St. Bonaventure, It’s Open and Shut

VENTURA — St. Bonaventure High, guilty of another overwhelming playoff victory?

Book ‘em.

The Seraphs, charged with flattening another team while continuing their ride to the Southern Section Division XI championship?

Book ‘em.

The Seraphs, caught with a running back who can break through just about any defensive front?

Booker.

Lorenzo Booker, a sophomore, rushed for 186 yards and three touchdowns in 19 carries, and the Seraphs trounced another Riverside Banning in a 44-20 semifinal victory Saturday night at Ventura High.

Booker scored on runs of 47, 42 and 37 for the second-seeded Seraphs (13-0), who made Banning (11-2) another speed bump in the playoff road.

The victory concluded an emotional week for the Seraphs, who lost what Coach Jon Mack called a “team friend” when Richard Gutierrez died Monday of heart failure.

Gutierrez, 30, was the brother of St. Bonaventure offensive coordinator Tim Gutierrez.

“We had a lot to overcome this week, but this one was for Richie,” Mack said.

The Seraphs play Nordhoff in the championship game next Saturday night at a site to be determined by a coin flip today.

In the meantime, the Seraphs broke the 40-point barrier yet again despite four fumbles and 13 penalties.

The first quarter was a carnival of fumbles and goof-ups.

St. Bonaventure fumbled on the opening kickoff and, when the Seraphs got the ball back, Booker fumbled on the Seraphs’ five-yard line, setting up a two-yard touchdown run by Geno Randle that gave Banning a 6-0 lead.

It’s fair to say Booker redeemed himself.

On the Seraphs’ next play from scrimmage, he bolted up the middle for a 47-yard touchdown.

“We were down there and I fumbled the rock,” Booker said. “In my heart, I knew I had to make something happen [to atone]. But after that run, I knew we were going to be unstoppable.”

Booker scored on a similar play with 3:17 left in the third quarter, bursting through the middle for a 42-yard touchdown that gave the Seraphs a 30-12 lead.

Coach Steve Kuschel of Banning was impressed when hearing Booker has two more years after this one.

“He should be phenomenal in a couple of years,” Kuschel said.

St. Bonaventure allowed little room for quarterback Marcell Allen of Banning, a scrambling type who was sacked eight times and finished with minus-22 yards rushing in 17 carries.

Receiver Adam Gray-Hayward had his typically productive game for St. Bonaventure, catching eight passes for 92 yards and two touchdowns.

Next up for the Seraphs is Nordhoff, a familiar foe.

St. Bonaventure had little trouble with the Rangers in a 25-7 nonleague victory in the third week of the season.

“If we keep playing the way we have been, we should come out with the ‘V,’ ” Booker said. “We want to get the rings for our seniors.”

He just might be guilty as charged.