BONITA: 27 – SAN DIMAS: 0
Friday, November 6, 1998
Bonita was able to keep the Smudge Pot trophy with an overwhelming 27-0 victory over the Saints. With this win, Bonita has retained the trophy for three straight years. Along with the annual rivalry game between the schools, this game was also important for the Bearcats since the Valle Vista League lead title was on the line. (With a win against Covina, the following week, Bonita would win the league title)
Bonita started off the game with a strong defense that was able to keep the Saints from scoring. The Saints were only able to achieve seven first downs and were limited to 7 yards rushing on 18 carries. Though they did not score any touchdowns, most of the first quarter was spent in Bonita’s half of the field. San Dimas coach Ted Clarke stated that it would have been a “whole different ball game” if they had been able to score early in the game. Saint Quarterback Jesse Anderson was under pressure all night completing 8 or 21 passes for 86 yards.
Along with a tough defense from the Bearcats, the offense was centered around running back De Andre Belin who rushed for 128 yards and scored three touchdowns. Belin scored on runs of 1,3 and 7 yards and also dominated from his defensive end position. In addition to his running game, Belin was able to sack San Dimas quarterback Anderson three times. “He (Belin) just played a phenomenal game,” Hatley said. “He’s phenomenal; he busted his hump all week in practice and it really paid off tonight on both sides of the ball. He’s just a terrific kid.”
“I thought our kids played excellent football,” Bonita coach Larry Hatley said. “There was a lot riding on this game. The kids went out and played a lot better than we imagined.” Bonita also got strong running from Chris Capello (103 yards and a touchdown) and Bryan Segal (7 carries for 71 yards). Head Coach Larry Hatley stated that our runners were supported by an “incredible” offensive line, led by tackles Alan Erving and Brian Dunlup, that were able to do a “great job at dominating” the game.
Starting off from kick-off, Bonita drove 65 yards down the field with Bonita Quarterback Brett Johnson connecting on a 30 yard pass to Riccardo Stewart to the 1 yard line. Belin would score a couple of plays later. The Saints forced two turnovers on Bonita (an interception by Tedris Williams and a fumble recovery by Roosevelt Hackett), but they could not convert them into points.
Even with the loss, San Dimas Ted Clarke is happy with his players growth. “We’re a year ahead of where we thought we’d be.” Clarke said. “Our gal was to make the CIF playoffs and we are still in position to get there.”
By halftime, the Bearcats had a 15-0 lead over the Saints, with Belin scoring another touchdown along with a 21-yard field goal by Daniel Lender in the second quarter. Finishing up the game, with another Belin 7-yard touchdown after a 52-yard drive.
Teams |
Q 1 |
Q 2 |
Q 3 |
Q 4 |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Dimas | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bonita | 6 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 27 |
| Bonita: Belin 1 yard Touch down run (Failed Extra Point run) | Bonita: Belin 3 yard run (Failed Extra Point run) , Field Goal by Linder from 21 yards | Bonita: Capella 4 yard run (Failed Extra Point Kick) | Bonita: Belin 7 yard run (Extra Point Blocked) |
Varsity Bearcats
Front Row: Brent Huigens, Damien Randles, B.J. Neal, David Schmidt, Chris Cappello, Nick Nogales, Martin Rico, Brett Cervantes, Devin Robinson, Ricardo Stewart,
Row2: Brian Reza, Lawrence Wright, Steve Gustin, De Andre Belin, Rick Rivera, Ronnie Alarcio, Josh Carrillo, Mike Shardein, Eric Arellano, Dan Linder,
Row 3: Tinku Juneja, Trainer Palmer Draine, Coach Steve Robles, Coach Mike Mo- lina, Coach Alan Cosas, Coach Leroy Johnson, Head Coach Larry Hatley, Coach Alex Roy, Coach Jeff Rudy, Coach Keith Richardson, Sherman Mclaurin,
Row4: Alan Erving, Joe Martin, Geoff Kruetzer, Carson Anderson, Jeff Carmack, Brett Johnson, Matt Mears, Shaun Abkarian, Steve Morris, Brian Dunlap, (Back Row): Bryan Segal, Kevin McGuigan, Ryan Tolan, David Musa, Manuel Espinoza, Steve Page, Ricky Hawkins, Mike Tutt, James Stansauk, Zach Bussey.
