FRANKLIN LOAN CENTER GAME OF THE WEEK: West Covina Races to 55-21 Win Over Bonita

Garrett Horine climbs the ladder to haul in a long gainer from Garrett Pendleton. All photos courtesy of Eric "Sharpshooter" Davis

The West Covina Bulldogs turned their home stadium into their personal drag strip on Friday, racing, blasting and speeding around and through the Bonita Bearcats and not stopping until clocking in with a convincing 55-21 victory.

Yet it was a close game up until the fading seconds of the first half. Bonita was trailing 21-13 but on the march. That’s when West Covina’s Anthony Molina stepped in front of a Garrett Pendleton pass intended for Devin Fasana at the Bulldogs’ 8-yard-line and raced untouched 92 yards down the left sideline to give the Bulldogs a 27-13 lead.

“As I counted, I think four times down there in the red zone that we didn’t execute well, and you can’t do that and win the championship, not against the No. 1 team in the division,” said Bonita head coach Eric Podley. “We didn’t play our best game, without question. They are a very, very good team. You can’t make mistakes against good teams.”

Giomani Johnson gets Bonita on the board early.

After trading touchdowns early, Bonita took over on its 34-yard line and drove to the Bulldogs 5-yard-line, the big play coming on a 50-yard hookup between Pendleton and Austin Venegas. Only a desperation tackle kept Venegas from scoring. But Bonita couldn’t punch it in and had to settle for a 21-yard field goal from Brandt Davis for a 10-7 lead early in the second quarter.

On the ensuing kickoff, West Covina’s Molina ran the ball back for an electrifying 84-yard touchdown return to give the Bulldogs a 14-10 lead after the extra point.

Trench warfare.

Bonita tried to match strides on its kick-off return. The Bearcats’ Matt Gelalich received the kick-off and bolted up the field and but for a shoestring tackle by West Covina’s Gus Vilchis would have gone all the way. Instead Gelalich’s return set Bonita up at the Bulldogs’ 22-yard-line. But again Bonita misfired, having to settle for a Davis field goal that left Bonita trailing 14-13.

In their next series, West Covina executed to perfection. After picking up a pair of first downs, Chris Soloman raced around the right end for a 57-yard touchdown to give the Bulldogs a 21-13 lead after the extra point. 

On the kick-off, Bonita’s Cameron Salce delivered another great kick-off return for Bonita, bringing the ball back to West Covina’s 45-yard line. And again, but for one key tackle, Salce might have taking it all the way. From there, Bonita sputtered before giving the ball back to West Covina. Bonita’s defense delivered its best series of the night giving the Bearcats offense more chance to put points on the board before the half. The team drove the ball to the 8 before Molina’s back-breaking interception just before the half.

Pendleton strikes.

In the second half, it was all Bulldogs. On their opening series, they drove the ball 80-yards capped by Solomon’s 20-yard gallop into the end zone. On Bonita’s first set, it drove the ball 30-yard before punting. Taking over on its own 33, West Covina marched 67 yards, highlighted by B.J. Lee’s 23-yard touchdown run to build the Bulldogs’ lead to 41-13.

However, with Bonita’s quick-strike attack, the Bearcats all season have shown they never out of any game. Taking over on the Bearcats 25-yard-line, Pendleton starting finding his receivers, completing key passes to Garrett Horine and Venegas. Bonita drove the ball to West Covina’s 10-yard line before a false start and sack moved Bonita back to its 21. On third and goal from the 21, West Covina’s Jimmy Frazier intercepted Pendleton in the end zone to end yet another Bonita threat.

West Covina seemed to come up with all the big plays, including at least three touchdown-saving tackles, and Bonita didn’t. Bonita had given up just three sacks the entire season and surrendered six against West Covina alone.

Bonita faithful remain hopeful.

“When you get a loss like this, it’s not one guy screwing up, there’s everybody screwing, coaches included,” Podley said. “When you get 55 points scored on you, there’s pretty much every mistake you can make we managed somewhere and sometime to do it.”

West Covina’s Solomon did much of the damage himself, scoring four touchdowns, rushing for 190 yards and adding a 98-yard kick off return to close out the scoring.

Few teams remain perfect the whole season as Bonita was attempting to do. Even the great Texas pitcher Cliff Lee loses occasionally.

In the zone.

“We have to come back and rebuild and get started again for next week,” Podley said.

Next week, Bonita (7-1, 3-1 in league)  faces Rowland Heights at home.

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