COVINA – For those questioning Bonita’s undefeated record and the Bearcats’ schedule strength, you can go sit down.

Bonita turned one of the most anticipated games of the year against Charter Oak into its own block party.

Bonita started with haymakers and kept its foot on the gas, coasting to a 49-21 victory after taking a 28-point halftime lead.

Bonita quarterback Travis Lippert threw for 197 yards and three touchcowns, and Joseph Lara, Noah Mikhail and Cole Parra scored two touchdows apiece to pace them. Lara finished with 177 yards rushing.

Lara talked about people doubting them because of their schedule.

“It was disrespectful,” Lara said. “Nobody can say that now. That’s the motivation we came in here with.”

Bonita improved to 9-0 and 4-0 to clinch at least a share of the Sierra League title, and can win the title outright with a victory next week against Colony. The win might also catipult the Bearcats to the CIF-SS Division 3 playoffs, as it was sitting on the fringes of Division 3 and 4 in Calpreps’ computer rankings before Friday’s game.

Bonita dominated up front, holding the Chargers to minues 12 yards rushing.

“That’s football, it was a special start and things went our way,” Bonita co-head coach Steve Bogan said. “We’re working hard and momentum went our way and our defense has been nails.”

Bogan also understood the questions about their schedule.

“I totally understand that,” Bogan said. “It was a good test and we passed it well.”

For Charter Oak (7-2, 3-1), it was a humbling defeat after entering the game with a lot of momentum, and with some big wins on their resume over Chino Hills, Muir and outlasting Colony last week.

The Chargers were trending toward the Division 3 playoffs before Friday’s loss, but there’s a good chance they land in Division 4 after this, especially with how lopsided the loss was.

Charter Oak quarterback Corin Berry, a Boston College commmit, threw for 225 yards and a touchdown and also ran in a score. Marquis Bradley scored two touchdowns, one on an interception, and another on an eight-yard reception. Bradley caught seven passes for 99 yards.

But it was over as soon as it began with Bonita’s stars showing up early.

After Bonita’s Texas A&M commit Mikhail sacked Berry to force a punt on the Chargers’ opening possession, the Bearcats wasted little time capitalizing.

On the Bearcats’ first offensive play, Lippert threw a sideline pass to Dylan Robinson, and the Washington commit outraced everyone to the end zone for a 75-yard score and 7-0 lead.

Mikhail’s sacked kind of sparked things.

“The main thing is we did our jobs and executed as a team,” Mikhail said. “Charter Oak is a great team and we played a great game against them, so now it’s on to the next one.

The Bearcats put the Chargers in a bigger hole after Joseph Lara picked off Berry and returned it 40 yards for a touchdown and 14-0 lead midway through the first quarter.

It got better for Lara.

After Lara’s 23-yard run to midfield, he scored a couple plays later, busting loose for a 48-yard touchdown to extend their lead to 21-0 with just over a minute left in the first quarter.

The second quarter didn’t get any better for the Chargers.

Bonita extended its lead to 28-0 when Cole Parra took a short pass and ran 56 yards for a touchdown.

Charter Oak finally showed life with a clutch touchdown on fourth and goal from the eight. Berry hit Marquis Bradley in the corner as he hauled it in to cut the Bearcats lead to 28-7 with 4:31 until half.

But the Bearcats just kept coming.

After completing two fourth down runs to exend their drive, Lippert hit Mikhail over the middle and he ran 34 yards for a touchdown to stretch their lead back to 28 points and it stayed that way until half.

Bradley scored his second touchdown for Charter Oak, picking off Lippert on the Bearcats’ opening drive of the third quarter and returning it 37 yards for a touchdown to cut their lead to 35-14.

Mikhail answered with his second touchdown, and three-yard run and the Bearcats went back up by 28 and that was that.