bonita QB Jeff Hall scrambled for a 67 yard touchdown that was called back on an unsportsmanlike penalty because he raised his fist in celebration as he ran down the sideline. The ball was moved back to the San Dimas 41 yard line where a timeout was called by Bonita’s coach.
Coach Castanon reportedly told his team during the timeout that Bonita “[doesn’t] play football that way and to just take it to them and play Bonita football.” The next play saw tailback Q.J. Arnold run 41 yards for a touchdown. In the fourth quarter on a second and seven from the Saints’ 19, QB Jeff Hall ran to his left and then lofted a pass to his tight end, Jon Coulson for a touchdown.
Bonita’s defense was led by linebacker Darryl Dean who batted down a Paul Duenas pass and sacked him for loss of 16 yards. Later in the game, Steve Hillary sacked the San Dimas quarterback for a 7 yard loss which helped preserve the shutout.
The Bonita Bearcats had overpowered the San Dimas Saints, both defensively and offensively from the start of the game, resulting in a total of 206 yards produced by Bonita compared to the Saints’ 94 yards. Arnold rushed for 82 yards on 14 carries and fullback Frank Castiglione added 65 yards on 10 carries for the Bearcats. The Saints were only able to gain 32 total yards on 14 plays form the scrimmage in the second half. With that overwhelming win, the rookie coach Dan Castanon achieved his first Smudge pot victory for the Bearcats.
Varsity Bearcats
Front: #62 Steve Hillary #51 Eric Lotz #21 Craig Nagengast k #40 Mike Whitney #44 Q.J. Arnold #84 Jeff Lemieux #42 Scott Gruwett #30 Sean Caro
Row 2: #25 Jim Johnson #1 Jeff Hall #99 Andy Findy #33 Art Arias #32 Daryl Dean #23 Frank Castiglione #7 David Emon #53 Ralph Barwig #3 John Haynes
Row 3: #71 Mike Hamparsomian #22 Jeff Thomas #81 Gary Deal #43 David Garcia #26 Gary Allison #82 Eddie Zertuche #10 Eric Parkson #50 Tim Baker #75 Gregg Wrust #83 Jim Pastorini
Row 4: #85 David Barndt #54 Paul Eastman #34 Ron McJunkin #41 Charlie Burton #62 Brad Irish #12 Lance Davies #60 Danny Dean #61 Eric Ritner #72 Francisco Iberra
Row 5: Louis Arias Coach Dan Castanon #73 Jeff Smith David Henry #8 Russel Albert #55 Henry Giano #74 John Marquez #80 John Coulson #77 Ron Palmer Coach Brad Davies
The 1982 season was full of hard work. The Bearcats, in most cases, proved to have the desire to win, with a 5-5 record and 3-3 in the league, the Bearcats did a good job. The whole team worked very hard over the summer under the direction of Coach Castanon. The team tried to create a feeling of unity by cutting their hair short over the summer. They worked long hours over the summer and at night during the season to prepare themselves for the games. They should be commended for the hard work they did and congratulated on the fine job they did.
-Echoes, 1983
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Varsity Saints
Front: Eddie Piercy, Dwayne overly, Bob Napoli, Jim Bob Spallino.
Row 2 Jerald Farrell, Glen Morris, Robert Gonzalez, Tom Morrison, Eric Leavitt, Sam Gonzalez, Joe Ewens,Darin Merry, Derrick Ewing, Scott Casamassa.
Row 3: Ron Macias, David Hill, Ernie Price, Doug Steele, Mark Wood, Anthony Criscione, Paul Alvitre, Steve Dorsey, Rodd Horton, Lincoln Oro, Aki, Davis, Rob Sweat.
Row 4: Paul Duenas, Stan Strickland, Aaron Monroe,Tim Lilley, Bob DeVee, Cary Cerbasi, Paul Miller, David Price, Bill Wuertz, Kirt Turner,Shane Monson, Billy Lee, Paul Davis, Dennis Watspn, Mike Mcknight.
Despite the large number of young players (there were only 10 seniors), the Varsity team had high hopes at the beginning of the season. However, after winning three of their first five games, they dropped four of the last five to finish 4-6, 3-4 in the Montview League. Three of the losses came by a total of only five points. Inconsistency and injuries plagued the Saints all season. Five starters missed a total of 15 games due to injuries. When the team did play to its potential, though, it was tough. Senior linebacker Tom Morrison led a defense that shut out three opponents. On offense, senior receiver Sam Gonzalez paced the team with seven touchdowns. The line was anchored by Tom Morrison who opened holes for senior running backs Eric Leavitt, Glenn Morris, and Aaron Monroe. Seven players were rewarded for their fine efforts by being selected to the all-Montview League team. First team players included: linebacker Tom Morrison, receiver Sammy Gonzalez, and juniors Pall Miller, defensive end, and Tom Lilley, offensive tackle. Named to the second team were senior linebacker Eric Leavitt, center Tom Morrison, cornerback Sam Gonzalez and tight end Paul Miller. Honorable mention awards went to guard Robert Gonzalez and punter Anthony Crisione.