It’s About Time?
For the first time in over twenty years, the Bonita Bearcat Varsity Football team went all the way to league finals by becoming the number one team in the Valle Vista League. After a 35-6 win against Azusa, the Bearcats miraculously continued winning their games with only one loss during the entire season. How did they do it? According to Varsity player Damien Randles, “The people on the team work well together. We had a lot of great players this year and each of us contributed a lot to the team. Plus, we were disciplined and practiced a lot more this year than any other year. We worked our butts off at practice and it payed off.” It sure did. Good work, guys!
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Varsity Saints
Front: Micah Miller, Fumihide Itokazu, Anthony Barragan, Wil Flores, Teddy Repp, Chris Ward, Joseph Castro, Jonathan Page, Greg Chico, trainer Danielle Spahr.
Row 2: Daniel Persian, Michael Thurman, Curtis Chen, Devin Housh, Adam Samples, Anthony Delarocha, Paolo Achio, Brandon Andersen, Eric Ortiz, Craig McDonald, Nate Antunez.
Row 3: trainer Michelle Spaulding, Coach Mike Goodwin, Coach Rick Martin, Coach Anthony Fernandez, Coach Jeremy Topete, Coach Ted Clark, Armando Mancinas, Matt Dominguez, Chris Greenwade, Coach Hector Bellman, Coach Don Androadi, Coach Brian Murphy, Coach Tim Alley, Heather Eide.
Row 4: Trainer Kristine Henson, Mike Spaulding, Danny Mason, Kirk Yee, Erik Gomeztrejo, Jeff Runnells, Ali Jivanjee, David Parrilla, Danny Thornton, Eric Ingram, Juan Donoso, Tom Blank, trainer Jill Tunstall.
Row 5: Cory Haygood, Joey Prestella, Chris Webb, Matt Hunnicutt, Ryan Purnell, Bryan McDonald, Shannon Murphy, Jay Smith, Jonathan Perez, Scott Heaton. Back: Brian Hochenedel, Jesse Anderson, Tedric Williams, Jordan Nichols, James McCullion, Russell Kyle, DJ Hackett, Roosevelt Hackett, Joey Mason, Robert Santiago.
On the ball “I thought we were going to be good, but I wasn’t expecting to do what we accomplished,” said senior Shannon Murphy. Despite the loss of the Smudge Pot, they still made it to the first level of CIF. Practices were long and hard, but it didn’t keep them from playing their best. “It’s almost like you need to play football after you start it becomes a habit or routine; if you stop playing you feel wrong, .” said senior Brandon Andersen who played for three years. Coaches held practices Monday through Thurs- day from 3:00 to 6:00 pm, and morning practices on Saturdays in which players conditioned and went over defensive and offensive plays. On Thursday or Friday game days the team spent a lot of time before the game having defensive and offensive meetings, and then they headed to the field house for the team meal where they would indulge in sandwiches, salad or pasta. Players felt very close to one another: “The team is like a second family to me,” said junior Danny Thornton. The excitement of the games seemed to draw in more fans. “I started going to more games because we were winning, ” said junior Elise Ambrosini.
— Erin Burrie, El Santo ’99
- At the line of scrimmage senior Jonathan Perez is set to hike the ball to senior Jesse Anderson, as junior Joey Prestella, and senior Ryan Purnell prepare to block.
- At Citrus College, sophomore Chris Webb and junior Juan Donoso take down the Gladstone opponent.
Smudge Pot Quotes
""I thought our kids played excellent football," "There was a lot riding on this game. The kids went out and played a lot better than we imagined.""
Larry Hatley | Bonita coach
