CENTURY 21 MARTY RODRIGUEZ GAME OF THE WEEK: Curses! Bonita Loses Again, 21-20 — New Photos Just In!

If you are a Bonita fan, the end of the Bonita-La Serna game at Glenn Davis Stadium on Friday left you feeling worse than if you had kissed your sister. The result wanted to make you curse.

With seconds winding down late in the fourth quarter, the Lancers had the ball on about their own 1-foot-line. Situation: If the Bonita defense can stack up the play and throw quarterback Frankie Palmer for a loss, Bonita will win on a safety. Moments earlier, the Bearcats had just missed tackling La Serna’s James Torres in the end zone after he picked off a Tanner Diebold pass and escaped to the 1-yard-line.

The outcome of the game hung on Bonita’s defensive charge. Then the flags went flying. The referees cited La Serna for a procedure violation, which would have backed them up even more, but then, lo and behold, Bonita was flagged 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct. A Bonita player had cursed. It was as if the refs had just invoked new Sunday school rules. No longer pinned against their own goal line, the Lancers ran out the clock,

A clearly exasperated Podley said, “I’ve never seen a game end like that.”

Not that any game comes down to one slip of the tongue. Indeed Bonita had slipped up plenty in the pivotal third quarter after taking a 14-7 half-time lead.

In its second offensive series after the intermission, Diebold fumbled a snap in the shotgun formation, and La Serna recovered on Bonita’s 13-yard-line. Five plays later, Palmer bounced into the end zone on a quarterback keeper and the score was knotted at 14-14.

Austin Venegas made a fingertip grab to haul in this sideline laser from quarterback Tanner Diebold.

In the next series, Bonita moved the ball from its own 34-yard-line to the Lancers’ 31-yard-line before Reggie Turner coughed it up. The Lancers’ Faris Nesheiwat scooped up the loose pigskin and galloped 69 yards for the go-ahead score, 21-14.

Back on offense once again, starting on its own 35, Turner carried for four yards and then Cameron Griffin broke loose down the northern sideline, reeling off a 61-yard touchdown run. Symbolic of the night, Dan Hollar’s extra point try hit the left upright and was no good. Bonita trailed 21-20.

In the fourth and final period, Bonita was plagued by a rash of bizarre calls. In one sequence, La Serna was backed up to its 9-yard-line when Bonita was called for a chop block, giving the Lancer offense room to operate. Another time, Bonita suffered from a no call when a La Serna defender, who never turned around or made any attempt on the ball, practically tackled Garrett Horine as he went up to catch Diebold’s pass. The play would have put Bonita in field goal position to win the game.

To start the game, La Serna marched down the field and scored on a 12-play drive capped by a 1-yard touchdown run by fullback Ryan Cordova.

Bonita responded with three-play, 57-yard touchdown drive. On a third and 12 from its own 41-yard-line, Diebold completed a short pass to Ryan Ramirez and the tight end took it to the house for a 59-yard scoring strike.

Bonita missed a chance to go up 10-7 when it missed a 29-yard field goal attempt, but Seth Balentine put Bonita back in business moments later recovering a fumble at the La Serna 35-yard-line. Two plays later, Diebold completed a 35-yard scoring strike to Horine after Ramirez had tipped the ball. For those keeping score, the ball went from No. 10 to No. 81 to No. 23.

But in the third quarter, La Serna would get the bounces and a few friendly ref calls to prevail 21-20, Bonita finding yet a new way to lose in what is already going down as a bizarre season just three games old.

Bonita suffered a couple of key injuries. Spencer Hoff injured his arm and Thomas Loy, who had a couple of big sacks, injured his leg.

On a positive note, Bonita expects to get kicker Brandt Davis back for its upcoming game against Marshall of Los Angeles.

More positives: Diebold, in just his second game, was 10 of 20 for 148 yards and two touchdown. The potent running tandem of Griffin and Turner ran for 84 yards. The defense also continues to play well.

If the team can just reduce its mistakes and curse a little less, there will nothing to worry about.

Packing up until next week!