Photos by Gus Vargas, Robert Ketterling & Eric Podley, and game info/stats from Randy Reams
Football:
By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor
Ayala secured the Mountain West League’s No. 2 seed after its 42-20 victory at Bonita.
The Bulldogs got out to a 28-0 lead, and the closest the Bearcats got was 15 points (28-13).
AHS played well in all three phases of the game, and they finished the regular season portion of their schedule with a record of 8-2.
While there are a number of marquee names in Ayala red, the Bulldogs got contributions throughout its lineup.
Sophomore Elijah Ybanez had a pair of 1-yard TD runs and an 81-yard TD catch from Bryan Wilson.
After the first Ybanez TD run and a 7-0 lead, the AHS special teams pinned Bonita’s kickoff return man on the Bearcats 1-yard line.
Shortly thereafter, BHS quarterback Daniel Andrade was picked by Tommy Tucay for a 3-yard pick-six.
Marquis Monroe would score on an 11-yard TD run and the long Ybanez receiving TD catch and run gave AHS a 28-0 lead.
Georgie Markossian would get the Bearcats on the board, as the Bonita senior caught a 5-yard TD pass from Andrade with 1:35 to play in the first half.
In the third quarter, Andrade would connect with Bryan Bradshaw and Jayden Montenegro on scoring strikes of 6 and 23 yards, respectively.
Ayala’s Dominic Alloway took a Wilson pass 52 yards for a TD, and Ybanez would rumble in from one yard out to cap the Bulldogs scoring.
The Bulldogs rushed for 142 yards on 33 carries and three scores.
Anthony Hernandez had 13 carries for 34 yards, and Jacob Munoz rushed for 56 yards on 13 carries.
Monroe had 87 yards rushing on just three carries, and Wilson carried the ball three times for 35 yards.
Wilson completed 12 of his 18 pass attempts for 256 yards and two TD’s.
Alloway, who has quietly become one of the area’s big-play receivers, led the way with 7 catches for 122 yards and the one score.
Drew Amico had 2 catches for 26 yards, and Lytallion Payne caught a pair of passes for 27 yards.
The Bulldogs defense picked four Andrade passes.
Andrew Walker, Nathan Arechiga, Alloway and Tucay accounted for the AHS interceptions.
Nick Lane was 6-of-6 on extra-point attempts, and he also kept the field position game in Ayala’s favor.
Thursday’s 22-point loss was anything but an ideal way of closing out the regular season for Bonita.
But the Bearcats are loaded with skilled players, and anytime a program has both Steve Bogan and Bo Beatty calling the shots, you have to be optimistic about making a run in the postseason.
And on another topic, BHS quarterback Daniel Andrade has handled his less-than-ideal senior year with class and dignity.
Yes, the Bonita quarterback threw four interceptions on Thursday, but what most of you are probably unaware of is the fact that his throwing hand has been injured throughout the 2022 season.
The reason you probably didn’t know that is because Andrade doesn’t make excuses and holds himself accountable.
When he’s healthy, Andrade is one of the SGV area’s premier quarterbacks, and more importantly, a terrific young man.
Good luck to both Ayala and Bonita in next week’s opening round of the playoffs.
Just below are links to three photo galleries.
Box Score:
A: 14-14-14-0-(42)
B: 0-6-14-0-(20)
To view a photo gallery by Gus Vargas, click on the Facebook link here: Facebook
To view a photo gallery by Eric Podley, click on the Facebook link here: Facebook
To view a photo gallery by Robert Ketterling, click on the Facebook link here: Facebook
Thursday’s Mountain West League Scores:
Charter Oak 42, Alta Loma 10
Ayala 42, Bonita 10
Mountain West League Standings:
Charter Oak (10-0 overall, 3-0 in league)
Ayala (8-2, 2-1)
Bonita (6-4, 1-2)
Alta Loma (4-5, 0-2)
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