PLAYER OF THE WEEK : Bonds Conquers His Fears With 6 Touchdown Passes

Hart High quarterback Jim Bonds had bad vibes about facing Alhambra last Friday night.

“We had such a bad week of practice,” the senior said. “We were really nonchalant. We had short practices. I sensed our coaches were taking them lightly and our guys were pretty cocky.

“I was really worried.”

Bonds didn’t worry for long. In fact, he did plenty to eradicate his fear.

He directed an opening-game scoring drive and completed his first 16 passes for 6 touchdowns and 272 yards as Hart built a 42-0 halftime lead.

“We had great field position,” Bonds said. “We just got in the groove early. I was sort of surprised that I was doing so well. It’s the kind of game that builds confidence. The competition wasn’t that great, though.”

In the process, Bonds put himself in position to set Southern Section records for most consecutive completions (20) and most touchdowns in a game (8).

“At the half, I knew I was only going to get to play one more series,” Bonds said. “At the time, the record wasn’t a big deal. But now that I think about it, it would have been pretty nice.”

Completing 20 of 24 for 317 yards wasn’t bad, of course. And a 49-7 Foothill League victory left him little to worry about.

“Yeah,” said Bonds, “I’m not worried anymore. It’s good to have a game like that. Statistically, it’s my best game.

“I had a lot of fun.”