A confident and undefeated 4-0 Bonney Lake High football squad ventured into enemy territory Saturday evening, entering the gridiron fray with Auburn Mountainview’s Lions at Auburn Memorial Stadium and absorbing its first loss of the 2011 campaign 33-28.

It also was the South Puget Sound League 3A opener for the Panthers.

Bonney Lake seemed to almost to jinx itself with a sense of false confidence from the game’s outset, when it scored on its first play from scrimmage to jump to a 7-0 upper hand. After holding Auburn Mountainview’s powerful offensive charge at bay in the Lions’ opening offensive series, Bonney Lake ball carrier Joey Surber took a hand-off at the BLHS 44-yard line, broke free from a pride of Lion defenders and galloped 56-yards for a touchdown. Surber accounted for 130 yards on the ground in the battle.

But the party was just getting started for the Lions. Bonney Lake had a tough time tackling Auburn Mountainview running back Victor Korchemniy, as the speedy senior toted the pigskin 35 times for 140 yards and four touchdowns.

Bonney Lake brought its usual compliment of weapons as well and utilized all its skills, scoring a touchdown in each quarter. Behind 33-21 going into the final stanza, the Panthers defense held the Lions for the balance of the contest, but could only manage one fourth quarter score itself against determined and improved Auburn Mountainview.

In that pressure-packed fourth quarter, Bonney Lake couldn’t manage to come all the way back as it had in the previous four weeks, but it clearly was not about to wave the white flag of surrender. Quarterback Chris Brown, who went 35-for-65 passing for 350 yards, completed his second 18-yard touchdown strike of the night to BLHS receiver Zach Zaragoza in the game’s waning moments, but it was too little too late.

Peninsula visits Bonney Lake at 7 p.m. Friday.