Photos by Beth Oualline

Football:

By Brian Reed-Baiotto

Bonita has a chance to secure its first 6-0 start in 14 years when they face Glendora at Citrus College in Friday’s Sierra League opener for both programs.

That year, the Bearcats went 12-2, and that included a trip to the 2010 CIF-SS Southeast Division title game against West Covina.

Through the first half of this season, Bonita has victories over Muir, Ontario Christian, Grand Terrace, San Dimas and Kaiser by a combined margin of 205-48.

Among the 30 football programs within the 210 Prep Sports coverage zone, the Bearcats 31-point average margin of victory is No. 1, just narrowly ahead of Northview and Rio Hondo Prep.

Along with Northview, Duarte, La Canada and Los Osos, BHS is one of our five remaining programs that hasn’t suffered a loss.

They’ve also jumped to No. 69 in the latest MaxPreps state poll.

Noah Mikhail is without question the face of the Bonita High School football program.

And it’s been that way for at least the last two years.

The Texas A&M-bound linebacker hasn’t played as much on the offensive side of the ball as he had in previous years.

But the 6-foot-3 225-pounder, who led the entire SGV with 166 tackles in 2023, has a team-high 51 tackles to go with his two sacks.

That is 22 more than his next closest teammate, Cole Parra, who is having an outstanding senior campaign.

As good as he is, Noah Mikhail would be the first to tell you that Bonita football is so much more than just himself.

Ask any coach, and he/she will tell you that team chemistry and selflessness are the most underrated tenets in a program’s path to a successful or even a championship season.

You won’t see anyone on the sidelines or in the stands wearing a shirt that says ‘Team’ and then the last name of a BHS football player.

The coaches, players and families have made a commitment to one another that it’s all about the program and not just a star player at a consequential or skilled position.

Every player in a green uniform has contributed something to their 5-0 start.

And that includes players like Cole Parra, who has the 29 tackles as mentioned, but also two receiving TD’s, one rushing and a 20-yard fumble recovery for a score.

Perhaps the most dramatic addition to the BHS hierarchy is sophomore, Joseph Lara.

Lara is tied for fourth with Isaiah Lazarus with 23 tackles on defense, as well as two sacks.

Lara has also contributed seven TD’s (five receiving & two rushing).

Lazarus leads the BHS defense with four sacks.

Along with a number of invaluable contributions from the Bearcats roster, perhaps none have shined brighter than quarterback Travis Lippert, and receiver/defensive back, Dylan Robinson.

One’s emergence to stardom could have easily been forecasted a couple of years ago.

But the other was anything but a guarantee.

Robinson and Lippert are different and alike in a number of ways, but they share four important similarities.

And that includes their work ethic, taking pride in their studies, carrying themselves with an unimpeachable character, and both are lucky to have terrific parents and families that show them unconditional love and expect them to prioritize what’s most important in life.

Dylan Robinson is impressive in so many ways.

The BHS senior wide receiver-defensive back is a chiseled 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds with great speed, instincts and hands.

One could easily make the case for Robinson being as complete, talented and consequential as any football player in the SGV.

His stats don’t come close to telling the whole story.

In five games, BHS has three blowout victories.

They’ve defeated Grand Terrace, San Dimas and Kaiser by a margin of 143-14, and that cost Robinson and his fellow starters a massive amount of playing time that would have padded their stats.

Robinson is without question the most explosive player on the field for the Bearcats.

He’s scored a team-high nine TD’s in three different ways.

Robinson leads the BHS receiving corps in receptions (16), receiving yards (391) and TD’s (6).

Of his nine total TD’s, Robinson has a 50-yard strip-and-score, a 75-yard punt return and two 75-yard TD receptions.

On defense, Robinson has 13 tackles and a sack, and his role is to keep an opponent’s best receiver in check.

Robinson’s on-field prowess speaks for itself, but the Bonita captain’s 4.3 GPA is even more impressive.

It’s one of the many reasons that 19 Division 1 college programs were vying for his services.

After a lot of reflection, Robinson chose the University of Washington to further his academic and athletic careers.

Over the last three years, Robinson has totaled 39 catches for 905 yards.

That includes 12 receiving TD’s.

He’s also tallied 88 tackles, one sack and four interceptions.

His mere presence on the field helps every member of the Bonita receiving corps.

The attention an opposing defense has to give Robinson allows his brothers to run more freely in one-on-one coverage.

And man, this kid is having fun.

