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CSU, AFA Game a Real Backyard Brawl
Rams' Newton and Falcons' Bond grew up as next-door neighbors.
Nov. 17, 1999 By Natalie Meisler, Denver Post Sports Writer Nov. 17 - An opponent's flag mysteriously pops up in the front yard affiliated with an in-state rival school. A prank of fraternity brotherhood? No. This one is about the neighborhood. When a blue and white Air Force Academy banner starts waving in one yard or a green and gold Colorado State souvenir finds its way to the adjacent lawn, it won't be the result of some late-night surge of undergraduate school spirit. We're not talking about littered fraternity lots in a college town, but the finely manicured lawns of suburbia. As Air Force and Colorado State prepare to play at Fort Collins on Thursday night, two local football moms will battle over bragging rights. If Betty Bonds and Phyllis Newton weren't such close friends, this could truly be a backyard brawl. "I've been teasing Betty that when she wakes up the morning of the game, there will be a Colorado State flag in her front yard," Newton said. "I know there's going to be a prank. I'm just not sure what day." Matt Newton, CSU's junior starting quarterback, and Cale Bonds, AFA's on-again, offagain starter at quarterback, grew up playing ball together as neighbors in Englewood. Bonds, a year younger and a grade behind Newton, succeeded the current Ram as Cherry Creek High School's starter. Because of redshirting and delaying his scholarship a semester, Newton has another year of eligibility. Bonds is a senior. "We've lived next door since I was in the second grade," Newton said. "His dad coached me in little league football and baseball. We talked a couple of weeks ago. We've never played head to head until now." Consider there are only 114 NCAA Division I-A schools and odds are substantially stacked against two next-door neighbors playing against each other. "Absolutely this is an unusual coincidence," Bonds said. "Our families live real close to each other. We're good friends, but that isn't going to have anything to do with the football game." They raced go-carts together and were frequent dinner guests in each other's homes. Newton sometimes threw to Bonds when Bonds lined up at wide receiver at Cherry Creek while awaiting his turn behind center. Phyllis Newton and Betty Bonds take a nightly stroll through the neighborhood. They whipped up pasta dishes for the Cherry Creek booster club dinners. They have a game-day ritual regardless of which team Air Force or CSU might be playing that weekend. "We hug before every game" Phyllis Newton said. "There's almost a family feeling between all of us. We're moms. We want them to eat well and then go play that stupid game of football." Phyllis Newton talks with pride about the AFA quarterback's achievement as if he were her own son. Walter Bonds speaks of Matt, drawing on memories as his youth league coach. "He was always a great athlete. He had a great arm when he was 7 years old." Although their sons run different offenses at different schools, the neighbors share other common ground. Both players had to wait for their first crack at the starting job. Bonds was further frustrated this season by an ankle injury, although he's 5-1 as a starter. "No one wants to see their son ride the bench," Phyllis Newton said. "We still commiserate when we read something in the paper. We have thin skins. If one is hurt or hit hard, we feel for the other." The Rams' quarterback rode out some criticism during CSU's mid-season slump and the usual adjustment for a first-year starter. He has earned the praise of his coaches, teammates and Falcons coach Fisher DeBerry as he has improved each week during the Rams' current three-game winning streak. Bonds, who had a little more playing experience coming into this season, started out with his best game, but sprained his ankle in the San Diego State game (Oct. 2). Though the two quarterbacks have much in common, they are also a study in contrasts. Newton is a strapping 6-foot-3, 215 pounds. His offense dictates he run only when necessary. Although he's more than capable of picking up the first down or running a naked bootleg into the end zone, his longest gain rushing is for 6 yards. He's only 69 yards away from a 2,000-yard passing season. Bonds, who will begin Thursday night's game on the bench, is in the typical wishbone mold. He's 5-10, 175 pounds with the quickness to run the option. He has rushed for 204 yards with a long gain of 21 yards. With a stronger arm than most Falcons quarterbacks, he has completed 54 percent of his passes, and averages 83 yards passing a game to Newton's 214.6. Although Bonds started last Saturday, DeBerry has decided to start Mike Thiessen against the Rams. "This isn't a game to see who's the best quarterback from Cherry Creek," Bonds said. His father also would prefer to keep the spotlight on the teams, not the boys next door. "I hope they both have great games," Walter Bonds said. "It's about two teams, not two kids or two families." Phyllis Newton, on the other hand, loves to talk about the families and the game. "I think we'll drink and tailgate together before the game, but I told Betty I'm driving home in my car and you in your car."
Then next week, before the respective regular-season finales, they can hug and wish each other well again.
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