Donds, Heintz Injuries Sour Cal Lutheran’s Victory

Why were the Cal Lutheran College football coaches walking around with lowered heads and furrowed brows?

The Kingsmen easily defeated winless St. Mary’s, 24-3, obliging a Saturday homecoming crowd of 3,440 in the Mt. Clef Stadium.

Sophomore running back Tracy Downs (5-7, 180) resembled a bowling ball gone berserk on touchdowns of 42 and 1 yard. Tight end Darren Gottschalk (6-4, 225) continued his high-profile role in the offense by snagging a 13-yard touchdown pass.

It should have been a time for the Cal Lutheran coaches to celebrate the 4-1 non-conference record and eagerly begin preparing for the team’s first season in the NCAA Division II Western Football Conference.

But the celebration was muted.

During a fateful three-minute period in the second half, quarterback Tom Bonds and linebacker Chris Heintz--perhaps the two most valuable Cal Lutheran players--left the game with possibly severe injuries.

Without Bonds and Heintz, the Kingsmen, already overmatched physically in the tough WFC, appear to have about as much a chance as a poodle against Cujo.

“The injuries almost overshadowed the victory,” Coach Bob Shoup said.

Bonds was sacked late in the third quarter and landed hard on his right shoulder.

“I felt it slip back and forth,” said Bonds from the sidelines, his arm in a sling. “I think it’s dislocated.”

Team physician John Tomec was less pessimistic, believing the injury to be a “subluxation” of the shoulder, which he said was, “the shoulder trying to dislocate but not quite succeeding.”

Heintz, the team captain and a three-year starter, left the field in an ambulance after making a tackle near midfield. Heintz’s right ankle was dislocated, Tomec said, which can be worse than a fracture since ligaments are damaged in addition to the bone.

“It’s a major loss,” Shoup said. “Chris is really respected by the team. He’s like a rock.”

Heintz, who recovered two fumbles and intercepted a pass, was lifted by stretcher into the ambulance and called to his teammates.

“I’m still with you,” he said.

It may have been his last hurrah. The WFC campaign begins next Saturday at Cal State Northridge.

Shoup refused to be dogged by the prospect of facing an increasingly difficult schedule of opponents without his top tackler and starting quarterback.

“Sure, it was a costly victory,” he said. “But our attitude is good, we’re winning and maybe we can overcome the loss of (Heintz and Bonds).”

The Kingsmen didn’t have to overcome anything but a contagious sluggishness against St. Mary’s (0-5). The Gaels, who committed eight turnovers, handed Cal Lutheran excellent field position throughout the game.

Although the Kingsmen began the game with seven drives into St. Mary’s territory, they led only 10-0 at halftime. Penalties totalling 60 yards and an interception thrown by Bonds shut off scoring opportunities. St. Mary’s fumbled the ball away on its first three possessions. Cal Lutheran finally capitalized after the third turnover, moving 58 yards to the end zone.

Bonds hit Greg Harris for 40 yards, Joe Monarrez for 16 and Eddie Gran for 12 to push the ball to the St. Mary’s four. Two plays later, Downs scored from the one with 7:29 remaining in the first quarter.

St. Mary’s, which averaged only 30 yards rushing coming into the game, floundered on every possession. The Gaels moved 53 yards on bone occasion, but fumbled to end the drive. Their second-longest drive lasted just 23 yards.

Kurt Lohse kicked a 28-yard field goal for Cal Lutheran in the second period to make the score 10-0.

“Without the penalties, we could have scored four times at least,” Bonds said. Before he was injured, the sophomore, who entered the game as the leading passer in the WFC, completed 15 of 25 for 194 yards and one touchdown.

The touchdown pass was the 13-yarder to Gottschalk, and it closed out Cal Lutheran’s scoring. The Kingsmen established control of the game minutes earlier when they moved 70 yards on seven plays for a touchdown after receiving the second-half kickoff.

Downs, who led all rushers with 71 yards on 12 carries, dashed off left tackle for his 42-yard score. The sophomore leads the Kingsmen with 271 yards and five touchdowns.