During his second 75-yard TD reception against San Dimas, Robinson could be seen looking at his teammates and smiling as he sprinted into the east end zone at Citrus College.

His ability to score in any way and anywhere on the field makes him an opposing coach’s nightmare.

His parents, Shelley and Danilo Robinson, are responsible for the kind of student, athlete and young man that Dylan has become.

BHS co-head coach, Bo Beatty, described his three-year varsity contributor this way:

Said Coach Beatty: “His role (over the years) has increased tremendously. Dylan is now a guy we look to showcase. His first season, I was very tough on Dylan. I saw greatness in him, and I didn’t want him to settle for anything less. There were some painful days early on. He stayed the course, got bigger, stronger and learned to challenge himself on every play. He has grown into one of the finest if not the finest athlete around, and he is only getting better. What I love about him is he isn’t one-bit selfish. Dylan loves his teammates and is a beautiful human on and off the field. He has a 4.3 GPA and is a servant-leader on campus. On the field, he is all dawg.”

His quarterback put it simply: “Dylan has a knack for getting open, and he’s very special in the open field. He’s put in a lot of work to play at the level we see each and every Friday night.”

I asked Robinson to answer the following: What age did you start playing football and when did you think you might be pretty good? What’s your role in Bonita’s success? How has your role expanded over the years? What do you admire about your parents, why has Bonita gotten off to a great start, why did you choose Washington, and what makes you proud to be part of the BHS program?

Said Dylan Robinson: “I’ve been playing football since the second grade, and I was always fast, so I thought maybe I could run away from people and be pretty good. My role on the team is to be a threat at any time on offense. On defense, it’s to take away receivers and plays that go to a side. My role has expanded offensively more, where I’m getting more targets and opportunities. While on defense, I’ve been maintaining the same. My parents have guided me throughout my life to become the person I am today. They taught me values and lessons that I carry with me every day. My mom always finds the joy in things and tells me to appreciate the little things in life, and my dad is always there for me, and he’s always pushed me to the best I can be. He also taught me to push through hard times.

Bonita has gotten off to a good start because we play with great energy, and we have an amazing staff that guides and teaches us every day. When it came to choosing Washington, it came down to there being a great coaching staff that values the person over the player. They have great facilities and an environment that I would love to be a part of, and a great scheme that I can fit into. I’m proud of our line the most. They are all young with one exception, and they’ve stood up to the task every game, and they continue to get better and better. The best part about this team is we are a brotherhood. Every time we step on the field, we play as a team, and as one. A teammate that deserves more credit for our success is Joe Lara. He is the most explosive back we have, and he plays the game at a crazy speed. He makes every tackle we need him to, and he’s a threat to score every time he touches the ball.”

Travis Lippert is the perfect example of not judging a book by its cover.

At first glance, Lippert doesn’t have that ‘quarterback body.’

He isn’t 6-foot-3 and lean, and Lippert isn’t fast or overly athletic.

In 2023, the sophomore had just 13 of Bonita’s 302 pass attempts.

He completed 6 of 13 for 56 yards and one TD.

Fast forward to the 2024 season, and it would be fair for one to ask: if two-year holdback freshman quarterback Daniel Mielke hadn’t left for assumingly greener pastures at Ontario Christian High School, how many snaps would Lippert have taken behind center?

Obviously, the answer would be speculative at best.

But it’s for all of the facts listed above that makes Travis Lippert and his story so special.

In his first five starts, Lippert has the best touchdown-to-interception ratio in the entire SGV area.

Lippert has tossed 16 TD’s to just one pick.

His very first pass as the varsity starter was picked by Muir in week zero, but he hasn’t thrown an interception since.

His effectiveness and quality of play has risen each and every week for the undefeated Bearcats.

The help wanted sign being answered by Lippert has been a huge blessing for the program.

How does Travis’ numbers compare to Mielke’s at OCHS?

Well, he has two more team wins, 30 greater passing yards per game, four more TD’s, four less interceptions and a 14-percent better completion ratio than Mielke’s 58 percent.

Lippert’s stats through week-five are the following.

He’s completed 54-of-75 for 1,037 yards.

Lippert and Damien’s Isaiah Arriaza lead SGV area quarterbacks with 16 TD passes apiece.

Although he’s played well throughout, Lippert’s coming out party had to be his effort against rival San Dimas in the Smudge Pot rivalry game.

Lippert completed 12-of-14 for 321 yards and five TD’s in a 47-7 thumping of the Saints.

