Bonita Frosh Tames the Wolfpack, 17-14

Bonita boasts a superior offensive line.

For a split second, everyone in the Bonita stands thought the freshman Bearcats were going to suffer a post- Smudge Pot (Bonita 41, San Dimas, 14) meltdown because on the very first play from scrimmage Claremont tailback Cecil Flemming ran 75 yards for a touchdown, swatting and shucking tacklers like they were flies at a picnic. But, instead of climbing into a hole, the Bearcats started battling back to win a 17-14 nail-biter over the Wolfpack.

After Bonita went three-and-out in its first offensive series of the first quarter, the Bearcats defense stiffened. Dane Hollar, playing in just his first year of organized football for Bonita, charged in from his defensive position to swat a Claremont pass attempt.

Forced to punt, Claremont botched the snap and Bonita recovered on Claremont’s one-foot line. Yet the Bearcats couldn’t capitalize, when they suffered an errant snap of their own, moving the ball back to the 20. The drive stalled from there, until Hollar rescued the team with a 37-yard field goal to cut Claremont’s lead to 7-3.

Coach Chuck Chastain congratulates his team after a hard-fought victory.

Bonita got another break on the ensuing kickoff when it recovered a short kick. Taking over at Claremont’s 25, Bonita drove to the 9-yard-line, then was pushed back to the 11 before Hollar’s field goal missed wide left. After the first quarter of play, Bonita had twice been in the red zone, but had only three points to show for its efforts.

In the second quarter, however, Bonita answered the wake-up call. The Bearcats marched 70 yards, capped by a 41-yard scoring strike from quarterback Tanner Diebold to Thomas Loy down the left sideline to put Bonita ahead 9-7.
Late in the second quarter, Hollar also delivered a huge hit, forcing a fumble at Claremont’s 43-yard line, but the Bearcats’s drive stalled and the team had to be content with its 9-7 half-time lead.

After a solid runback to start the third quarter, Bonita took over on the 50-yard and quickly used the shortened field to its advantage. Diebold led the team down to the Claremont 23 before he hooked up on a 23-yard touchdown pass to A.J. Greco to push the lead to 15-9. Head coach Chuck Chastain elected to go for two points, and Diebold and Brendon Smith made the decision a good one when they paired up for the conversion to give Bonita a 17-7 lead.

To start the fourth quarter, Bonita pinned the Wolfpack on its own 13-yard line after a great punt by Loy. However, on a desperation, fourth-and-four play from Claremont’s own 19-yard line, Bonita let Flemming shake loose to the 37-yard line on a screen play. Then, working with a fresh set of downs, Flemming proved he need only of them as he bulled his way down the right sideline for a 63-yard touchdown run. After the extra point, Claremont trailed 17-14 with ample time left on the clock. Claremont may not have had the lead, but they had the momentum.

Despite getting a great run back by Smith on the ensuing kickoff to give Bonita the ball at Claremont’s 28-yard line, the Bearcats drive stalled again. Both teams punted in their next offensive series. With 4:30 remaining, Claremont once again took over on offense. After producing one first down, the Wolfpack faced second and 15 on the Bonita 49-yard line. As Claremont’s quarterback went back to pass. Loy poured in from the left side, batting the pass up in the air. Also thundering in was Chris Cedeno, who caught the deflection in mid-air before rumbling to Claremont’s 36-yard-line. The interception sealed the win as the Bearcats ran out the final 1:18 on the clock to go up 2-0 on the young season.

“We made a lot of mistakes out there,” said Chastain moments after the game, “but I thought we played physical football. “We just got after it in the third and fourth quarters, and it made the difference. We ate a lot of clock, and we didn’t let their star make plays.”

By the same token, Bonita showed it had several stars. “Thomas (Loy) made a lot of great plays and made a nice touchdown catch,” Chastain said. “Tanner did a great job leading our team. Hollar, he’s a stud. He kicked the field goal to win the game. Collin Davis at right guard just played a heckuva game, just manning people up all day. We were basically wedging behind him the entire game.”

Before the game, LaVerneOnline had an opportunity to sit and chat with Chastain about this year’s freshman team. Last season, Chastain in his seventh year with Bonita and second as head freshman coach, led the team to a 7-3 season.

Success is a good recruiter because this year, the freshman team attracted 70 hopefuls, and the manpower seems already to be making a difference. Last week, the Bonita frosh trounced San Dimas 41-12.

Head Coach Chuck Chastain runs down the rules with the zebras.

Of course, working with 70 players isn’t easy. It will be a while before all the cream rises to the top. “With 70 guys coming out, it’s tough to get reps for everybody,” Chastain added.
 
All the players come with different skill sets and experience levels. “Of the 70 guys I have out, I’d say about a quarter of them have played football before,” Chastain said. “The hardest thing for me at this level is keeping it simple.”

Yet several players, even if they haven’t played before like Dane Holler, are having an early impact. Tanner Diebold has taken the reins at quarterback and appears to be a good one. He’s handing off to two capable running backs, A.J. Greco and Thomas Loy. Everyone on the offensive line weighs 200 pounds or more. Tyler Lott is a wall at 280 pounds and Collin Davis seems to open holes on every play.

“At this point, Davis is probably our best lineman,” Chastain said. “He’s a legacy player. His whole family has been through the program. He’s awesome, physical and good.”

Quarterbacks Tanner Diebold, No. 10, and Joey Halabrin. Don't worry, Diebold had his eyes open when the game started.

On defense, Loy roams the field at middle linebacker, and seems to be everywhere on the green, including serving as the team’s punter. At free safety is Brandon Smith, who the coach is very high on. “No 8, I think he has a chance to be Bonita’s next great safety.

It may be a little early to predict greatness, but at 2-0 Bonita is off to a great start.

Linebacker and running back Thomas Loy also played punter.

 

As safety, Brendon Smith plays centerfield for the Bearcats.

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