Prep Football : Bishop Amat’s Bieniemy Scores 5 TDs

As running back Eric Bieniemy of La Puente Bishop Amat High School broke loose for a 71-yard touchdown run late in the game, quarterback J.R. Phillips could no longer contain himself. He dropped to his knees, then fell facemask-first onto the field at Costa Mesa’s LeBard Stadium, flapping his feet and hands.

He was overcome by Bieniemy’s performance.

The senior rushed for 304 yards in 21 carries and scored five touchdowns as he led Bishop Amat to a 49-27 Angelus League win over Anaheim Servite. Although it was the league opener for both teams, many had pegged this as the league championship game.

Bishop Amat (6-0 overall, 1-0 in league play) entered the game rated third in the state by Cal-Hi Sports magazine of Sacramento. The Lancers also are The Times’ top-ranked team in the Southern Section. Servite (4-2, 0-1) had previously lost only to Edison of Huntington Beach. But Lancer Coach Mark Paredes played down the significance of the game.

“This was a big win for us, but it wasn’t for the Angelus League championship,” he said. “Contrary to popular belief, we’ve got four more games left.”

But if Bieniemy runs as he did Thursday night, those games could be mere formalities. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound Bieniemy scored on runs of 84, 68, 6 and 71 yards and on a nine-yard pass from Phillips.

All of which tends to cloud the fact that this was one of the best games of the high school season. Bishop Amat had to score 28 points in the fourth quarter to win.

Servite (The Times’ eighth-ranked team) broke to an early 14-0 lead on a two-yard Derek Brown run and a 39-yard pass from Servite quarterback Jason Messersmith to Nick-John Haiduc.

Bishop Amat, which gained a total of eight yards on six plays in the first quarter, came back when Phillips completed his only pass--a 43-yard touchdown play to Scott Ragano.

Servite’s Pat Blottiaux added a 37-yard field goal to make it 17-7 at halftime.

During the first half, Bieniemy was less than spectacular, rushing for 53 yards, with 39 coming on one carry.

Then came the second half. On his second carry, Bieniemy broke down the left sideline for 84 yards. The cavalcade followed.

“When we came out in the second half, we were serious,” Bieniemy said. “The guys opened the holes for me.”

And left the running to Eric.