Panapa returns after short week of practice for St. Bonny

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Northern Ventura County wasn’t affected by the raging wildfires nearly as much as the rest of Southern California, but that doesn’t necessarily mean Ryan Panapa and the rest of the Ventura St. Bonaventure football team wasn’t forced to make adjustments to their practice schedule this week.

A full week of workouts would have been particularly useful for Panapa, a highly-touted senior linebacker who’s been sidelined since Week 1 with a broken left foot. That, however, never materialized as the Seraphs didn’t practice Monday and were out on the field for only one hour Tuesday before resuming their normal routines on Wednesday and Thursday.

As a result, Panapa is expected to see anywhere from 15-to-20 snaps for St. Bonaventure (6-1 overall), ranked No. 9 by The Times, during Friday’s Channel League game against Goleta Dos Pueblos (4-2 overall).

‘Sure, we would have liked to been out there on the field all week, but we’re making due, just like everyone else,’’ Coach Todd Therrien said. ‘Bottom line is, we’re glad to have Ryan back.’’

His long-awaited return figures to draw plenty of attention from the recruiting gurus at rivals.com and scout.com, as well as several NCAA Division I scouts. Arizona State, Nevada, Ole Miss and Washington have each offered Panapa a scholarship and Cal, Florida State, UCLA and USC continue to express interest. But, the buzz should be the last thing on his mind right now.

If I’m Panapa, I’d be more concerned with staying healthy, especially on a short week’s worth of work. No sense in coming back too early. Proving the injury is behind him should be his No. 1 priority.

- Sean Ceglinsky, guest blogger