Ventura, CA — VENTURA, CA — The St. Bonaventure football team was staggered, staring at an 0-2 start to the season. The established powerhouse from Ventura spent much of the second half against the ropes Friday night at Ventura College, put there by Pacifica’s glittering array of young talent. “It was tough,” St. Bonaventure High head coach Joey Goyeneche said. “They gave us everything they had and it didn’t look good for a little while.” Until Delon Thompson inspired an unforgettable comeback in an epic West County showdown. The senior running back rushed for a school-record 369 yards and six touchdowns on 33 carries to lift St. Bonaventure to a 46-41 win over Pacifica. “Coach trusted me to do what I do with the ball,” Thompson said. Thompson rushed for 167 yards in the fourth quarter, scoring twice in the final 4:55 minutes as the Seraphs (1-1) dug out of a nine-point deficit with 4:55 to play. “It was a battle,” Thompson said. “This shows our team camaraderie and willingness to stick to it, all the way to the end.” Lorenzo Booker, who ran for 352 yards in St. Bonaventure’s win over Orange Lutheran in the 2000 CIF-Southern Section Division XI championship game, watched from the sideline. “We just said, ‘We've got to put it in the hands of our guy and let him do work,’ ” Goyeneche said. “I'll keep saying it every week. He's special. He's the most under-recruited back, I think, in the nation. And he's just going to keep doing this every week.” “Everybody in the stadium knew they were going to run the ball and go play action,” Pacifica coach Mike Moon said. “He’s a really good back and he balled out. They used a lot of formations and gave us a lot of trouble. They executed their game plan and they did a really good job of it. That’s a really good football team.” Sophomore quarterback Tagg Harrison completed 29 of 43 passes for 311 yards and a touchdown for Pacifica (1-1). Sophomore running back Josh Joyner piled up 215 yards from scrimmage, 101 rushing and 114 receiving, and two touchdowns. Junior Philip Kim rushed for 146 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries. After last year’s 70-7 St. Bonaventure runaway win, this was the rare rematch that outshone the original. Leading 27-25 at the half, Pacifica used a nine-play, 83-yard drive to build a two-possession lead. Harrison’s 23-yard scramble set up his 3-yard TD pass to Tommy Alfaro, which pushed the Tritons’ lead to 34-25 in the third quarter. Pacifica had two golden opportunities to grow the lead in the third quarter, when Gabriel Valenzuela recovered a surprise onside kick and Budder Aina's strip sack was recovered by teammate Antoine Henderson. “In the third quarter, we came out just kind of flat and stagnant,” Goyeneche said. But both Pacifica possessions ended in St. Bonaventure territory without points. “We just looked at each other and it was like, ‘It’s time to go,’ ” Thompson said. “This is our bread and butter. I don’t think anyone can stop us from doing what we do the best.” Trailing 34-25 in the fourth quarter, Thompson breathed life back into the Seraphs with a 31-yard TD run through the secondary that pulled them within 34-32 with 8:43 to play. Joyner’s 8-yard TD end around, set up by Kim’s 16-yard rumble off tackle, briefly halted that momentum with 4:55 to play. But Thompson would not be denied. His electric 60-yard sprint on the next play from scrimmage extended the game with 4:34 left. “We believed in our team and they believed me,” Thompson said. “I knew we were going to score. We knew what we had to do. I knew I was better than everyone on the field.” After Keon Glover’s fourth-and-1 stop on the Pacifica 49-yard line, Thompson had his chance to put St. Bonaventure ahead for the first time. Four plays later, his 9-yard TD run gave St. Bonaventure its first lead, 46-41, with 1:44 to play. “Their line is as good as advertised,” Moon said. “It started wearing on our guys by the fourth quarter … and that back is good. He was giving us fits all night.” Pacifica drove to the St. Bonaventure 21 with 22 seconds to play, but linebacker Jared Barlow dropped deep into the middle of the end zone to pull down the game-deciding interception in the final seconds. “I was just dropping back, watching the quarterback,” Barlow said. “I looked over to the right and I saw the post coming. So I kept backpedaling. I went up for the ball, came down with it and took a knee.” The play was reminiscent of Barlow's heroics in key wins last season against Bishop Diego and Oaks Christian. “It’s cliché, but big-time players make big-time plays in big-time games,” Goyeneche said. “The best thing about tonight is the fight that we had. We’re a new group. We haven’t done anything yet. We've got to prove ourselves. And I know that we’re going fight.” The second half was a painful lesson on finishing for the talented, young Tritons. “There were a few things we wish we’d get back,” Moon said. “Decisions we’d like to take back and change.” The dramatic ending was set up by a back-and-forth first half. Pacifica took the opening kickoff and drive 83 yards in 12 plays, taking a 7-0 lead on Kim’s 4-yard run. St. Bonaventure responded with a seven-play, 63-yard scoring drive capped by Thompson’s 16-yard run. Kim also scored from 5 yards and a yard out to give Pacifica leads of 14-6 and 21-13. Joaquin Johnson, who caught four Anthony Wolter passes for 114 yards, had a monster second quarter to keep the Seraphs in the game. His 36-yard catch-and-run set up Thompson’s 6-yard TD run out of the Wildcat. His 42-yard streak down the right sideline set up Thompson’s 9-yard run, which pulled St. Bonaventure within 21-19 with 6:54 left in the half. After Joyner broke loose with a electrifying 42-yard TD run, Johnson reeled in a 27-yard scoring strike from Wolter to pull St. Bonaventure within 27-25 with 45 seconds left in the half.