He tossed a pair of 75-yard TD passes to Dylan Robinson, as well as a 13-yard score to Joseph Lara, an 11-yarder to Jacob Gill and Cole Parra reeled in an 18-yard scoring pass from Lippert.

Just like Robinson, Lippert’s parents, Erin and Kevin have done a tremendous job in raising their son to be a solid young man, a 4.0 student and with the belief that hard work is the only path to success.

Others may have doubted what Lippert was capable of, but none of those opinions came from his coaches or teammates.

In an interesting side note, Lippert and his girlfriend, Tressa Beatty have gone a combined 16-0 for the BHS football and flag football teams.

They’ve also combined for 47 TD passes.

Four-time CIF champion, and BHS co-head coach Steve Bogan described his star junior in depth.

Said Coach Bogan: “The interesting thing, and good thing about Travis, is that he has been making very good decisions since game one. We often talk about four levels of understanding in athletics: cognitive, affective, behavioral, and existential. To be great at their craft, quarterback have to reach that existential level, and in most areas Travis already has. In other words, he operates with a good understanding of the concepts which enables him to adjust when needed. Nevertheless, is he better now than game one? Definitely. He is a great example of Coach Beatty’s “growth mindset focus” for this year … keep getting better every day, in every way … never stop growing.

Travis’s knowledge allows us to continually grow, which is special at the high school level. Our playbook is always part “base” and part “a work in progress” that is unique to our skill set that particular year. Travis’ talent “mix” enables us to continually improve and grow. Travis is simply a genuinely good person. He is also trustworthy and fun to be around. When you add to that a calm “internal” drive to be the best that he can be, and you get a hell of a good football player, who will be a great dad someday. And as far as our team, this year, goes; his humble confidence rubs off on his teammates. That is huge. They sense his “calm confidence,” and it helps our offense to play in a “calm yet intense and cut-loose way.”

I asked Lippert the following questions: What year did you start playing and at what age did you think you could be pretty good? Do people overlook you or take you lightly for not necessarily looking the part? What is your role? What grade would you give yourself through week-five? How have your parents impacted your life?

Said Travis Lippert: “I started playing at 10 and I thought I could be good around 14. Yes, they don’t think I am very athletic or move well. I’d give myself a B+ so far, but there is plenty of room for improvement. My role is to get the ball in my playmakers’ hands on time and on target, and to be a leader on the field. I admire my mom’s patience when it comes to life and my dad’s grit to get through challenges. We have an amazing culture, and all the kids are bought in to bringing home a championship. We’re having success because we are playing together as a family. It is just one big family, and your brothers look out for each other. I think the entire offensive line, Joe Lara and Cole Parra don’t get enough credit for our success.”

Quotable:

Bonita senior Dylan Robinson on Travis Lippert: “Travis has always had that dog mentality. This whole offseason, we have worked and worked and while people doubted him, I never did, because I knew what he was capable of. He is very attentive in practice and gets better every day so that when it comes to the game, he’s just having fun.”

Bonita senior Noah Mikhail on Robinson & Lippert: “”Dylan is a great athlete on both sides of the field for us, and he helps create a lot of opportunities with his abilities. He’s always trying to get better and finds ways to improve. His athletic abilities are something I really respect. Travis has grown a lot as a quarterback the past few years, and he continues to grow confidence within himself and his receivers. I have always thought he was a great quarterback, and he has shown that he is. He also has the ability to makes plays outside the pocket in crunch time. I would say that many think that he is only a pocket passer, which is not wrong, but I also think that he can get the job done outside the pocket on roll outs,”

Bonita senior Cole Parra on Robinson & Lippert: “Dylan provides a lot to the program. Not only is he a great receiver and offensive playmaker, he’s also a lockdown corner that we count on to take away the other team’s No. 1 receiver. He is also a great leader on the team. I respect Dylan’s confidence and mentality that it doesn’t matter who we play or who he lines up against, that we’re going to come out on top no matter what. Dylan not only impressed me with his ability to score from anywhere in the field and lockdown a whole side of the field, but also by doing little things that he doesn’t have to do to help push forward the program. Week by week, Travis has gained much more confidence, which is reflected by his stat lines and plays.

