The 1990’s

The 1990s saw each school win 5 games. While in the early and mid 90’s both teams struggled to find wins in league, the Smudge Pot game was always closely fought. For many players, it was the Smudge Pot game that kept them motivated. Saint’s Coach Dean Bennet won 5 straight Smudge Pot games (tying a Saint record) through the late 80’s and early 90s while Bonita Coach Larry Hatley won 4 straight Smudge Pots in the decade.

San Dimas’ best seasons in the 90’s were in 1990 (7-3, round 1 CIF), 1998 (8-3, round 2 CIF), and 1999 (9-4, round 3 CIF).  In the 1990 game, the Saints defeated the Bearcats 34-8 behind the strong running game of  Matt Harding (218 yards on 11 carries) and Dominic Woods (168 yards on 21 carries). A wet, rainy night left much suspense for the Smudge Pot game of 1993, which ultimately led to a 19-0 Saints’ victory. The slippery field led to several fumbles on Bonita’s side, leaving them scoreless for the game. The Saints dominated the game, recovering the ball several times. Saint Kevin Pedrola carried the ball 22 times for 136 yards and a touchdown while teammate Wess Carson, playing in his final varsity game, rushed for 100 yards on 13 carries. This win also happened to be the Saints first and only win for the football season.

From 1996 to 2002, Bonita would set a record and string together 7 straight wins. Bonita won the Smudge Pot game for the first time in 5 years in 1994, defeating San Dimas 31 – 6. This ended San Dimas Head Coach Dean Bennett’s record (to that point) run of victories from 1989-1993. It was second year Bonita Head Coach, Dan Harden’s first Smudge Pot Victory. “From what I know, it’s been a long time coming,” Harden said. “I’ve taught at both schools so I knew how much this game means to each side. We had a good week of practice and the kids worked hard to get this one.” Bearcat Quarterback Mark Rivera threw a 37 yard touchdown to Kory Bussey in the second quarter. Bussey scored all 10 points for Bonita in the first quarter. Nathan Ransom broke through on a 70 yard touchdown run before the end of the half.

Bonita’s best season was in 1999 when they went 9-1 and won their first CIF title since 1945. On their way to the title, they beat San Dimas twice, 33-0 in the Smudge Pot and also a few weeks later 41-7 in the CIF Division IV Semifinal game. For the fourth time in Bearcat history, Bonita won the CIF championship with a 24-14 victory over Brea Olinda. Up until the final quarter, it looked as if the Brea Wildcats would win 14-10. After Bonita’s running back DeAndre Belin scored his second touchdown of the night, Bonita took the lead 17-14. The final score was secured with a 35 yard touchdown from Belin.

Game Spotlight

In 1999, the Bearcats and the Saints met for the first time in a CIF playoff game.