FRANKLIN LOAN CENTER GAME OF THE WEEK: Bonita Plays Imperfectly in Perfect Season, Blank Baldwin Park, 29-0

Bonita's offensive line provided great protection for quarterback Greg Spathias and punter K.C. Huth.

The score never completely tells the whole story.

Despite Bonita scoring four touchdowns, a field goal and a couple of extra points while also shutting down their opponent three times inside the red zone to defeat Baldwin Park, 29-0, the person whose opinion of the Bearcats’ performance counts most wasn’t happy.

“Our third-down completion rate was okay, but every other down we were a little shaky,” said Bonita head coach Eric Podley. “We didn’t have many drives, we did not control the ball and we did not control the clock. All the things we seek to do, we didn’t accomplish.

“We made plays, when we had to, which is a good thing,” he added “The defense came up with a couple of scores, which is a good thing, but we need to get a whole lot better to compete in the second half of the season.”

In fact, the Bearcats’ offense, which had been averaging 32 points heading into Friday night’s contest in Baldwin Park, came up empty in the first quarter. Meanwhile, the Braves marched down to Bonita’s 6-yard-line in their opening drive before Bonita’s big-play defense led by K.C. Huth, Eric Mikity, Cody McKenzie and Daniel Harriman pushed Baldwin Park back to the 35-yard-line before Bonita took over on downs.

In its first full offensive series of the second quarter, Bonita finally got untracked, scoring on a four-play drive highlighted by a 41-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Greg Spathias to Garrett Horine. Setting up the big play was a clutch third-down 7-yard completion from Spathias to Austin Venegas.

Eric Mikity, Blake Corrigan and Justin Serrano played inspired defense.

Midway through the period, Baldwin Park was on the move again, taking the ball down to Bonita’s 10-yard-line, benefitting from two 15-yard penalties. Then on third and goal from the 7, Horine came up from his safety spot to cause a fumble that teammate Zach Brungard recovered on the 2-yard-line.

Pinned deep its own territory, Bonita couldn’t do much offensively, but a good punt by Huth, forcing Baldwin Park to Bonita’s 44, gave the Bearcats some breathing room, and after the defense held yet again, Bonita took over at its own 25 with time for one last place before the half. Looking over the middle, Spathias found Brungard, who raced down the right sideline before he was knocked out of bounds at the 1-yard-line by Demetrius Jackson as time expired. The play would have been called back on a clipping call, but the Braves turned down the penalty and the play stood.

With the ball to start the second half, Bonita came out passing. After a couple of drops by receivers, Spathias hooked up with Giomani Johnson on a long screen pass down to the Braves’ 32-yard line. Then after a completion to Horine to the 19, and then another dropped pass and a quarterback keeper to the 15, Spathias found Brungard in the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown reception.

Huth's punts helped improve Bonita's field position several times throughout the game.

Despite trailing 14-0, Baldwin Park again appeared ready to get back in the game. Taking over on its 38 after the kick-off return, the Braves moved the ball to Bonita’s 14 before self-destructing. Bonita’s defense bent but it didn’t break, getting key tackles from Nick Berghoudian, Ben Cisneros and Mikity. Baldwin Park quarterback Mario Rodriguez almost got the Braves on the scoreboard, but his pass to Jackson in the end zone was just off the flashy receiver’s fingertips.

Baldwin Park set up for a 31-yard-field goal, but Mikity blocked the attempt. In the scramble for the loose ball, Huth scooped it up and headed for end zone before he was tackled and fumbled. However, Matt Gelalich, who was trailing the play like a basketball player running the court as his teammate goes up for a layup, picked up the fumble without breaking stride and raced the rest of the way into the end zone, credited with a 79-yard return. Bonita’s try for two failed, but still it led 20-0.

Later in the game, it appeared Baldwin Park might break through offensively when Jamal Johnson stepped in front of a pass intended for Gelalich, giving the Braves the football at its own 42. But on the very next play, Toure McCulley intercepted a Rodriguez pass and ran it back down the right sideline for a 55-yard touchdown return to give Bonita a 26-0 lead.

“Toure McCulley got his first real varsity playing time tonight,” Podley said. “He stepped up and did a good job.”

Podley was happy to welcome back a healthy Tarez Lemmons, one of the team's standout offensive line specialists.

After McCulley’s touchdown, Bonita’s defense held again, but when punt returner Cameron Salce fumbled after being bumped by a teammate, Baldwin Park retained possession at the Bearcats’ 40. After a run took the ball down to Bonita’s 26, Horine intercepted to stop the threat and give Bonita the ball on its own 18.

Finally, Bonita put together its longest scoring drive of the night, featuring completions to Devin Fasana, Salce, Cameron Griffith and Grant Wharton. The Braves, however, stopped Bonita and Giomani Johnson on third and two, so Podley called in the field goal unit for a 17-yard field goal attempt. Brandt Davis kicked it through and Bonita closed out the scoring 29-0.

While happy to get the shutout, Podley was already looking ahead to league play.

Cameron Griffith, No. 2, and his teammates Vince Bellomo, No. 79, and Sean Kroah, know the team is far from perfect in what so far has been a perfect season.

“We get a bye, which is extremely important to us so we can get some guys healed up,” Podley said, looking more relieved than victorious. “(Nick) Pichotta was out all night. Pendleton (the pre-season starter at quarterback), he’s going to come in and practice hard.”

In the pre-season, Bonita went 4-0, outscoring its opponents 125-52. Moreover, the team learned it can with Spathias at the controls. Will Spathias remain at the helm or will it be Pendleton, who was a team captain and the team’s scheduled starter before he went out with injury.

Winning creates its own set of problems. Spathias or Pendleton? Pendleton or Spathias?

“We have two weeks of practice,” Podley said, “so they’ll battle it out.”

Let the regular season begin.