FRANKLIN LOAN CENTER GAME OF THE WEEK: Bearcats Master the Condors, 51-6

Band of Bonita Brothers! Fabulous photos by Eric Davis.

When you see perfection you know it – a Picasso painting, a toe-dancing Muhammad Ali in his prime, an Eric Podley game plan. Bonita used the latter to clip the California Condors 51-6 in the opening round of the CIF playoffs at Glenn Davis Stadium on Friday night.

At one point in the game, Bonita scored on eight straight possessions, putting points on the board faster than Eva Longoria could file for divorce from the Spurs’ Tony Parker after learning of his texting indiscretions. From start to finish, Podley was pulling all the right strings, mixing in runs, screens, bombs, gadget plays, some wildcat, some hurry-up, some shovel passes, you name it. He and his heralded staff emptied the kitchen sink in this one.

Uncharacteristically, Bonita went four-and-out in its first offensive series. KC Huth had to punt while the Bonita faithful was still settling into its seats. Any trepidation that the Bearcats were in for a long night, however, was quickly erased when linebacker Nick Berghoudian recovered a Condor fumble at California’s 48-yard-line. Bonita quarterback Garrett Pendleton immediately went to work, connecting on passes to Garrett Horine and Grant Wharton before hooking up with Austin Venegas on an 8-yard touchdown pass. After the Brandt Davis extra point, Bonita led 7-0.

The Jello Is Jiggling as Matt Gelalich leaps into the end zone for a 32-yard touchdown reception.

After some fine defensive work from Cameron Griffith, Mason Ruiz, Horine and a quarterback sack by Huth, Bonita got the ball back on its own 24-yard-line. Three plays later, Bonita was in the end zone, courtesy of two monster plays. On second-and-nine from the 25, Pendleton threw a lateral pass to Greg Spathias, who found a leaping Giomani Johnson down the right sideline for a 43-yard completion to the 32. Then Pendleton threw a 32-yard touchdown pass to Matt Gelalich, who dove into the end zone to put Bonita up, 13-0. The two-point try failed.

Meanwhile, on defense, Justin Serrano, Daniel Harriman and the ubiquitous Huth were leading the charge, giving Bonita the ball back on its 6-yard line. Not a problem. Mixing in passes to Zach Brungard, Gelalich and Austin Venegas and a run by Reggie Turner, Bonita drove the ball out to Cal’s 47-yard line. Then Podley went to his ever-expanding bag of tricks. On a reverse from Pendleton to Turner to Huth, Huth slung the ball downfield to a wide-open Horine who sprinted into the end zone. Bonita led 19-0 with 1:30 left in the first quarter.

Up, Up and Away: Bonita's Giovani Johnson leaps high to snare a big-gainer from Greg Spathias.

If Bearcat fans had any thoughts of heading for the exits to buy their Thanksgiving turkeys early while the markets were still open, that changed in a hurry after Cal quarterback Drew Castro connected on a 48-yard touchdown pass to Maximo Gonzales to cut Bonita’s lead to 19-6. Harriman blocked the extra-point try. Top Bonita receiver Gelalich also dislocated a thumb and was through for the night. Top linebacker Eric Mikity was also banged up.

As it has all season, Bonita went right back on the attack, marching 80 yards despite a couple of holding penalties. On third and goal from the 16, Pendleton found Horine, who shook a tackler before racing into the end zone to extend Bonita’s lead to 25-6. After a successful two-point pass conversion to Brungard, Bonita pushed the margin to 27-6.

In its next offensive series, Bonita went to the long ball again. Looking like Tom Brady in the pocket, sidestepping several would-be tacklers, Pendleton threw a 51-yard touchdown strike to Venegas. After the Davis extra point, Bonita led 34-6.

At the half, Bonita had totaled 299 passing yards. Pendleton was 15 of 20 passing for 209 yards.

A little half-time music to lighten the soul.

The football team's performance was enough to make the band break into a dance.

Cal received the ball to start the second half, but the Condors had no answer for Bonita’s stifling defense. The Bearcats took over on its own 44. A big-gainer on a screen pass to Johnson took the ball to the Condors’ 24, but Bonita couldn’t punch it in, instead having to settle for a 34-yard field goal from the sure-footed Davis to extend the score to 37-6.

After Bonita held the Condors again, the Bearcats took possession on its own 47. Podley handed control of the game to Spathias, who quickly took the Bearcats to Cal’s 30 before handing off to Turner, who knifed and carved his way up the middle of the field for a nifty 30-yard rushing touchdown. After the extra point, Bonita led 44-6.

Into the fourth quarter, Bonita still had fuel in the tank, with Turner again finding pay dirt on a 6-yard scamper to give the Bearcats half a hundred. The Davis extra point expanded the lead to 51-6. A light mist began falling, but the drizzle couldn’t mar this magnum opus.

Brungard is back.

Podley, however, troubled by a bad back to the point he was using a walker to stalk the sidelines, wasn’t quite as effusive in his praise.

“I think we advanced our quest for a national record for penalties this year quite well,” Podley said, knowing that such infractions could spell the difference between winning and losing as the competition stiffens deeper into the playoffs. Bonita was flagged for repeated holds, personal fouls and procedure penalties that will need cleaning up. Each member of the offensive line, Podley said, had been cited for holding.

The passing game, however, appears to sharper than ever. “Having Zach Brungard back really helps, and I think it really showed tonight,” he said. “He strengthens our entire receiving corps.”

Garrett Horine scored two touchdowns.

At 10-1, Podley believes the team is better today than it was at the beginning of the season when it was smashing cross-town rivals San Dimas (41-20) and Claremont (42-20). “I think were still improving,” Podley said. “We’ve still got plenty of room to improve, particularly in our discipline. You can’t win big games and have as many penalties as we had tonight. We got to get better in that area real quick or it’s going to be fatal to us.”

Bonita now hits the road against upset-minded John Muir High School in Pasadena. Muir is on a six-game tear, including a 54-0 trouncing of Hoover, a 63-6 drubbing over Pasadena High School in the Turkey Tussle at the famed Rose Bowl and its most recent victory, a 33-14 playoff win, over La Mirada.

“I know Muir has a lot of speed,” said Podley. “I coached out there before. I won a CIF championship there when we there. So I know a little bit about the community. I know the kind of athletes they have and I know it’s going to be a formidable task. We can’t play with the lack of discipline that we had tonight and expect to beat a good team like that.”

Picasso and Ali, I’m sure, had their flaws, faults, and foibles, too. But a masterpiece is still a masterpiece.

About the only setback suffered by the Bearcats was losing the opening coin flip.

When called upon, Mr. Reliable, Brandt Davis, is ready, kicking this one through for three points.

Johnson eyes an opening.

Celebration of the horns!

Justin Serrano on a mission.

Play it, Lindsey Kunisaki.

It's a given that you'll find Johnson and Eric Mikity somewhere in the pile.

Mikity and Nick Pichotta play a little quarterback crunch.

Garrett Pendleton looks over the defense.

For Pendleton, it was bombs away.

Following through with another great performance.

Reggie "Touchdown" Turner added a couple more TDs.

It's rare when anyone corrals the elusive Cameron Salce.

For only $7, Bonita fans are getting a bargain the way the Bearcats are playing.

Austin Venegas tumbles into the end zone.

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Again, our thanks to the great photographs provided by La Verne’s extraordinary artist and photographer Eric Davis.