Bonanza shakes off blowing lead, rallies to beat Spring Valley

By Paul Delos Santos

Friday, Sept. 27, 2013 | 11:28 p.m.

DeAndre Garcia caught the game-winning pass with 40 seconds remaining to give Bonanza a 27-22 victory over Spring Valley on Friday.

The Bengals blew a 14-point fourth-quarter lead but never lost confidence despite trailing the Grizzlies (1-3).

“I learned a lot about my team tonight,” Bonanza coach Kevin Volcic said. “There is no quit in this team. After they got a two-point conversion, you could see (disappointment), but nobody was quitting.”

But the win might be a pyrrhic one for Bonanza (3-1), as starting quarterback Tyler Penkalski suffered a leg injury on the final drive of the game as he ran for a first down.

Volcic said Penkalski may have broken his leg, meaning he would be out for the remainder of the season.

Prior to the injury, Penkalski had thrown for 65 yards with a touchdown. He also rushed for 30 yards and a score.

Backup quarterback Justin Nakata came into the game and picked up right where Penkalski left off. He threw 3 for 3 for 51 yards, capped off by Garcia’s second touchdown reception.

“The kid (Nakata) hasn’t got too many snaps and gets about maybe 10 percent of the snaps in practice,” Volcic said. “The kids didn’t hang their heads (after Tyler’s injury). Everyone stayed in mentally in, and Justin threw a great pass.”

Garcia caught four passes for 69 yards with two touchdowns.

Paul Delos Santos can be reached at 990-2416 or mail to [email protected]. Follow Paul on Twitter at twitter.com/pauliedelos.