High School Football Games to Watch : Hart Gets Wish--Rematch With Santa Barbara

Since the third week of the season, Newhall Hart football coaches have been charting the progress of Santa Barbara High. They have been watching, waiting, and hoping for a chance at redemption.

Santa Barbara beat Hart in the second week of the season, 28-18. It was the Indians’ second loss in a four-game skid during which they opened the season 0-3-1 after being picked the Coastal Conference’s No. 1 team in the Southern Section preseason poll.

Since then, Hart has rebounded with seven consecutive victories, and will have a return engagement against Santa Barbara Friday night at College of the Canyons. The Indians have been at their best in the last two games, defeating Montebello Schurr, the top-ranked team in the conference, 35-19, for the Foothill League championship, and Newbury Park, 33-14, in the first round of the playoffs.

Hart’s winning streak has paralleled the improvement of quarterback Jim Bonds, a 6-foot, 180-pound junior. In his last seven games Bonds has completed 87 of 143 passes for 1,189 yards and 11 touchdowns. For the season, he has passed for 1,943 yards and 15 touchdowns, and also has run for six scores.

Santa Barbara (9-2), is led by quarterback Wayne Shipley, who is as much a threat running as he is passing. Jesus Ornelas has rushed for 1,254 yards and nine touchdowns. He gained 143 yards the first time around against Hart.

The Dons have a trio of outstanding receivers in Michael Montoya, Joe Lemp and Kevin Bolden, who is also an outstanding defensive end.

Other Southern Section playoffs games to watch:

Long Beach Poly (9-1) at Fontana (8-3), Friday night--After losing for the first time two weeks ago and falling from the top spot in the Big Five Conference, Poly rebounded last week with a 41-15 lashing of highly regarded Santa Fe Springs St. Paul in the opening round of the playoffs. Quarterback Michael Herring, whose performances have run hot and cold this year, threw four touchdown passes. Although Fontana, the conference runner-up last year, is the third-place representative from the tough Citrus Belt League, the Steelers held off Del Rey League champion Loyola in their first-round game, 28-21. Junior running back John Kidd will test a Poly defense that has recorded six shutouts.

Canyon Country Canyon (11-0) at Santa Maria (6-5), Friday night--Canyon Coach Harry Welch and his Cowboys continue to put up amazing numbers. The two-time defending Northwestern Conference champions have won 35 consecutive games. This season, the Cowboys were undefeated in the Golden League for the fourth straight year. In four years, Welch has a 46-5 record at the school. The Cowboys, who gave up an average of 132 yards a game in total offense in the regular season, have allowed only 36 points this year and have posted six shutouts. They lost quarterback John Watkins with a broken hand in the last game of the regular season, but opened the playoffs with a 53-0 victory over Gardena Serra as junior Ken Sollom performed admirably in Watkins’ place. In their last four games, the Cowboys have scored 178 points. Santa Maria was a 33-6 loser to Canyon in last season’s title game. This season, the Saints are 6-5 after a 33-8 win over Playa del Rey St. Bernard in the opening round of the playoffs.

Montebello Schurr (10-1) vs. Pasadena (7-4), Friday night at Pasadena City College--This Coastal Conference game will be a matchup of contrasting offenses. Schurr is a pass-oriented team and Pasadena relies on the run. In fact, Pasadena did not throw a pass in its surprising 28-23 victory over Santa Monica in the first round last week. The Bulldogs have an option offense that features quarterback Ray Murphy and running backs W.C. Morrison and Anthony Wallace, who combined for 207 yards rushing against Santa Monica. Pasadena’s strength has been its defense, which is headed by linebacker Kenny James. Schurr counters with a high-scoring offense that is led by quarterback Eric Rubalcava, who has passed for 2,465 yards and 24 touchdowns, and wide receiver Hubert Turner, who caught 52 passes for 1,240 yards in the regular season. Turner, who has 19 touchdowns this season, scored three in a 35-6 rout of Ventura last week.

Orange El Modena (10-1) at Mission Viejo Capistrano Valley (9-1-1), Friday night--Capistrano Valley quarterback Scott Stark, who has thrown for 2,986 yards and 29 touchdowns this year, needs 142 yards to pass Pat Haden (La Puente Bishop Amat, 1970) and move into second place on the Southern Section’s all-time single-season passing list. Mike Smith (Los Altos, 1982) is the leader with 3,437 yards. El Modena is the two-time defending Southern Conference champion. The Vanguards have four outstanding two-way linemen in Don Gibson, Allen Ennis, Grant Grable and Robert Nasser, who should put plenty of pressure on Stark and should be able to open holes for running back Ross Bauer, who has gained 1,627 yards and scored 22 touchdowns. They have a passing threat themselves with quarterback Chris Gallego, who has 1,480 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Claremont (10-1) at Riverside Arlington (8-3), Friday night--Claremont had little difficulty in polishing off City of Industry Workman in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, 59-12. But things should get a lot tougher for the top-seeded Wolfpack. Arlington is a team with an abundance of speed. The Lions, who opened the playoffs with a 17-14 win over San Marino, are led by running back Thor Muntz who has gained 1,538 yards rushing and scored 22 touchdowns in 184 carries. Geoff Guiton and Layne Lambert are two other swift running backs. The defense may have its hands full against Claremont, though. The Wolfpack offense is led by All-American quarterback Dan McGwire, who has passed for 2,441 yards and 27 touchdowns--10 of those in the last two games. McGwire also has an outstanding receiver in Travis Watkins, who has caught 75 passes for 1,349 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Newport Beach Newport Harbor (9-2) at La Mirada (9-2), Friday night--Running back Kelly Brooks of La Mirada needs 74 yards to reach the 2,000-yard mark. Brooks, who ran for 153 yards and a touchdown, and added a 65-yard kickoff return for another score in last week’s 20-10 Central Conference win over Fullerton Troy, averages more than 175 yards a game. Newport Harbor will counter with quarterback Shane Foley, whom La Mirada Coach Ray Mooshagian calls the best around.

Huntington Beach Edison (9-2) vs. Anaheim Servite (9-2), Friday night at Cerritos College--Outstanding quarterbacks and receivers are featured in this game. Tim Rosenkranz of Servite has completed 130 of 247 passes for 2,329 yards and 23 touchdowns. Friar wide receiver Jeff Fieldhouse has caught 50 passes for 1,003 yards and 14 touchdowns. Edison quarterback Mike Angelovic has completed 111 of 181 passes for 1,815 yards and 19 touchdowns. Charger wide receiver Rick Justice has caught 43 passes for 770 yards and 9 touchdowns.