Zirbel and Saugus are going to be too much for Hart to handle

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On Friday night around 10 or so, Saugus will walk out of Cougar Stadium at College of the Canyons with its first league title in 26 years. I know it’s more than a little brazen of me to predict such an outcome, but I can’t see how Hart is going to stop RB Ryan Zirbel, pictured right, and QB Desi Rodriguez.

True, Hart is a solid defensive squad, but I don’t know how well the Indians are going to do now that UCLA-bound linebacker Patrick Larimore -- the heart and soul of the defense -- is out for the rest of the season with an injury. Even with him, things weren’t going to be easy, and now the Indians’ prospects for their first Foothill League title since 2003 are looking even gloomier.

‘We’ve just got to go out there and play the best we can,’ Hart Coach Mike Herrington said. ‘You can’t really worry about injuries or these kinds of things -- you just got to go out there and play.’

Herrington knows how important Larimore has been to his defense. The guy recorded 90 tackles and three sacks in eight games and gave the Indians a midfield presence that was effective in stopping the run and the pass.

Without him, I don’t think Hart’s defensive crew will be able to stop Zirbel and Rodriguez. Last week Zirbel finally had somewhat mortal-looking numbers in his 122-yard, two-TD effort against Canyon, but this junior playmaker has already rushed for 1,756 yards and 27 TDs.

And since Notre Dame, Valencia and Canyon couldn’t stop him, I can’t see a depleted Hart squad doing so.

What: No. 14 Saugus (8-1, 4-0) vs. No. 11 Hart (8-0-1, 3-0-1) at College of the Canyons
When: 7:30 p.m.
Prediction: Saugus 24, Hart 17
Calpreps.com prediction: Saugus 31, Hart 27

-- Austin Knoblauch