Palos Verdes’ Bohner Leads With Actions, Words

David Bohner denies there’s a secret to the dramatic turnaround of the Palos Verdes High football team. “We’ve been doing nothing different,” he said. “We’re just doing it better.”

And Palos Verdes coaches say nobody does it better than Bohner when it comes to giving his teammates a lift.

The 6-foot-4, 230-pound senior, a two-way starter at tight end and inside linebacker, provides an intimidating presence on the field. Just as important, though, Bohner has emerged as an emotional leader in the past month, when the Sea Kings have transformed themselves from a struggling team into a CIF finalist.

Palos Verdes (8-5) will play at Temecula Valley (10-3) on Saturday night for the Southern Section Division VIII title. Kickoff is 7:30.

A modest Bohner downplays his role in the Sea Kings’ turnaround. Asked if he is a vocal player, he replied: “I like to think so.”

Palos Verdes Coach Bill Judy knows so.

“He’s a tremendous leader,” Judy said, “one of the best we’ve had.”

However, it wasn’t until Palos Verdes had hit its low point of the season that Bohner asserted himself, Judy said. It came during halftime of a Nov. 2 game against Redondo. The Sea Kings trailed, 20-0, and were about to drop to 0-3 in the Ocean League.

An angry Judy addressed the players in the locker room at Redondo.

“I was upset that we were standing around (in the game) and getting wiped out,” he said. “We were getting no second or third efforts. I got into them about pride. I was so disgusted with what I was having to tell them, I finally said: ‘Screw it. You guys decide to do whatever you want.’ I walked out.”

At that point, assistant coach Ken Russell took the four senior captains, including Bohner, aside and implored them to demonstrate more leadership.

“Bohner went back in there and he talked to them,” Judy said. “Boy, he really laid into them. He talked about pride, dedication and refusing to lose. It was a great little talk. We came out in the third quarter and performed.”

Said Russell: “Dave took over at that point. What he said brought tears to my eyes. From that point on, he has become the accepted leader of the team.”

Palos Verdes lost its fourth consecutive game that night, but the seed was planted. Never again would the Sea Kings want for leadership.

“From that time on, there’s been a little different attitude and different leadership from our seniors,” Judy said.

And different results.

Palos Verdes posted its fourth consecutive victory since the Redondo game Saturday night by beating top-seeded Cabrillo of Lompoc, 21-7, in a Division VIII semifinal at North Torrance High.

Bohner’s contributions included an interception, a 30-yard kickoff return and his usual steady play on the offensive line, which has been impressive throughout the playoffs. The Sea Kings rushed for 275 yards against Cabrillo and did not attempt a pass in the second half.

“We could not stop them,” Cabrillo Coach Steve Haskins said.

Bohner can take only partial credit for the stellar play of the offensive line. He was quick to identify his comrades in the trenches: tackles Brandon Himelwright (6-3, 235) and James Pratt (5-10, 215), guards Aaron Rourke (6-2, 205), Greg Darden (6-1, 180) and Andrew Miller (6-4, 210), center Kevin Rounsavelle (6-2, 220) and the other tight end, John Miller (6-1, 175).

The line, like the rest of the team, has blended well over time.

“People are a lot more relaxed now,” Bohner said of his teammates. “I think there’s a lot of unity now. Before, I think people were frustrated with themselves. It kind of drove us apart. But we’ve come together well.”

Bohner said the turning point came in the Sea Kings’ final Ocean League game, against rival Rolling Hills. Needing a victory to have a shot at a playoff berth, Palos Verdes fell behind after the first quarter, 14-0, but rallied for a stunning 45-20 victory.

“The Rolling Hills game really brought people together,” Bohner said. “Once we came together, we performed well.”

The Sea Kings carried their new-found togetherness into the playoffs. They routed fourth-seeded Santa Paula, 45-18, in the first round and followed that with a 21-7 victory over Bloomington.

Judy said Saturday’s victory over Cabrillo included another fiery pep talk from Bohner at halftime. Palos Verdes led at the time, 14-7.

“It was kind of a zoo in (the locker room),” Judy said. “All of sudden, Bohner took over. He said, ‘We’ve got 24 minutes to get to the finals.’ The kids started to get excited.”

Bohner’s words might be meaningless if he wasn’t able to back them up. An All-Bay League pick last season as a tight end, he was the only player named to the All-Ocean League first team this year on offense and

defense.

Bohner prides himself on his hard-nosed style.

“I like to knock people over,” he said.

Said Judy: “He’s very Neanderthal in his football approach. He’s the most physical ballplayer we have.”

Off the field, Bohner displays a different side.

A lover of the outdoors, he enjoys camping and skiing. His 3.0 grade-point average and 1,060 score on the Scholastic Aptitude Test demonstrate that he can hit the books as well an opposing running back.

“He’s very well-rounded,” Judy said. “He’s not a bookworm and he’s not just an athlete.”

Bohner calls the signals for the Palos Verdes defense and frequently makes the correct adjustments during games.

“He has a real sense for what’s going on out there,” Judy said. “He does more than just call signals. He’s always thinking.”

Among the colleges that have contacted Bohner, he said, are Colorado, UCLA, Stanford and Oregon. He added that junior college is another option.

Dick Lascola, head of the Fallbrook-based Scouting Evaluation Assn., rates Bohner a major-college prospect. “We like his size,” Lascola said.

At Palos Verdes, they measure Bohner by the size of his heart.

“I think what happened at halftime of the Redondo game got to his sense of pride,” Judy said. “It was almost like he was saying, ‘I’m not going to take this any longer. I’m going to go out there and knock people down, and you guys better do the same.’ ”

Palos Verdes seems to be following Bohner’s lead.