Bonita linebacker Noah Mikhail, a Texas A&M commit and one of the San Gabriel Valley’s most decorated recruits in more than a decade, injured his foot Friday during the Bearcats’ 35-20 victory over Cathedral in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division 3 playoffs.

There was initial fear on the Bonita coaching staff that Mikhail had broken his foot. But tests done Sunday were negative, leaving his status for Bonita’s quarterfinal this week against Alpha League juggernaut Edison (7-4) in question.

“If you asked me two days ago, I would have said there was little to no chance he’s playing,” Bonita co-head coach Bo Beatty said. “Today I’m feeling a little better about it. He’s been such a warrior that he deserves to be in a game like this, but only God knows and we’ll see how it goes the rest of the week. But no fractures, at least those prayers were answered.”

Beatty said he wasn’t thinking about football when the injury occurred.

“In all my years of coaching, he’s (Mikhail) one of the top five kids I’ve ever coached in my entire life,” Beatty said. “We have a very close relationship, so I didn’t care about football, I cared about him and prayed he would heal from this. He’s such a great person, that you felt for him in that moment.”

Edison beat North Torrance 24-0 in the first round, so even with Mikhail healthy Bonita (11-0) was going to have a tough time advancing to the semifinals.

“Edison is historically one of the best teams in Southern California,” Beatty said. “You want to be at full strength but we have guys, and they keep getting better. It’s a team, not one guy, and they’re ready for this challenge if Noah can’t go.”

Mikhail is also a big part of Bonita’s offense running and catching the ball. Sophomore back Joseph Lara and senior Cole Parra have been tough in the backfield they share with Mikhail. Lara had 159 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns in Friday’s win.

“Lara and Parra are tough football players that do everything right,” Beatty said. “People don’t realize it, but we’re big up front and our offensive line has continued to get better.

“I don’t think a lot of people are picking us (to win) this week and we understand that. We might not have one of our toughest warriors, but we have an amazing group that believes they can win, has strong faith in one another and we’ll trust the process.”