This is the quarterback I’ve always known he is, so I’m not shocked at all by how well he’s leading us, but I can’t say that I expected him to put up this good of performances and stats since his first game as the starter. He has done very well, and he hasn’t reached his full potential yet. Travis threw an interception his very first throw this year, and hasn’t thrown one since, and we’ve also scored on a very high percentage of our drives. I’ve been most impressed on his ability to protect the ball and command our offense to constant scoring drives, something that is very hard to do, especially in your first five games of being a starting quarterback. Coming into this year, most people outside the program thought that Travis was an inexperienced and unready quarterback. He’s been running and learning in this offense for two years though, and has constantly been fighting for reps. He was as ready coming into this season as anyone.”

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Travis Lippert’s Career Stats:
2024: 54 of 75 for 1,037 yards, 16 TD’s & 1 INT
2023: 6 of 13 for 56 yards, 1 TD & 0 INT

Dylan Robinson’s Career Stats:
2024: 16 catches for 391 yards & six TD’s, 13 tackles & one sack
2023: 22 catches for 514 yards & six TD’s; 69 tackles & four picks
2022: one catch for five yards; six tackles

2024 Bonita Scoring:
BHS 27, Muir 7:
B: Dylan Robinson 9 pass from Travis Lippert (Stephen Lenehan kick)
M: Jason Brown 22 fumble recovery (Jacob Hernandez kick)
B: Joseph Lara 19 pass from Travis Lippert (Stephen Lenehan kick)
B: Dylan Robinson 25 pass from Travis Lippert (kick failed)
B: Drew Apodaca 13 run (Stephen Lenehan kick)

BHS 35, Ontario Christian 27:
B: Joseph Lara 24 pass from Travis Lippert (kick good)
O: Ryan Luque 19 pass from Daniel Mielke (kick good)
O: Daniel Mielke 1 run (kick good)
B: Jacob Maddox 90 kickoff return (kick good)
B: Cole Parra 23 pass from Travis Lippert
O: Bryce Thacker 6 pass from Daniel Mielke (kick good)
B: Joseph Lara 34 pass from Travis Lippert (kick good)
B: Dylan Robinson 75 punt return
O: Logan Escoto 12 run (kick blocked)

BHS 49, Grand Terrance 7:
B: Joseph Lara 15 run (Stephen Lenehan kick)
B: Cole Parra 20 fumble recovery (Stephen Lenehan kick)
B: Michael Lee 30 scoop & score (Stephen Lenehan kick)
G: Jayceon Johnson 23 pass to Antonio Patterson (kick good)
B: Dylan Robinson 50 strip and score (Stephen Lenehan kick)
B: Dylan Robinson 9 pass from Travis Lippert (Stephen Lenehan kick)
B: Dylan Robinson 37 pass from Travis Lippert (Stephen Lenehan kick)
B: Daiveon Woodley 52 run (Stephen Lenehan kick)

BHS 47, San Dimas 7:
B: Dylan Robinson 75 pass from Travis Lippert (Stephen Lenehan kick)
B: Joseph Lara 13 pass from Travis Lippert (Stephen Lenehan kick)
S: Jeremiah Gibson Fernandez 46 pass from Brandon Meredith (Brady Arriga kick)
B: Cole Parra 18 pass from Travis Lippert (run failed)
B: Dylan Robinson 75 pass from Travis Lippert (Stephen Lenehan kick)
B: Noah Mikhail 6 run (run failed)
B: Cole Parra 6 run (Stephen Lenehan kick)
B: Jacob Gill 11 pass from Travis Lippert (Stephen Lenehan kick)

BHS 47, Kaiser 0:
B: Safety
B: Joseph Lara 52 pass from Travis Lippert (Stephen Lenehan kick)
B: Joseph Lara 39 run (Stephen Lenehan kick)
B: Stephen Lenehan 30 FG
B: Daiveon Woodley 15 pass from Travis Lippert (Stephen Lenehan kick)
B: Drew Apodaca 3 run (Stephen Lenehan kick)
B: Drew Apodaca 34 run (Stephen Lenehan kick)
B: Daiveon Woodley 41 pass from Owen Hughes (Stephen Lenehan kick)

Friday’s Sierra League Schedule:
Colony at Los Osos
Bonita vs Glendora at Citrus College
Claremont at Charter Oak

Friday’s Sierra League Schedule:
Sierra League Standings:
Bonita (5-0 overall, 0-0 in league)
Los Osos (5-0, 0-0)
Charter Oak (4-1, 0-0)
Claremont (3-2, 0-0)
Glendora (4-2, 0-0)
Colony (1-4, 0-0)