Weekly Previews: Jim Bonds leads St. Francis football against former pupil
The following are previews of the area’s upcoming high school football games this week.
Calabasas at St. Francis, 7 p.m. Thursday: Between 1997-99, Jim Bonds and Casey Clausen enjoyed plenty of success together at Alemany High. With Bonds coaching the program, he had a gifted quarterback in Clausen, who had transferred from La Cañada High. Alemany produced a lot of victories and became one of the premiere teams in the region.
Bonds and Clausen are now the head coaches at St. Francis and Calabasas, respectively, and the two will reunite on the field for the first time for a nonleague game.
“He’s one of the best players I’ve ever had,” said Bonds, whose team is 4-0 and remains ranked No. 1 in the latest CIF Southern Section Southeast Division poll. “We are still good friends and I’ve followed his career. I’m excited about him getting his first head-coaching job. I don’t usually like to play against friends, but I definitely want to see him do well and he will.”
Clausen, who played quarterback at the University of Tennessee, said Bonds has served as a mentor for him while moving up the coaching ranks.
“When I got the job at Calabasas, I called him,” Clausen said. “I have nothing but respect for coach Bonds because he’s taught me so much.
“It would be great to some day have a program similar to the one he runs at St. Francis. They are one of the top programs around and we think it will be a good opponent for us to go up against.”
St. Francis posted a 49-32 home nonleague win against Canyon Country Canyon on Friday. The Golden Knights have had no trouble scoring, as they are averaging 43.8 points per game.
However, Bonds said surrendering 32 points against Canyon was a bit of a concern.
“That’s not like us to normally give up that many points,” said Bonds, the reigning All-Area Coach of the Year. “We still feel like we haven’t played a complete games on offense, defense and special teams.
“Our offense bailed us out last week and our defense bailed us out the game before against Monrovia. So, we want to be able to excel in all three phases.”
St. Francis senior quarterback Jeremiah Martin completed 19 of 27 passes for 315 yards and a pair of touchdowns against Canyon. On the season, he’s completed 60 of 80 passes for 1,172 yards and 10 touchdowns to no interceptions. Martin and running back Avery Williams each rushed for two touchdowns against Canyon.
Calabasas dipped to 3-2 following a 38-23 nonleague home defeat against Rio Mesa on Friday. The Coyotes began the season 3-0 before losing two straight. Sophomore quarterback Tristan Gebbia completed 16 of 40 passes for 291 yards and three touchdowns and one interception against Rio Mesa. Gebbia is 81 of 134 for 1,308 yards and 16 touchdowns on the season.
Flintridge Prep at Campbell Hall, 4:30 p.m. Thursday: Flintridge Prep (3-2) will be on a very short week having just three days to prepare for Campbell Hall. At least the Rebels have some momentum after winning their second straight contest. Flintridge Prep cruised to a lopsided 47-8 nonleague home win against Mountain Empire on Saturday at Occidental College.
Flintridge Prep quarterback Andrew Tsangeos enjoyed a big effort, finishing with five total touchdowns. He completed nine of 13 passes for 134 yards and three touchdowns and had 11 rushes for 90 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Tsangeos’ favorite target has been wide receiver Riley Jones, who caught six passes for 66 yards and a pair of touchdowns Saturday.
Campbell Hall (3-0) posted a 43-20 win against California School for the Deaf on Sept. 19.
Flintridge Prep and Campbell Hall will meet for the first time since Sept. 24, 2010, when the Vikings notched a 33-14 victory.
La Cañada on bye: The Spartans enter the break at 4-1 under first-year coach Ramses Lambert. La Cañada rallied for a 26-19 nonleague home win against Rio Hondo Prep on Sept. 25. The Spartans will next compete at 7 p.m. Oct. 10 in a Rio Hondo League-opening contest against host Temple City.