A lot of locals likely cringed when they first saw the 2014 regular season schedule for the Bonita Vista High School football team.
The Barons’ opening five games were definite eyebrow-raisers: Vista, Mission Hills, Scripps Ranch, Madison and Helix. After that it didn’t get any easier with games slated against Metro-Mesa League foes Eastlake, Otay Ranch, Olympian and Chula Vista.
Mission Hills is currently ranked No. 2 among San Diego Section teams, with Helix ranked fourth. Before dropping a 9-7 setback to Cathedral Catholic last Friday, Helix had been the section’s top-ranked team.
Vista, Madison and Scripps Ranch were by no means pushovers in their own right.
Obviously, in order to be the best, one must play the best.
Vista defeated Bonita Vista, 24-6, in the teams’ season opener and Mission Hills administered a 37-0 smack-down two weeks later in the Barons’ home opener.
But the best could be forthcoming from the Barons if last Friday’s exciting 30-29 overtime win over Scripps Ranch at Southwestern College is any indicator.
“We have been working really hard and I am excited that the kids were able to enjoy the fruits of their labor,” BVHS head coach Chris Thompson explained. “We have been hit by injury to some keys players but other guys are stepping up to fill the void.
“We are a young team that has a couple of big games coming up against Madison and Helix. We are sharpening our sword playing the best teams in the section. League should be interesting.”
This Friday’s game against Madison (0-3) should be very interesting. The Warhawks dropped a 32-20 non-league decision last week at Eastlake, the reigning Metro-Mesa champion.
If the Barons (1-2) can defeat Madison, that should create further ripples in the Metro-Mesa pond after league rival Otay Ranch kicked off the season 3-0 and Olympian started out 2-0.
With BV’s win over the Falcons (2-2) last week, all five Metro-Mesa League teams now have at least one win under their belts in the early going of this season.
Otay Ranch is 3-1 in four non-league games, followed by Olympian at 2-1, Eastlake at 2-2, Bonita Vista at 1-2 and Chula Vista at 1-3.
By the numbers
Bonita Vista rolled up a season-high 120 rushing yards in last Friday’s game and added 50 passing yards. The 170 total offensive yards proved to be just enough to eke out the team’s first win of the season.
The Barons’ defense came to the rescue, however, with four interceptions, including one pick six. Atoa Fox had two interceptions while Christian Gilstrap and Abshir Abdi each had one. Abdi scored on his pick.
Anthony Posada completed eight of 12 passing attempts for just 50 yards, but two completions went for touchdowns. Jake Rozar caught a 13-yard TD pass while Chris Boguille (two catches, 24 yards) also snagged a scoring pass.
Boguille, who rushed 15 times for 86 yards, also scored one rushing touchdown while booting a 33-yard field goal and tacking one two PAT conversions.
Boguille leads the Barons with 310 all-purpose yards in three games while Posada has 262 total yards — 250 passing and 12 rushing.
The teams ended regulation tied at 23 points, with Bonita Vista clawing back from a 16-9 halftime deficit by outscoring the visitors 14-7 in the second half of play.
Each team put up a touchdown in the OT tiebreaker, with the Barons adding a PAT conversion for the difference.
Bonita Vista scored first on a four-yard run by Boguille, who then supplied the extra point. Scripps Ranch scored on a quarterback rollout to the right.
The Falcons then went for the two-point conversion and the win but the pass went off the intended receiver’s hands.
“The pass was a quick slant to the left, but Chris Powell came off the left side and forced the quarterback to throw a high ball,” Thompson said. “Bonita kids (then) stormed the field in an exciting overtime win.”
