‘A lot of people would love to see both games.’ : Hart, Canyon Fans Divide and Conquer

You’ve heard of the Running of the Bulls, that somewhat organized stampede through the streets of Pamplona, Spain, made famous by Ernest Hemingway? Well, compared to an event held every fall in the Canyon Country-Newhall area, the Running of the Bulls packs all the excitement of a George Washington’s Birthday White Sale at J.C. Penney.

It is a weekly event in the Santa Clarita Valley. Every Friday, just after dinner, thousands of Newhallites and Canyon Countryers pull on the heavy jackets, kiss the dog goodby, close the doors on row after row of neat and cozy single-family homes in dozens of neat and cozy neighborhoods and head for either College of the Canyons, the football home of Hart High, or Canyon High.

The event, the festival that attracts so many people each Friday night, has no real name. But if it did, something along the lines of the Running of the Middle Class would fit nicely.

They come in station wagons and Buicks. They wear lots of clothes with alligators emblems stuck to them. Their pants have no wrinkles and their socks have no holes. And, for three hours, they scream their lungs out for their sons or their neighbors’ sons or, in many cases, the memories of sons who once were the Indians of Hart or the Cowboys of Canyon Country.

As many as 10,000 of them will crank up their vocal chords tonight when the two schools, playing different opponents at sites only five miles apart, battle for conference championships.

Canyon is riding an amazing 37-game win streak into its game against Antelope Valley for the Southern Section’s Northwestern Conference football championship. The game will be played at Canyon High at 7:30 p.m.

Hart will be at College of the Canyons in Valencia at the same time, playing against Muir High of Pasadena for the Southern Section’s Coastal Conference championship.

An attempt was made to shift one of the games to Saturday night, but the coach at Muir balked at the change, fearing the possibility of rain that might slow down his swift team. And Canyon High didn’t want to move the date because of a dance at the school Saturday night.

“It’s too bad both games are the same night and the same time,” said Hart Athletic Director Dick Louis. “A lot of people around here would love to see both games.”

And in an area where two communities are intertwined, many people will be forced to make a choice.

Tony Fadale is one of those caught straddling the fence. He is the president of the Hart Quarterback Club, a booster group that provides dinners and snacks for the players and drums up enthusiasm for the Indians. He also has a son, David, who plays for Hart, and a daughter, Lisa, who is one of the team’s cheerleaders.

Fadale is also a teacher in the English department at Canyon High.

But, he said, the decision was made long ago. “My family comes first,” he said. “I’ll be at the Hart game.”

Another who is torn between the two games is Bill Beauer, Hart’s athletic administrator. He was an assistant football coach at Canyon High for two years before taking his career to Hart, but he and his family still live in Canyon Country. His daughter, Toby, is a manager for the Canyon football team.

Beauer will be at Hart’s game tonight, but in a year or two, if the same situation arises, you may find him on the other side of the fence.

“I’ve got a son, Clint, who plays football,” he said. “He was on the all-star team in his Pop Warner League and he’ll be a freshman at Canyon next year and will probably continue playing football there.

“I’ve had to do a lot of soul-searching over this one. But, to be honest, if it came down to a game with Hart, where I work, and a game with Canyon, where my son would be playing, I’d be at the Canyon game. I haven’t missed a Hart game here in 10 years, but I’m afraid I’d have to in that situation.”

The two communities are not alive with signs of enthusiasm for tonight’s games. Banners have not been unfurled on the main streets proclaiming the two football teams the best things in this area since two-car garages and pool-cleaning services. There was much more talk during the week of the freak snowstorm that whitened the nearby hills than there was of the two football games.

But tonight, you don’t want to be loitering around the entrance gate to either the stadium at College of the Canyons or the Canyon High field. You could be subjected to a trampling that would rival the one Walter Mondale suffered last year.

“We’ve brought in portable stands for the game, and I believe we’ll fill all 5,000 seats,” said Canyon booster club member Jay Caulfield. “We have a very good following; a large following of loyal and dedicated fans.

“It’s really been an upbeat week. We figure we’ve got this game wrapped up. We’ll win about 28-0, or something like that. Antelope Valley won’t score on us. I’m feeling very arrogant right now. That’s what 37 wins in a row will do to you,” Caulfield said.

At Hart, the fans are just as loyal. Lewis Calzia watched his sons, Pete and John, play football for the Indians, then go on to play in college at USC and Arizona State. He lives across the street from the school, and said he hasn’t missed more than half a dozen football games in 22 years.

