Bearcats win league opener over Tartans, stay unbeaten

BONITA 27, GLENDORA 14

Jacob Gill of Bonita scores a touchdown as he’s defended by Glendora’s Isaiah Castellano during Friday night’s game. PHOTO BY LIBBY CLINE BIRMINGHAM

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By Fred Robledo

frobledo@scng.com

GLENDORA >> Give Glendora credit. The Tartans could have easily folded the way undefeated Bonita was firing in the opening quarter of Friday’s Sierra League opener at Citrus College.,

The Tartans fought back from a big deficit to get their fans interested again, but it wasn’t enough.

Bonita quarterback Travis Lippert threw for 231 yards and two touchdowns as the Bearcats held on for a 27-14 victory to improve to 6-0 and 1-0. The win snapped Glendora’s two-game win streak.

Bonita’s Noah Mikhail, a Texas A&M commit, caught a 41-yard touchdown pass and Joseph Lara ran in a score and also had six receptions for 50 yards to lead the Bearcats, who are ranked fourth in the San Gabriel Valley.

Glendora freshman quarterback Sebastian Lawrence had his best game of the season, throwing for 148 yards. Tim Johnson caught seven passes for 74 yards and Austin Coronado and Simon Zwich ran in their only touchdowns.

Early on, it was too easy. The Bearcats jumped to a 21-0 lead before you could blink, and it felt like the rout was on.

They needed only five plays to go 77 yards on their opening drive. Lippert hit Mikhail for a 23-yard pass, then finished with a 41-yard touchdown pass to Mikhail to go up 7-0.

After a quick stop and good field position, the Bearcats quickly doubled their lead. Lara ran untouched for an eight-yard score.

The Beacats continued to pour it on in the first quarter with Lippert hitting Jacob Gill over the middle, and Gill spun away from two defenders to finish a 28-yard score to push them ahead 21-0.

The Tartans (3-3, 0-1) finally showed life and got themselves back in it.

After failing to get a first down on their first four possessions, they finally got one and put a good drive together midway through the second quarter.

It led to Lawrence’s 23-yard pass to Johnson near the goal line that set up Coronado’s one-yard TD run with 3:44 left in the half to trim the Bearcats’ lead to 14 points.

A quick stop led to a quick score about a minute later for the Tartans.

Simon Zwick busted through a hole for a 42-yard touchdown run to cut the Bearcats’ lead to 21-14 with 2:33 left, and it stayed that way until half.

Bonita regained control in the third quarter, using big chunks of runs to eventually set up Cole Parra’s 3-yard touchdown run to go up 27-14 after a missed extra point.

Lara also ran for 60 yards and Mikhail finished with 41 yards rushing.

Zwick led the Tartans’ rushing attack with 79 yards.