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Aquinas’ Brock Sailor holds the ball in the air after recovering a Bonita fumble during a nonleague game on Friday night, Sept. 5, 2025, at Bonita High in La Verne. (Photo by John Valenzuela/Contributing Photographer)
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Aquinas’ Brock Sailor holds the ball in the air after recovering a Bonita fumble during a nonleague game on Friday night, Sept. 5, 2025, at Bonita High in La Verne. (Photo by John Valenzuela/Contributing Photographer)
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LA VERNE — Opposing defenses are going to be focusing on stopping Aquinas standout junior running back Champ Brown.
It’s understandable, but also a risky proposition.
Brown was held to 87 yards rushing but he still scored three touchdowns while Charlie Reyes threw for 149 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 80 more yards, as the Falcons pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 35-13 nonleague victory over host Bonita on Friday night.
“We have some really good receivers, guys who can catch the ball,” Aquinas coach Jordan Brusig said. “And our quarterback can do a lot of stuff. If one of them is not working, we can lean on the other one.
“I think everybody understands their role when their number’s called.”
Brown, who rushed for 1,212 yards in 11 games last year as sophomore, was held to nine carries for 32 yards and a touchdown in the first half, but he had eight carries for 55 yards and two touchdowns in the second half.
“I like it, them keying in on me,” Brown said. “The O-line, receivers and quarterback help out a lot. Our guys just play ball so they can take the focus off of me. Everybody does what they have to do.”
Aquinas (2-1) led 14-7 after three quarters when Bonita fumbled a handoff exchange on the first play of the fourth. Three plays later, Brown scored on a 15-yard run to make it 21-7.
Three plays later, Bonita freshman quarterback Cade Burbidge threw the second of his three interceptions and on the next play, Reyes threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to Tyson Gaines to make it 28-7.
Bonita turned the ball over four times overall, while Aquinas never turned it over.
“I’m proud of these kids. They played their eyeballs out,” Bonita co-coach Bo Beatty said. “If you look at our start, we’ve had a lot of adversity, a lot of injuries. These kids come out and leave it all out on the field. We will continue to get better.”
Bonita missed opportunities in the first half, missing two field goals attempts from 24 and 47 yards, and it looked like the game would reach halftime knotted at 7-7.
But Aquinas took control of the game with an eight-play, 75-yard drive that took just 1:44 off the clock, culminating with Reyes’ first touchdown pass to Gaines with 17 seconds left in the half.
Bonita’s record dropped to 0-3. After last week’s 37-0 victory over Diamond Ranch, Bonita self-reported an ineligible player and forfeited that game.
“It was my mistake. I take full responsibility,” Beatty said. “It was at the very end of the game (the ineligible player played). I hate disappointing people and I let our kids down.”
Beatty said the player in question was eligible on Monday morning.
Burbidge completed 16 of 29 passes for 221 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. Jacob Maddox caught five passes for 120 yards and a touchdown in the first half for Bonita, but had only one catch for 6 yards in the second half.
Burbidge has been playing in place of senior starter Travis Lippert, who injured his ankle in a season-opening loss to Muir.
“He’s 18 years old and those guys heal fast,” Beatty said of Lippert. “He’s an amazing leader.”
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