GOLD MINE THOUGHTS: ST. BONAVENTURE'S NEW QUARTERBACK SHOWS CEREBRAL SIDE IN DEBUT

Mason Quandt impressed the Ventura College crowd with 321 yards and four touchdown throws in St. Bonaventure's 45-13 romp of Bakersfield-Centennial (photo by Lorenzo Reyna). 

Before he closes his eyes and falls asleep, Mason Quandt fires up Hudl to break down his opponents and figure out ways to exploit certain match ups. He especially played close attention to what Bakersfield (Calif.) Centennial did on defense during his time in the film room at Ventura (Calif.) St. Bonaventure, leading up to his varsity starting debut at quarterback.

The film study paid off for the latest to handle the quarterback reins for the Seraphs, as the 6-foot-4 Class of 2018 prospect Quandt impressively spread the football around to the tune of 321 yards and four touchdowns in Bonnie’s 45-13 trouncing of the Golden Hawks on Aug. 27 at Ventura College.

“We saw that they played a lot of Cover Four with their corners off the line of scrimmage and we liked our short bubble routes and hitches (on them),”  Quandt said. “After we ran some of those, we would get their corners to divide up and get them on our double moves. We also liked our counters up the middle.”

During one sequence, Quandt completed 11 straight passes and spread the ball around to six different receivers. His breakout pass came during the first quarter, when he found a sprinting Jacob Bravo on a 41-yard bomb down the right side of the field, culminating in Quandt’s first varsity touchdown throw.

Quandt was going against a Centennial team that not only represents an area that produced two state playoff qualifiers last season in Ridgeview and Liberty, but a Golden Hawks team that brought Cal defensive lineman commit Gabe Cherry and Nevada wide receiver/cornerback commit Cole Beaty with them.

Quandt conducted the offensive orchestra as his predecessor Darius Vines watched joyfully from the sidelines. While Vines was known for beating opponents on quarterback keepers, Quandt showed his cerebral assassin side in his debut.

RODDICK DOESN’T PLAY, BUT GIVES SERAPH LINE A HIGH PASSING GRADE

One of the biggest evaluators of the St. Bonaventure’s offensive line performance against Centennial was someone who wasn’t dressed in pads due to a reported knee injury, but someone who still paid close attention to how his trench comrades were doing: Casey Roddick.

And, on a night that the highly recruited Roddick – the owner of nine scholarship offers including a recent one from Utah - didn’t anchor the line and one other Seraph starter fell due to injury, the Seraph’s front five still paved running lanes for Chuck Wick to gain 157 yards against a big Centennial line.

“They definitely get an A+,” Roddick said. “We were very poised and were in great position with the players we have and with rotating our line. I liked that about our offensive line.”

He especially pointed out the performance of Tyler Ostrom and Tyler Adams, who had the task of bottling up Cherry and keeping Quandt’s uniform grass stain free.

Roddick said he’s unsure if he’ll play on Friday, Sept. 2 against West Hills-Chaminade and said “It’s coach (Adam) Guerra’s decision.”

BISHOP DIEGO’S HARRIS RUNS WILD, HOPES FOR COLLEGE INTEREST

What was a slow start in the Santa Barbara-Bishop Diego game against Santa Maria-Righetti turned into a wild goose chase for Righetti’s defenders, as they tried to slow down Diego’s top speed back option John Harris.

And the junior wound up reaching the finish line not once, but twice with two touchdowns on 184 yards rushing in the Cardinals’ 21-0 shutout in Santa Maria.

“It’s always nice to get the ball,” Harris said.

At 6-foot-3, 200-pounds and with a reported 40-yard dash time of 4.5, Harris looks like a back college coaches would salivate over. But instead, things have been quiet for the junior and three-year varsity letterman, as he said he’s received no letters or scholarships yet from college coaches.

As the new feature back at BDHS and now in his third season on varsity, Harris could see an ascension soon on the recruiting trail.

HIDDEN GEM RECOGNITION: LABRIE BREAKS OUT AS BASKETBALL SCORE ENSUES AT OAKS CHRISTIAN

In the last two seasons on varsity, Brandon LaBrie has waited his turn to be the lead back at Oaks Christian.

On Aug. 26, he not only got the call to lead the ground game, but responded with a career-high 181 yards and four touchdowns plus added 132 yards on five receptions through the receiving end, as the Lions held off a high-powered Chaminade offense in the 65-55 shootout win.

The 2017 prospect LaBrie, who holds one reported offer from Kentucky Christian, earned the L.A. Daily News’ So Cal Prep Legends Boys Athlete Of The Week for his efforts.