Photos by Beth Oualline & courtesy of the Gallardo family

Football:

In 2024, Bonita won its first 11 games.

They were the lone San Gabriel Valley program to accomplish that feat.

It was the Bearcats best start in 25 years.

They also had the second most wins among all 210 Prep Sports teams and trailed just the two-time CIF-SS champions from Rio Hondo Prep (13-2).

In week three, the Bearcats dropped a 47-7 ass kicking on San Dimas in the annual Smudge Pot rivalry game.

It was BHS’ sixth consecutive win over the Saints.

Bonita cruised to a Sierra League championship after outscoring Glendora, Claremont, Los Osos, Charter Oak and Colony by a combined margin of 169-68.

In the old days, a league championship (let alone a 10-0 regular season) would earn that program a first-round home playoff game.

However, the current and many would call the flawed postseason formula decided that 10-0 Bonita would travel to 9-1 Cathedral at the Phantoms campus next to Dodger Stadium.

Instead of whining about their fate, Steve Bogan’s and Bo Beatty’s boys put in the time and left Los Angeles with a 35-20 victory over CHS, and they did so in spite of losing their stud (Noah Mikhail) to injury in the fourth quarter in what turned out to be the final game of his historic prep career.

BHS’ only loss was a 24-0 season-ending setback in the quarterfinal round of the CIF-SS Division 3 playoffs to Edison.

That same EHS squad went on to win both CIF-SS and CIF State titles.

Bonita’s marquee names included Noah Mikhail (Texas A&M), Dylan Robinson (Washington) and Cole Parra (Pomona Pitzer), and each of the three had monster senior seasons.

The mere presence of Mikhail, Robinson and Parra allowed others the opportunity to step up their games.

And that included the emergence of junior Travis Lippert, who had an SGV area best 6-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

And then there was sophomore, Joseph Lara.

Lara had arguably as big an impact on both sides of the ball as anyone in the area.

Lara was first amongst the Bearcats in carries (145), rushing yards (858), rushing TDs (6) and rushing yards per game (72).

He was tied for first in both yards per carry (6) with Daiveon Woodley and receptions (33) with Dylan Robinson.

Lara’s 406 receiving yards and four TD catches was second best to Robinson.

On the defensive side of the ball, his 53 tackles was fourth best to Mikhail (103), Parra (70) and Jacob Maddox (61).

Lara also tallied a pair of sacks and an interception.

What had to make 2024 so special for Lara was the fact that 2023 was the first football season in his life in which he wasn’t counted on to lead a team to victory.

In fact, as you’ll see in a couple of video clips below, Lara has been scoring touchdowns and dropping opposing players on their backside since he was five years old.

As is the case for many freshmen at a successful program, Lara had to wait for his time to shine.

And in 2024, he made the most of his opportunity.

Statistics, though, are just a fraction of what makes this kid special.

He’s loyal, intelligent and respectful, and Lara’s work ethic and football IQ are off the charts.

Lara’s breakout 2024 season did not go unnoticed.

As happens to elite athletes everywhere, Joseph Lara was courted by an SGV area power to come play for them this season.

It would be a lie to say that he wasn’t tempted to leave La Verne for La Puente.

His stepfather, David Gallardo, told this reporter how humbling it was to hear coaches who were former star athletes sing Joseph’s praises, as well as showing interest in his son’s services.

But Gallardo and Lara concluded that Bonita was home for them.

They mentioned the program has a family-like atmosphere that is rooted in faith and an education they described as second to none.

It goes without saying that Gallardo’s and Lara’s decision came as a great relief to his coaches, teammates and the school.

Lara’s love for his boys and their coaches was evident in an interview conducted last week, and in a day and age where athletes transfer in search of greener pastures far too often, it’s refreshing to see a young man stay loyal to a program that deeply admires and loves him.

For his part, Gallardo also serves on the coaching staff at BHS.

I just mentioned loyalty, so let’s talk about his intelligence in the classroom and on the field.

Lara enters his junior year with a 4.2 GPA, and he’ll challenge himself by tackling a number of AP classed throughout this school year.

