Hart Avalanche Buries Burbank
Hart Coach Rick Scott was hoping last week’s win over Quartz Hill would enable his team to take advantage of “the snowball effect” Friday night in the Indians’ Foothill League opener with Burbank.
The snowball was turned into an avalanche by Hart quarterback Jim Bonds, who ran for two touchdowns and passed for another in Hart’s 34-9 victory at Memorial Field in Burbank.
“It’s starting to roll,” said Scott, whose team has scored 67 points in the last two games. “Jim Bonds has been our most consistent player all year. He did it all tonight.”
Bonds completed 12 of 15 passes for 117 yards. He scored on a 71-yard bootleg that began a three-touchdown onslaught in the third quarter that helped the Indians (2-3-1, 1-0) erase Burbank’s 9-7 halftime lead.
On the first play of Hart’s next possession, tailback Chris Hite swept around right end and sprinted 47 yards for a touchdown of his own. Hite finished the game with 12 carries for 131 yards.
The next time Hart had the ball, fullback Brian Baie jumped into the scoring act. Baie carried the ball six times for 42 yards, including a one-yard run for a touchdown, during a 61-yard scoring drive.
“They lined up and just physically outmanned us in the second half,” Burbank Coach Dave Carson said. “When we got behind, they just took us out of our game.”
Hart’s third-quarter outburst forced Burbank (2-4, 0-1) to pass. Tailback Frank Valdivia, who carried the ball for 66 yards in the first half, was limited to just three in the second. Much of the credit, however, must go to Hart’s defense, which has allowed just nine points in its last three games.
Burbank scored the game’s first touchdown after Hart fumbled the ball away on it’s first two possessions, including one on the Hart goal line.
Burbank’s scoring drive began on its own 30-yard line after Mike Serrao recovered the second Hart fumble.
Valdivia carried the ball three times for 39 yards during the 11-play drive, which culminated with quarterback Sal Velasco’s one-yard run with 45 seconds left in the quarter. The extra point was missed.
Hart came right back to take the lead, driving 71 yards in 10 plays. Bonds scored from one yard out, and Mitch Spake kicked the extra point to give Hart a 7-6 lead.
But, Burbank engineered a drive of its own on the next possession after Valdivia returned the kick-off to the Bulldogs’ 47 yard line.
Burbank then drove to the 15 yard mark, but the Hart defense clamped down. Velasco then kicked a 33-yard field goal to give the Bulldogs the lead at halftime.
