Bearcats Don’t Survive Friday 13th on Homecoming Night, Walnut Wins 30-15

Bonita's Deron Holmes takes a pitch from Garrett Pendleton.

Friday the 13th proved unlucky for the Bearcats as they fell to the Walnut Mustangs, 30-15, ruining Bonita’s homecoming and final tune-up before the CIF playoffs.

Early in the first quarter, it appeared Bonita was its usual hustling, hard-hitting self. After Walnut marched from its own 25-yard line to Bonita’s 20-yard line in its opening series, Bonita’s Erik Le Vay broke through and blocked the Mustangs’ 37-yard field goal attempt. Both teams would exchange punts, and the first quarter was history.

The second period was a far different story, however. After Walnut recovered a Bonita fumble at the 43-yard line, the Mustangs drove 57 yards for a touchdown capped by a 4-yard plunge into the end zone by Leonard Rhodes, who played like a colossus all night.

Bonita responded with a nice series of its own, aided by a couple of nifty receptions from Josh Yepez, before the drive finally stalled on the Walnut 26-yard, setting up a 43-yard field goal attempt. Highley’s boot fell just short.

Walnut used the momentum swing to mount another long march before electing to kick a 23-yard field goal with 1:37 remaining in the first half. Down 10-0, it appeared Bonita was set to go into the locker room to regroup at half.

Evan Highley tried to give Bonita a lift with his punting.

However, with Pendleton connecting on long downfield strikes to Codey Sykes and Highley, the Bearcats marched the ball to Walnut’s 13-yard line and were poised to score. That’s when Rhodes stepped in front of a Pendleton pass, returning it for an 87-yard touchdown reception.

With Walnut leading 17-0 at the half, the Bonita faithful turned its attention to homecoming festivities and the coronation of a new queen.

After the intermission, Walnut was in no mood to play the accommodating homecoming guest. After Bonita failed to move the ball in its first possession of the second half, Walnut’s Darian Lindsey returned a punt for a 45-yard touchdown, expanding Walnut’s lead to 24-0.

Bonita finally got on the board with 1:48 left in the third quarter, with Pendleton and Andrew Rocha hooking up for a 19-yard touchdown pass.

Bonita was still hanging  around, and after the Bearcats’ Tyler Cortez recovered a Walnut fumble, it looked as if Bonita was preparing one more dramatic comeback, as it has often done this season. But in an instant, while the word comeback was still curling on the lips of players and fans, Bonita gave the ball right back on another fumble to end the third quarter.

The crowning of a new homecoming queen made the crowd all but forget Bonita's flat performance on the football field.

The princess and the proud parent

In the fourth, Walnut tacked on two more field goals and Bonita punched in a touchdown on a one-yard run by Deron Holmes to make the score 30-15. Bonita’s touchdwon drive was boosted by a 24-yard completion from Pendleton to Matt Gelalich, taking the ball to the one-yard line.

Bonita may have played ugly for a night, which happens to all teams during the long, unpredictable football season, but the homecoming court was a thing of beauty.

And in one of those strange fates of football, it’s Bonita that’s headed to the playoffs while Walnut is heading home.

On a night he was sacked and hurried repeatedly, Bonita’s Pendleton threw for 165 yards on 17 of 25 completions, with one touchdown and two interceptions. Bonita’s defense yielded 187 yards passing and 124 yards rushing.