Related content
Early in the second quarter, the Bonanza Bengals had their backs against the wall.
They trailed Clark 19-7, had just lost star running back Ricardo Hill to a knee injury, and quarterback Cannon Reid threw interceptions on back-to-back plays.
Coach Dion Lee decided to put in sophomore quarterback Kyle Allison, who had just been called up from the junior varsity team two weeks ago.
Allison came out blazing. He threw for 184 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, leading the Bengals to 29 unanswered points and a 36-19 win Thursday night.
“We are Bonanza and we are trying to turn this program around, so what did we have to lose? We put him in and never looked back,” Lee said. “He gave our receivers a chance to catch the ball. He put it out there and let our athletes be athletes.”
R.J. McCarter led the way receiving, with seven catches for 131 yards and a touchdown.
With three straight wins, the Bengals improve to 4-4 and are one win away from a playoff berth. Bonanza plays Desert Oasis next Friday to decide the final playoff spot.
“It’s definitely the biggest game for this school in at least six years,” Lee said. “With a win, we would be able to turn around our program in a matter of months since we took over in January. We have to build some winning tradition around here, and our goal is to make the playoffs.”
Join the Discussion:
Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.
Full comments policy