FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: Arcadia Band Wasn’t Playing Bonita’s Tune — Great New Photos!

Griffin ended his Bonita football career in style, rushing for a bruising 160 yards. All extraordinary photos by Eric Davis.

They were relentless and precise, marching up and down the field at will. Not one blown assignment all night long. Their uniforms were spotless, too. They came at Bonita in waves, as impressive a sight on a football field that’s been seen in the San Gabriel Valley this year.

And we’re just talking about the Arcadia Marching Band and Color Guard. The school’s football team was pretty good, too, easily defeating Bonita 39-13, on a night — outside of Cameron Griffin’s 160 rushing yards and Toure McCulley exciting kick-off returns – the Bearcats could do little right.

On a night that they needed to show a balanced attack to have any chance of competing against the talented Apaches, the Bearcats totaled just 35 passing yards.

The game didn’t start well for the Bearcats and it did not end well.

Toure McCulley was unstoppable on the kick-offs.

On its opening series, Arcadia marched to Bonita’s 30-yard line before turning the ball over to Bonita on a fumble. The Bearcats didn’t know what to do with the gift. After a couple of running plays, Aaron Burkett was picked off and Arcadia was back in business at Bonita’s 48. Eight plays later, the Apaches were in the end zone, capped by Jake Medel’s 4-yard run. The extra point try failed.

On the ensuing kick-off, McCulley reeled off a 66-yard return to give Bonita the ball on the Apache’s 34-yard line. But again the Bearcats came up empty. After making one first down and taking the ball down to the 16 behind sophomore signal caller Tanner Diebold who had replace Burkett, Bonita suffered a procedure penalty and a sack. Unable to complete a fourth and 15 pass, Bonitahanded the ball over to the Apaches once again.

Benefiting from a roughing the passer call, Arcadia strung together another long drive before Nick Puliciano punched through a 26-yard field goal that gave the Apaches a 9-0 lead.

Sean Kroah, No. 68, and Nick Pichota, No. 53, stuck their noses on the football all night.

Then Bonita flashed the brilliance that fans saw during the team’s four-game winning streak. Starting on their own 30, Bonita strung together a 9-play, 70-yard touchdown drive featuring the Bearcats hard-running combo of Griffin and Reggie Turner. The ninth play was a 27-yard touchdown gallop by Turner, pulling Bonita with two points of the lead after Brandt Davis’s extra point.

The Apaches counter-punched with a 54-yard touchdown drive, capped by a 14-yard play-action scoring strike from quarterback Myles Carr to Alex McElwee in the back of the end zone.

Bonita got the ball for two more series in the half, but could do little with it. Unfortunately, the Apaches did. With 19 seconds left, Carr went back to work before hooking up with Robbie Hanes for a 12-yard touchdown completion. The Apaches took a commanding 23-7 lead into the locker room.

A resilient team all year long, Bonita got the ball to start the second half and needed only four plays to find the end zone. Again it was the rushing tandem of Turner and Griffin, before Griffin popped lose for a five-yard touchdown run to make the score 23-13 after the Brandt extra point.

Bonita fans sniffed a Bearcats comeback. Indeed, they had seen it many times before this season. After the Apaches marched to Bonita’s 20, the Bearcats held. But instead of another drive down the field, the Bearcats went three and out.

On the first play from scrimmage on Bonita’s 47, Medley broke free and found the end zone with 4:57 left in the third quarter, extending the Apaches’ lead to 30-13.

How many times this season did Bonita fans see Garrett Horine deliver a punishing hit?

The score also broke any last momentum Bonita could muster. The Apaches added a safety when the Bonita snapper-punter exchange sailed out of the end zone. Carr added another 1-yard touchdown run to seal the victory, using the kind of cement that was used to put away Jimmy Hoffa.

A downcast Eric Podley said his Bearcats couldn’t overcome the frequent penalties and long-yardage situations they were constantly battling.

“That’s a good team over there,” Podley said. “We needed to bring our ‘A’ game, and we didn’t. It was a disappointing night.”

Podley learned late Thursday that his big tight end Ryan Ramirez wouldn’t suit up. His presence impacts Bonita’s defense, as well as its running and passing games. “That made it a little hard to plan around,” Podley said.

But mostly, Bonita was its own worst enemy. “The number of penalties and stupid mistakes we had. Not having the right personnel on the field. Taking too much time. Those kinds of penalties at this point in the season are inexcusable. Lack of discipline.

“ You can’t big games that way.”

A solid season ended badly for Bonita. But it will end badly for all but one team. That why they call it the playoffs.

Bonita finished the season 6-5. And the Bearcats still own that Smudge Pot!

Rodeo Jewelers in La Verne has a great jewelry sale on all Thanksgiving Week. See LaVerneOnline article and video for more information.

Nick Todorovich, No. 8, all 6-2, 220 pounds, is expected back next year to help Bonita.

 

 

There goes Griffin again.

If the Oregon Ducks had Brandt Davis kicking for them, they might have defeated USC last night.

The mighty Bearcat knows it's a jungle out there.

Spencer Hoff stood tall and returns next season to help Bonita.

As good as both teams were, the band ... all 400 members ... stole the show.

Apache quarterback Myles Carr was an elusive target.

Reggie Turner turns it upfield.

It was a scrum on defense, with strong safety Dennis Parker in the thick of the action.

Bonita's football season was upended in the first round of the CIF playoffs.

Horine looks for racing room.

Podley again led his team to the playoffs after stringing together four straight late-season wins.

Team captains Cameron Griffin, Aaron Burgett, Nick Pichota and Garrett Horine were a unifying force for Bonita.

Bonita breaks on through to the other side.

There goes Toure again!

There goes Horine, showing a little shake and bake.