While he likes the entire faculty at Bonita, Joseph said that Spanish teacher Mr. (Alejandro) Lizardi is his favorite.

He also spends a lot of time watching film and breaking down an opponent’s tendencies.

Number 2 in green shined brightest in the Bearcats biggest games.

As the season headed into week nine, BHS (8-0, 3-0) traveled to Charter Oak (7-1, 3-0) in a game that would decide the Sierra League championship.

The Bearcats entered the game as the underdog according to both Calpreps and popular opinion among SGV area football fans.

However, no one in a visitors jersey had any doubt they would leave Covina with the W.

BHS scored the game’s first 28 points and cruised to a decisive 49-21 victory at COHS.

In the blowout, Lara had a game-high 177 yards rushing on 23 carries.

He scored on a 49-yard TD run, had five tackles, and Lara picked a pass and brought it back 40 yards for the pick-six and a 21-0 lead.

Two weeks later in the postseason win at Cathedral, Lara carried the ball 15 times for 61 yards.

And he caught five passes for 70 yards, including a 12-yard TD pass from Travis Lippert in the first quarter to give the Bearcats a 14-0 advantage.

He’s also a massive football nerd (in a good way).

While 99-percent of high school football players would be thrilled to star in huge wins over Charter Oak and Cathedral to decide a league title and a berth in the D-3 quarterfinal, respectively, Lara took a more cerebral approach.

He watched and re-watched film from those games, and in a few instances, Lara felt like he should have made different cuts in what he considered as missed opportunities.

Lara revered the leaders from last year’s historic season, and with their departure, he’s fully accepted the responsibility of being ‘the guy’ both in production and showing the younger guys what is expected of them at BHS.

To start the 2025 season, he feels like the Bearcats defensive line is their biggest asset.

Lara’s hopes are to win a seventh consecutive Smudge Pot rivalry game, a Sierra League title and make a deep run in the CIF-SS playoffs.

And as much as he’d love to put up monster numbers, if Lara has to serve as a decoy to open up the field for others, that’s just fine because he knows that will help Bonita win football games.

His coaches believe in 2027 that Joseph Lara will indeed be an NCAA D-1 talent.

However, he’ll have to and has every intention of overcoming the preconceived drooling that scouts have for athletes that stand more than 6-feet tall and weigh north of 200 pounds.

Lara is currently 5-foot-11 and he’s 190 pounds of pure muscle.

But he’s just a junior, and more importantly, his athletic skills, character, work ethic and his possessing a mindset that fuels Lara to be a better player and person tomorrow than he was today, will make this young man a valuable addition to any college program.

Lara will spend most of his time at the slot position, running back, and at middle or ‘Mike’ linebacker for the Bearcats.

Throughout a one-hour interview last week, Lara continually deflected credit and praise and directed it towards his first-class coaching staff and every athlete that wears Bonita green.

That long list included Travis Lippert and Jacob Maddox.

Lippert hopes to continue his excellence behind center one year after completing 131-of-193 passes for 2,129 yards.

Lippert tossed 30 TD passes, was picked just five times and finished with a 68-percent completion ratio.

He trailed just Charter Oak’s Corin Berry (33) for most TD passes in the SGV.

Maddox is someone Lara and his coaches say will have a great senior year.

He was third in tackles (61) last year, and Bogan and Beatty expect Maddox to be a contributor on the offensive side of the ball as well.

Lastly, I asked Lara 1) What kind of a leader do you want to be? 2) What is your role on offense and defense? 3) What makes Bonita a special place to play? 4) What have your mother/stepfather (Crystal & David Gallardo), and your father & stepmother (Joseph & Natalie Lara) meant in your life? 5) How much are you looking forward to starting the season in three weeks with this group of teammates?

Said Joseph Lara: “1) I feel like lifting a teammate up is the best way of being a leader. You can help correct mistakes but do so in a constructive way. Everyone on this team is equal and we all matter. If we’re successful in 2025, it means each player accepts their roles and plays hard on every down.

