Balanced offense, improved defense power unbeaten Bonanza

Last year Bonanza's football team had two of the area's top offensive players in Review-Journal player of the year Dasean Martin and quarterback Sterling Sprau -- and the Bengals still didn't make the playoffs.

So with the graduation of Martin and Sprau, few expected much from Bonanza this season.

The few who did were the ones who mattered most: the players. And thus far, their expectations appear well-founded as the 10th-ranked Bengals (4-0, 3-0 Southwest League) put their undefeated record on the line when they host Desert Oasis (1-2, 1-1) at 7 tonight.

"This is exactly what we expected," senior offensive lineman/linebacker Tim Sweeney said. "We want our respect."

Martin and Sprau combined to score 272 of the team's 384 points last season.

But the team has more offensive diversity this season and is scoring more points, as the Bengals have averaged 39.3 through four games. They averaged 38.4 points last season.

"We have some good athletes that are filling in," Bonanza coach Shawn Dupris said. "It's not one guy or two guys; there's about four or five guys that we can get the ball to on a consistent basis. To be honest, I like that better, because it opens the playbook up more."

Sophomores Jayveon Taylor (354 yards rushing) and Carlos Soto (329 yards rushing) have given the Bengals a pair of weapons at running back, and junior quarterback Brett Doyle has completed 55.4 percent of his passes and leads the area with 925 passing yards.

Doyle has thrown six touchdown passes and run for four scores.

"Brett's got probably the best arm I've had in any quarterback I've coached in 12 years," Dupris said. "He's still learning the game, but he's a gamer. He steps up and plays well."

Junior Colton Bennion (17 catches, 315 yards) and senior Jordan Ozosky (17 catches, 282 yards) give Doyle a pair of solid weapons, and Taylor has added two TD catches to go with five rushing scores.

One key has been the offensive line, led by three-year varsity players Sweeney and Curtiss Montenegro. Senior Jaden Nakata also is back after starting on the line a year ago.

"A lot of the reason the offense went last year is we had great line play," Dupris said. "And three of the five are back."

The biggest turnaround might be on the defensive side of the ball.

The Bengals aren't shutting anyone out, but compared to last season when they allowed an average of 44.1 points, they've been downright stingy. Bonanza has yet to yield 30 points in a game and is giving up an average of 26.5.

"The defense is just really aggressive this year," Dupris said. "Last year we were running parallel to the line of scrimmage and making tackles 4 and 5, 6 yards down the field. This year we're coming downhill, and if it's not a loss, it's a 1- or 2-yard gain."

Three of the Bengals' wins have come by nine points or fewer, including a four-point win over Sierra Vista and a one-point victory over Silverado.

Montenegro credits the team's chemistry for those close wins.

"We're all a really tight group," Montenegro said. "It's huge, especially when it comes down to that time when we need it, you know you can count on the person next to you."

Said Sweeney: "There's no doubt that our guys are going to take care of it. We all trust each other, and we're all family."

Contact prep sports editor Damon Seiters at dseiters@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-4587.