“Hart High has a spirit to it that I haven’t seen anywhere else,” he said. “The people here really feel close to the kids. The Hart kids always come back to the school. Even five or 10 years after they’ve graduated you can see them in the stands at the games. I watch kids playing now and I remember seeing their fathers play on the same field.”

Calzia’s wife, Dolly, said the fan support at the Hart football games is a reflection of the Newhall community.

“There’s so much interest in the football team because the parents in this area follow their kids and take such great interest in whatever they do,” she said. “They want to be there to watch their kids, and that’s not always the case in a lot of towns.”

As you would expect, a strong rivalry has developed between the two schools. The excitement generated by their meeting earlier this year is still felt in the two communities.

Canyon defeated Hart, 6-3, in a wild game with a wild finish. Hart drove to within two inches of the Canyon goal line in the final seconds, but the Indians were stopped on the final play of the game and Canyon’s streak survived.

“Football is just one part of Hart High School, and certainly not the most important part,” Hart Principal Laurence Strauss said. “But we’d sure like to get the Cowboys back on the field again.”

Hart fans, while rooting their team on tonight, will also be hoping for a Canyon victory.

“If anyone beats them, we want it to be us,” said Fadale. “We play them in the first game next season, and what a game that would be. They’d be 38-0 and we’d be on a 10-game win streak.”

Harry Welch, the coach at Canyon who has engineered his team’s remarkable win streak, said that his players are buoyed by the strong response from their fans. But, he admits, not everyone has gone head-over-heels to help out his Cowboys.

He recalled an incident in his first season at Canyon when an English teacher gave two of his players Ds in a class, making them ineligible for football. Despite the beginnings of a great resurgence in the football program, the teacher wouldn’t budge. Welch lost the two players for the season.

The teacher? Cindee Welch, the coach’s wife.

“That’s the way it goes sometimes,” Welch said. “You can’t win them all.”

ANTELOPE VALLEY VS. CANYON

WHAT: Northwestern Conference final WHERE: Canyon High WHEN: 7:30 tonight

KEY PLAYERS: Canyon quarterback Ken Sollom has thrown eight touchdowns passes in the Cowboys’ three playoff games. Canyon tailback Lance Cross has more than 1,000 yards rushing for the second straight year. Antelope Valley fullback Byron Russell has been elevated to the varsity for the playoffs, greatly strengthening the team’s running game.

KEY MATCHUPS: Antelope Valley’s running backs against Canyon’s dominating defense, led by linemen Joe Zacharia and Dio Shipp. Few runners have gotten past Canyon’s front line. When they have, linebacker Randy Austin and Co. have been there to greet them.

INJURY REPORT: Canyon linebacker Cary Caulfied required 70 stitches in his head after being involved in a car accident Wednesday night. He will not play. In his place will be Kevin Doss, a sophomore who has never played in a varsity game. Canyon offensive tackle Jeff Carter has an injured left knee but will play.

HOW TO GET THERE: Take the Antelope Valley Freeway (14) north and exit at Sierra Highway. Turn left at Soledad Canyon Road and proceed until Whites Canyon Road. Turn right onto Whites Canyon Road, then left onto Nadal Street. Stadium is located on Nadal Street.

HART VS. MUIR

WHAT: Coastal Conference finalWHERE: College of the CanyonsWHEN: 7:30 tonight

KEY PLAYERS: Hart quarterback Jim Bonds has passed for 2,252 yards and 16 touchdowns. He also has run for 380 yards and nine touchdowns. Muir quarterback James Dunn has thrown for 421 yards and seven touchdowns in the last two playoff games. Muir’s Ricky Ervins rushed for 1,218 yards and 14 touchdowns during the regular season. Linebackers Tony Crutchfield and Charley Brown anchor the Mustang defense.

KEY MATCH-UPS: The Hart passing game must be effective against one of the best secondaries in the state, especially if the Muir defense can physically handle Hart’s big offensive line and stop the Indians’ running game. At times, Hart uses a defensive alignment that has only three players in the secondary. That makes the Indians tough against the run, but vulnerable to the pass.

INJURY REPORT: Ervins has been slowed by an ankle injury for the past month. The Mustangs have also lost several key reserve players due to eligibility rules. Hart tight end/punter David Lee is still not 100% after breaking his collarbone.

HOW TO GET THERE: Take the Golden State Freeway (5) north to Valencia Boulevard. Turn right off the freeway. Stadium is there on the right.