2)I had a lot of touches last year and my goal is to be out there for every play and do anything asked of me. I take a lot of pride in being as versatile as possible. I want to be able to do everything well. Defensively, I played outside linebacker last year and this season I’ll be at Mike. I need to call out formations and find the ball.

3) Our coaches care more about us as people than players. Coach Beatty instills that character matters and be the best man you can be. Treat people with respect. We carry ourselves with a bigger purpose than football. Coach Bogan has a lot of wisdom. We meet three times a week and I enjoy picking his brain as well as Coach Pasquarella’s.

4) They’ve meant a lot to my progress as an athlete, student and as a young man. They all give me something I need. A lot of what I can do is because of them. I just want to say to each of them that I’m grateful and thankful. There is nothing I ever have to worry about. I just have to go to school, do well in class, work hard in the weight room and play football.

5) I’m excited to go to battle with them. We lost a lot of talent, but we can be successful if we stay together as one. I believe in my guys. Guys like Ryder Grosenbach, Matt Milazzo and McCoy Browner are going to have breakout years. I’m excited to see the hard work of my teammates pay off for both them and the program.”

Quotable:

Former Bonita/current Texas A&M player, Noah Mikhail: “A lot of people say they work hard, but Joe lives by it. He’s the first in the weight room and last to leave type of guy, and his hard work really paid off last year. He’s going to be a great leader and teammate this year, and he’ll always be someone you can count on.”

Former Bonita/current Pomona Pitzer player, Cole Parra: “Joseph is one of the hardest workers I know, and he is consistently grinding to become a better player and competitor. Both on and off the field, he has such a high motor that is easily shown in all of his success on both sides of the ball, basically every snap. He already started it last year, but he’s more than capable of being a type of player that the area doesn’t see often.”

Bonita quarterback, Travis Lippert: “Joe had a huge role in our offense last year and he had a great year. I expect an even better year from him this year as he continues to improve. He’s an amazing teammate and is always pushing everyone around him to be the best player they can be. You always know he will have your back. I really respect Joe’s work ethic, because he is always trying to get better every day.”

Bonita slot receiver/DB, Jacob Maddox: “Joe had a huge season last year, and he made an impact on and off the field. I only expect him to keep getting better this year. He’s a great teammate that pushes others to be great too, and not just by words, but by his actions too. He’s the type of competitor to put his own wants and needs aside and do whatever it takes to win and to better the team. Something I’ve always admired about Joe is his work ethic, because even though he’s the best on the field, he always looks to get better in any way possible.”

Bonita’s OL/DL Carson Bahruth: “Joe had and incredible season last year. He was a huge contributor to our success, and I expect an even bigger season from him this year where he can really show off his versatility. He’s a great teammate that always trying to push guys to be the best they can, and he is extremely competitive which drives guys even further. Something I admire about Joe is that if there’s an aspect of his game that’s lacking, he’ll work tirelessly to get it better.”

Joseph Lara Stats in 2024:
Offense: 145 carries for 858 yards & 6 TDs; 33 receptions for 406 yard & 4 TDs
Defense: 53 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 pick (40-yard pick-six)

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2025 Bonita Schedule:
8/22: Bonita at Muir
8/29: Diamond Ranch at Bonita
9/5: Aquinas at Bonita
9/12: Bonita vs San Dimas at Mt. SAC
9/19: Bonita at Schurr
10/3: Colony at Bonita
10/9: Glendora at Bonita
10/17: Bonita at Claremont
10/24: Bonita at Los Osos
10/31: Charter Oak at Bonita

2024 Sierra League Standings:
Bonita (11-1, 5-0)
Charter Oak (8-3, 4-1)
Glendora (9-5, 3-2)
Los Osos (7-4, 2-3)
Claremont (4-6, 1-4)
Colony (0-10, 0-5)

Most Wins Among 210 Prep Sports Programs in 2024:
Rio Hondo Prep (13-2)
Bonita (11-1)
Duarte (11-2)
Northview (10-1)
Muir (9-3)
San Dimas (9-3)
Glendora (9-5)
Monrovia (8-3)
La Canada (8-3)
Covina (8-3)
Charter Oak (8-3)
Damien (8-3)
Pasadena (8-7)