Football:
Smudge Pot Rivalry Preview:
Bonita and Steve Bogan have won five consecutive games over San Dimas and Mark Holman.
And they’ve done so by a combined margin of 140-66.
That streak began in 2018 when Bogan took over the reins at BHS.
Four years ago, the Bearcats and Saints were denied an opportunity to butt heads because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This Friday night, the San Dimas football program and its high-powered running game hopes to quell the five-game slide.
The kickoff is set for 7:30 at Citrus College.
San Dimas is 2-0 and they’re coming off a week-two bye.
Thus far, SDHS has a pair of dominant victories over Pacific League programs.
In Week Zero, the Saints secured a 49-14 victory at Burbank.
One Friday later, the boys in blue destroyed Pasadena, 49-0, at SDHS.
In two wins, San Dimas has rushed for 686 yards, or 343 per game.
SDHS has three running backs with north of 100 yards rushing.
Caleb Morquecho (29 carries for 249 yards & 4 TD’s) and Julian Vigil (11 carries for 193 yards & 1 TD) have combined for 442 yards and five TD’s.
The Saints quarterback, Brandon Meredith, has completed 12-of-15 for 291 yards.
Meredith has tossed a pair of TD passes and one interception.
Vigil leads the Saints in catches (6) and receiving yards (148).
He’s reeled in one of Meredith’s two SDHS passing TD’s, and Morquecho has the other.
Bonita relies more on its passing game and quarterback, Travis Lippert.
The BHS junior has completed 37-of-53 for 602 yards.
Lippert has a 70-percent completion ratio, he’s tossed eight TD passes and just one interception.
Lippert’s top three targets have been Dylan Robinson (9 catches for 165 yards & 4 TD’s), Noah Mikhail (9 for 165) and Joseph Lara, who has five catches for 87 yards and three scores.
Lara, a sophomore, has also anchored the Bearcats ground game.
He leads BHS in carries (50) and rushing yards (152) and Lara has one TD.
Daiveon Woodley (12 carries for 96 yards & 1 TD) and Drew Apodaca (17 carries for 66 yards and 1 TD) have also done their share for the boys in green.
While San Dimas doesn’t post their defensive stats, linebackers Noah Mikhail and Cole Parra and free safety Jacob Maddox have teamed up to lead Bonita in tackles through the first three games of the 2024 season.
Mikhail led all SGV area players in 2023 with 166 tackles.
In recent years, Bogan has added APU coaching legend Bo Beatty, and the Bonita duo has served harmoniously as co-head coaches.
Mark Pasquarella, who led the Glendora and Alta Loma football programs, is also on board to make up one of the deepest southern section coaching staffs in high school football.
Good luck to Bonita and San Dimas for what we all hope is a good and injury-free game for both sides.
Things to know: The game starts at 7:30, you can purchase tickets on Gofan.co, and they’re charging $5 for parking.
By the Numbers:
Records: B (3-0); SD (2-0)
Points Scored: B (111); SD (98)
Points Allowed: B (41); SD (14)
Combined Record of Opponents: B (1-7); SD (1-4)
Total Offense Per Game: B (324); SD (488)
Average Margin of Victory: B (37-13); SD (49-7)
Passing Yards Per Game: B (200); SD (146)
Passing TD’s: B (8); SD (2)
Rushing Yards Per Game: B (123); SD (343)
Rushing TD’s: B (3); SD (6)
Current Smudge Pot Streak: Bonita has won last five games (didn’t play in 2020)
MaxPreps State Ranking: B (95); SD (249)
Individual Stat Leaders:
** The following stats came directly from the MaxPreps page of both BHS and SDHS.
Quarterbacks:
Travis Lippert (B): 37-of-53 for 602 yards, 70-percent completions, 8 TD’s & 1 INT
Brandon Meredith (SD): 12-of-15 for 291 yards, 80-percent completions, 2 TD’s & 1 INT
Running Backs:
Caleb Morquecho (SD): 29 carries for 249 yards & 4 TD’s
Julian Vigil (SD): 11 carries for 193 yards & 1 TD
Joseph Lara (B): 30 carries for 152 yards & 1 TD
Tristan Fierro (SD): 11 carries for 130 yards
Daiveon Woodley (B): 12 carries for 96 yards & 1 TD
Drew Apodaca (B): 17 carries for 66 yards and 1 TD
Receivers:
Dylan Robinson (B): 9 catches for 165 yards & 4 TD’s
Julian Vigil (SD): 6 catches for 148 yards & 1 TD
Noah Mikhail (B): 9 catches for 165 yards
Joseph Lara (B): 5 catches for 87 yards & 3 TD’s
Cole Parra (B): 5 catches for 79 yards & 1 TD
Tristan Fierro (SD): 1 catch for 45 yards
Jeremiah Gibson-Fernandez (SD): 1 catch for 45 yards
2024 Schedule/Results:
Week 0: Bonita 28, Muir 7; San Dimas 49, Burbank 14
Week 1: Bonita 35, Ontario Christian 27; San Dimas 49, Pasadena 0
Week 2: Bonita 49, Grand Terrace 7; San Dimas Had Bye
Week 3: Bonita vs San Dimas at Citrus College
Recent Smudge Pot Scores:
2023: Bonita 28, SDHS 0
2022: Bonita 21, SDHS 13
2021: Bonita 28, SDHS 14
2020: (No Game. COVID)
2019: Bonita 35, SDHS 25
2018: Bonita 28, SDHS 14
2017: SDHS 19, Bonita 8
2016: SDHS 42, Bonita 14
2015: Bonita 28, SDHS 7
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