Opening act spectacular for Bonds, St. Francis football

WEST COVINA — It was a most impressive debut in Friday night’s season opener for the St. Francis High football team and its new quarterback.

Senior transfer Michael Bonds tallied five total touchdowns in his first game for St. Francis and his Golden Knights nearly scored at will in a 42-7 nonleague road victory over West Covina in the squad’s first contest of 2016.

“I was really happy with the way we came in with our first game and them playing their second game,” said St. Francis High Coach Jim Bonds, uncle of Michael Bonds. “I was a little nervous because [West Covina] had their first-game jitters out … but our guys really played well.”

The highly touted Michael Bonds had a first game to remember as he completed 10 of 16 passes for 212 yards and four touchdowns. Bonds also rushed for a three-yard touchdown where he was walloped, but still scored.

“It was just an unbelievable day,” Michael Bonds said. “Our offense played great and our offensive line did a great job, obviously. And the defense, wow, they grinded it out. They stopped West Covina on some big plays.”

Though St. Francis led, 21-0, after one half, it was a short sequence that iced the game and turned the contest into an unexpected laugher.

St. Francis led, 28-0, in the third quarter when the Bulldogs (0-2) drove to their 45-yard line, but backtracked due to penalties.

West Covina quarterback Joseph Barcena then tossed his lone interception on what was his final pass as junior defensive back Bobby Gazmarian came up with a pick at the Bulldogs’ 37 with 4:13 left in the third.

Four plays later, Bonds hooked up with senior Gabriel Mathews on the receiver’s second touchdown of the day – this one from 18 yards – that put St. Francis up, 35-0, with 3:11 left in the third.

After a touchback, Barcena was replaced by back-up Silas Bravo, who was saw his first pass intercepted and returned 25 yards for a touchdown by Gazmarian with 3:03 left as the Golden Knights jumped ahead, 42-0.

“As soon as the pass came out of his hand, all I saw was open space,” Gazmarian said. “It isn’t often you get two picks in a game, so I got it.”

St. Francis’ other second-half touchdown came on its first drive when Bonds scored on a keeper despite being leveled on the goal line at the six-minute mark in the third quarter.

About the only thing the Golden Knights didn’t accomplish Friday was a shutout, which was lost when West Covina’s Andrew Rodriguez scored from nine yard outs with 7:25 left in the game.

“You want to get the shutout, so I’m a little mad about that,” Gazmarian said, ‘but you can’t really complain.”

Overall, St. Francis finished with five plays of 20 of more yards.

“We thought we could find some holes in the passing game and get the ball down the field that way,” Jim Bonds said. “Michael made some nice throws and he spread it around.”

It was a high-flying first half for the Golden Knights, who scored three touchdowns despite not sustaining a drive of more than two first downs.

Michael Bonds tossed for three touchdowns with each over 30 yards.

After fumbling on his team’s opening possession, Bonds rebounded and connected on a 47-yard scoring pass play in which he hit receiver Daniel Scott for a medium-sized gain. Scott, though, stiff-armed his diving defender and ran unabated for a score that put the Golden Knights up, 7-0, with 4:59 left in the first quarter.

Bonds’ next touchdown toss was for 43 yards when receiver Mathews (three catches for 67 yards and two scores) got behind the Bulldogs secondary and waltzed into the end zone to put the visitors ahead, 14-0, with 7:27 left in the first half.

St. Francis’ longest drive spanned 85 yards on seven plays and was capped on a Bonds 33-yard touchdown pass when the quarterback rolled right and hit Greg Dulcich on a fourth and three with 2:14 left.

Outside of the touchdown, perhaps the highlight of the drive was a 40-yard scamper from running back Elijah Washington (11 carries for 78 yards).

While St. Francis’ offense was delivering big play after big play, the defense was harassing West Covina.

Barcena was sacked four times, despite his team primarily operating a run-heavy Wing-T offense. West Covina was held to less than 80 yards rushing before the team found some success in the fourth quarter.