Smudgepot 2009

“Every time a football player goes to play, he’s got to play from the ground up — from the soles of his feet right up to his head. But more importantly, he’s got to play with his heart, with every, fiber of his body”

Season Summary and CIF

Character and heart are a team’s most valuable assets…

This year, the Bearcats faced one of their most challenging seasons yet. They began the season with a rough start, but quickly came back and showed the school they were not about to give up. They took third place in league, and made it to the first round of CIF, where they faced South Hills. The Bearcats surprised everyone and played their greatest game all season, losing 28-21 in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.

Smudge Pot Game and Fundraiser

On October 9, 2009, fans packed into the San Dimas stadium for the 38th annual Smudge pot Game. Bonita came out with a bang, scoring on their first offensive drive. They remained strong through out the half, and went into half time leading 13-7. Bonita came back in the second half and made a few mistakes, which caused the Saints to take the lead 21-13 and win the game. Hopefully next year the Bearcats can find their element and bring home the Smudge pot.

For the past few years, Bonita and San Dimas have competed to raise money to support the Special Operations Warrior foundation, a group that supports children of severely injured or deceased parents of the armed services. Of each ticket sold, 1$ was donated to the charity. This year, Bonita raised more than $3,500 as a team. At the end of the game, both teams had raised over $5000.

2009 Season Summary

Varsity Football had an excellent and amazing season. Even though we had one of the smallest teams in years, we met with great success. The San Dimas Saints took League with only one loss in the entire season, leading our school to victory. The varsity football players finished the regular season as Valle Vista League champs, and continued their incredible winning streak as they marched on to a history- making CIF win.

Smudge Pot Game: Our House our game. Their blood, their pain

This is the third consecutive year that San Dimas has beaten Bonita High School in the annual Smudgepot game. Since the very first smudgepot game, San Dimas has won many more times overall than Bonita. Adding to that record, San Dimas won with a final score of 21-13 this year. Saints anticipated a win by doing activities to get the school excited for the intense game to come. It was evident that the students of San Dimas supported our football players and all their hard work because they weren’t afraid to show their school spirit with custom made shirts, painted faces, and a willingness to participate in the daily events. The dance team and band excelled at giving the crowd an entertaining half-time show with vibrant 70’s costumes as well as cheer joining in the performance. The victory over Bonita added to the students’ pride of being a San Dimas Saint.

By Aja Orozco and Stephanie Schroeder, El Santo ‘10

Saints Defense Rises Up

In 2009, a renewed emphasis on sound defense by new defensive coordinator, Brian Mustain, made a difference in Saints Championship run.

Robledo, Fred. “Prep Football: San Dimas Defense Rises Up.” Press Telegram, Press Telegram, 8 Oct. 2009.

For the first time in San Dims High School history, the varsity football team not only made it to CIF playoffs, but won the championship! The football team worked tirelessly to achieve this honor. Coach Zernickow pushed his players to their highest potential so that the CIF championship would belong to the Saints. The game itself was filled with excitement and anxious Saints filled the stands to support their team in the torrential rain. In the end, the San Dimas Football team was victorious. SD’s first football championship will always be cherished and remembered.

2009 CIF-SS Mid-Valley Division Champions

Saturday, December 12, 2009

San Dimas after only winning it’s fourth league title in school history secured it’s first CIF-SS Mid-Valley Division Championships against Monrovia with a 12-7 victory on Saturday night. The number 2 rated San Dimas  (13-1) defeated the number 1 ranked Monrovia (13-2) and avenged it’s 19 point loss against the Wildcats on September 25th.

“We worked our butt off for it,” San Dimas coach Bill Zernickow said. “We knew what was at stake and we learned a lot from the first game.” It was a rain soaked game that didn’t let up until the late in the fourth quarter, preventing San Dimas from executing a passing game. Instead, Ryan Kohler led a San Dimas ground game that totaled 317 yards. The lone touchdown by San Dimas was completed by Junior Jordan Taylor who had 63 yards on 4 carries. His touchdown with 26 seconds left in the half gave San Dimas a 10-0 lead.

In the opening possession of the game, San Dimas drove 50 yards in 11 plays but a dropped pass in the end zone forced the Saints to settle for a 35-yard Dillon Corona field goal.

Monrovia would not be able to score a touchdown until 4:17 left in the game. The game was secured by San Dimas with a sack by Justin Winrow with just 36 seconds left in the game.  Winlow also ended Monrovia’s final attempt at a comeback when he recovered the ensuing onside kick.

“Nobody said it could be done,” Zernickow said. “They had a big monkey on their backs. I don’t know how that played into it, but I’m proud of our kids, how they executed the game plan.”

Fowler, Clay. “CIF Football Playoffs: San Dimas Beats Monrovia for First Title, 12-7.” Pasadena Star News, Pasadena Star News, 29 Aug. 2017,