Hart Holds Off Loyola, 34-27

There were plenty of questions about Newhall Hart and Los Angeles Loyola entering their Southern Section nonleague football game Friday night at College of the Canyons, but a nail-biting 34-27 Hart victory answered the biggest one: Both teams can play with anybody.

Quarterback Henry Burge found Taylor Joseph in the end zone with 1 minute 40 seconds left in the game to pull Loyola (4-1) within seven points. Brian Clark recovered an on-side kick and Loyola drove to the Hart 28 before a fumbled handoff exchange was recovered by Hart’s Hamilton Augustine with 1:06 left.

Hart (4-1), ranked No. 16 in the Southland by The Times, used a dominant defense in the first half to take a 14-7 lead. The Indians led, 21-14, after three quarters, but the teams combined for four touchdowns in a fourth quarter that had fans on their feet.

It was a breakout game for Hart, which had averaged just over 22 points in its first four games, against a Loyola defense that gave up only 60 points.

“We learned that our offense can be a machine,” said Hart running back Robbie Casselberry, who scored four touchdowns, two rushing and two receiving.

Junior quarterback Alex Pettee, filling in for injured starter Tyler Lyon, completed 23 of 32 passes for a career-best 236 yards and three touchdowns. Lyon was knocked out of a game last week with a concussion.

Loyola, ranked No. 21, also answered questions about its soft schedule with a gritty performance against a solid team. Burge completed 18 of 27 passes for 204 yards and four touchdowns with two interceptions. Marcus Lawrence had 11 catches for 111 yards and two touchdowns.

-- Peter Yoon

Los Angeles Dorsey 46, Lake Balboa Birmingham 21 -- Stafon Johnson and Lavell Wallace each rushed for two touchdowns for the No. 15 Dons, who outscored the Patriots, 28-0, in the second half of the City Section nonleague game at Rancho Cienega Park.

After Wallace raced up the middle for an 18-yard touchdown to give Dorsey (4-1) a 25-21 lead early in the third quarter, the Dons’ defense backed Birmingham (1-4) deep in its own territory. When the snap went through punter Daniel Mora’s hands, it was recovered in the end zone by Chris Matthews to give Dorsey a 32-21 lead.

Johnson finished with 178 yards in 27 carries and Wallace had 69 yards in 10 carries.

James Beloff, knocked out of the game in the fourth quarter after taking a bruising hit, connected with running back Milton Knox on a 48-yard touchdown pass late in the second quarter to give Birmingham a 21-18 lead. Knox rushed for 115 yards and two touchdowns in 18 carries and had four catches for 96 yards.

-- Ben Bolch

Woodland Hills Taft 38, Harbor City Narbonne 6 -- Exavier Johnson completed five of 11 passes for 232 yards and two touchdowns to lead the 17th-ranked Toreadors in a City Section nonleague game at Taft.

Johnson connected on a 78-yard touchdown pass to Jamere Holland and Malcolm Smith and Andre Harris scored on one-yard runs as Taft (5-0) took a 26-0 lead at halftime.

Senior Major Culburt carried 32 times for 161 yards for Narbonne (2-3), but the Gauchos never gathered momentum after the running back fumbled on the Toreador 40-yard line on their first possession.

-- Mayar Zokaei