San Dimas: 21 – Bonita: 13
OCTOBER 9, 2009 7:00 PM AT SAN DIMAS
With the San Dimas Saints led by coach Bill Zernickow and the Bonita Bearcats led by coach Eric Podley, the two teams gathered to compete for the annual Smudge pot. The first quarter was intense, as both teams had scored a touchdown and PAT, placing the score at a tie of 7-7! The Bearcats broke the tie during the second quarter, scoring a touchdown but missed the point after kick, placing the score at 13-7! The third and final quarter was advantageous for the Saints, scoring two ambitious touchdowns, placing the final score at 21-13, retaining the Smudge pot!
Senior Ryan Kohler scored 3 touchdowns and rushed for 105 yards helping the Saints defeat the Bearcats. Ryan would later help the Saints win the the 2009 CIF championship. He was also named to the All CIF 1st Team. Ryan was named the 2010 athlete of the year at San Dimas High.
Smudge pot football game raises money for charity
They may be rivals on the field, but they aren’t rivals when it comes to a good cause. Bonita and San Dimas high schools turned their annual Smudge pot rivalry game into a fundraiser.
The schools raised $2,000 more than last year for a total of $6,758.90. The money was donated to Special Operation Warrior Foundation, which offers scholarships, support and family services for individuals affected by the wounding or death of special operations personnel.
After fundraising for a week, both teams met at Michelangelo’s in San Dimas to celebrate.
Varsity Bearcats
Giamani Johnson, Deron Holmes, Casey Horine, Cody Sykes, K.C. Huth, Andrew Rocha, Grant Wharton, Greg Spathias, Matt Gelaich, Garrett Pendelton, Cameron Salce, Evan Highley, Jabre Milion, Josh Yepez, Derrick McCanless, Garrett Horine, Wiliam Malloy, Chase Wikinson, D’corey Baines, Kyle Moderow, Matt Migdat, Zach Braumgard, Seth Balentine, Eric Mikity, Chris McNinch, Robert Moss, Andrew Quintero, Tyer Loughman, Eric Pereyra, Daniel Harriman, Nicholas Pichotta, Adam Ferreras, Davia Marquez, Justin Serrano, Cody McKenzie, Andres Padila, Tyler Cortez, Charles Helton, Parker Avila, Alec Broussard, Tyler Trudeau, Tarez Lemmons, Brandon Odle, Daniel Redruello, Kylan Haynes, Sammy Bellomo, Carl Attman, Joe Romero, Tim Barton, Vince Bellomo, Kenneth Calvin, Toy Lemmons, Erik Levay, Sean Kroah, Kevin Flickenger
“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.
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Varsity Saints
Tre Evans, Gabe Ojeda, Stefan Munoz, Devon Johnston, Alex Colasuonno, Joel Celaya, Andrew Espinoza, Andrew Montoya, Alec Zenner, Damon Carreon, Gabe Jimenez, Brandon Gentry, Ryan Kohler, Sean Donnelly, Justin Rudio, Adrian Guerra, Jesse Ojeda, Allen Brown, Darrick Sullivan, Billy Ly, David Gleason, Brian Hilpert, Clinton King, Wallace Donald, Greg Metoyer, Thomas Reid, Dillon Corona, Jordan Taylor, Jacob Napoli, Christian Morgan, Lucas Darling, Shawn Kennedy, Kevin Kolbeck, Tyler Sissons, Max Paronelli, Damarquis Lawson, Nathan Torres, Devon Palmer, Emilio Zertuche, William Anguiano, Chris Miller, Theo Darlington, Mike Mcmillian, Juston Winrow, Jake Barbosa, Angel Gonzales
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,
Smudge Pot Quotes
"You watch these freshmen come in, and they're tripping over their own feet watching them grow on the field and in the classroom, it's great"
Dr. Bill Brinegar | BUSD Director of Human Resources
