Smudgepot 2016

Talk Of The Week

Smudge Pot, a familiar word for students and staff alike on Bonita’s campus. Bonita’s long time hold on the Smudgepot sadly came to a close this year. Despite our unexpected loss, the spirit among all BHS fans is palpable. From the cheering of The Den to the half-time show, the love and sense of community at the game remains unwavering. People could feel the energy on campus the morning of August 26th. Students dressed in their green and white, had bandanas tied around their heads, and even had their faces painted. Smudgepot was the topic of discussion, it was all that anyone could talk about. The chatter around campus could be heard from miles away. Everyone awaited the school day to be over so that they could go get ready for the game. In the afternoon, friends and family start gathering at Citrus College, the warm air starts to chill, as the stands begin to fill. The community and the players are ready to take on the game. Slowly, the stadium starts to fill up with students, staff, parents, and residents of La Verne and San Dimas. The football team can be seen practicing on the field, warming up in preparation for the big game. Right from the beginning it was evident that this game would be tough, but hard fought. After having the smudge pot for three years, Bonita had an overbearing sense of confidence. However, San Dimas was relentless as always. The rivalry gained momentum, even the rivalry posters got bigger and better. The Bonita v. San Dimas vibe had never been stronger. Insane amounts of people show their Bonita High pride. The student section, which is packed to the brim, calls out cheers to pump up the crowd and the players. As the sky goes from blue, to orange, to black, the sound of the band playing music, cheerleaders cheering, and people in the stands laughing and shouting intensifies. With every score made by Bonita, screams erupted throughout the stands. There are inspiring words being passed to team members and Bonita fans. As the game goes on, the scoreboard starts to favor San Dimas. Remarkably, there is little damper of the pride and spirit of Bonita. Despite the score of the game, smiles could be seen, cheers could be heard, and hugs were given. The game was hard fought, and although we may have lost the battle we will always win the war.

Game Summary

Quarterback JP Andrade (Soph.) faces off against Joey Tamayo (Senr.) in the 2016 non-league game “The Smudgepot Game” as per tradition between the two high school football teams, the Bonita Bearcats and the San Dimas Saints.  Along with JP, the Bearcats had two other QB’s in their rotation, Dylan Flores (Senr.) and Jason Schiller (Senr.).  During the game Andrade threw for 115 yards with 11 completions and 21 attempts, coming in at about a 52.4% completion rate, with one passing TD.  Flores threw a single pass for a completion and gain of 3 yards, and Schiller threw 7 for 12 with a 58.3% completion rate with one TD.  On the other hand, San Dimas’ Joey Tamayo threw 4 for 13 with a 30.8% completion rate, throwing for a singular touchdown as well.  With a Saints blowout, beating the Bearcats 42-14, the game was mainly rush-dominated, with San Dimas tallying up a total of 424 rushing yards by the time the game was over, and Bonita only putting up 93 total rushing yards for the whole game.