Photos by Alex Veliz & stats by Shaun Kelley
Football:
And that’s why they play the game.
Heading into Thursday’s nonleague contest at La Salle, the Bonita High School football program was riding pretty high.
The Bearcats had rebounded from a week-zero loss to Monrovia (36-35) in OT by trouncing Mater Academy, 38-6, in a Saturday morning game in Las Vegas.
And they were facing a La Salle team that was 0-2, and the Lancers would not have the services of their starting quarterback, David Mysza, because of an ankle injury.
Fear not, though, because Will Clougherty, the younger brother of former St. Francis and Muir quarterback Jack Clougherty, was ready and able to lead the Lancers into battle.
Clougherty didn’t put up mind-boggling numbers, but he did his share and then some in La Salle’s 30-22 victory over their visitors from Bonita.
The outcome didn’t surprise the Lancers coaches or players, but it had the SGV area football fanbase abuzz, as most expected a comfortable Bearcats’ victory.
Bonita scored first on a 1-yard TD run by Cole Parra.
Clougherty, who went 12 of 14 for 95 yards, connected with Drew Ward on an 11-yard TD pass midway through the first quarter to tie the game at 7-7.
After Jack Seibert returned a Daniel Andrade pass for a pick-six and a 14-7 first-quarter lead, the Lancers would not trail the rest of the way.
Clougherty also rushed for 54 yards and had a 5-yard TD run to give La Salle a comfortable 24-7 third-quarter advantage.
Andrade threw for just over 200 yards, including two TD passes and the BHS senior was intercepted twice.
Among his two scores included a 15-yard TD pass to Noah Mikhail.
Anthony Balurdi scored on a 15-yard TD run for La Salle.
Connor Spina led the Bearcats ground game with 80 yards rushing.
Up next: La Salle will host Rosemead on Friday.
And Bonita meets up with San Dimas on Saturday night at Citrus College.
Quotable:
La Salle coach, Ben Buys: “I could not be more proud of our guys and how they played. They deserve all the credit for coming out hungry and playing every snap with passion. They showed what can happen when a team loves each other and is committed to putting it on the line for their teammates. Will Clougherty was amazing. He took the team on his back and played with confidence. He only had two days to practice at QB and he made the most of it. Will led with joy and passion. He made everyone around him play better tonight.”
Box Score:
B: 7-0-0-15-(22)
LS: 14-3-7-6-(30)
Records: Bonita (1-2); La Salle (1-2)
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