A Grand Canyon Win : Cowboys Keep Streak Alive With 42-32 Win Over Hart

Two streaks live on after Canyon High’s wild 42-32 win over Hart before 8,000 fans Friday night at College of the Canyons.

Canyon has a golden streak of 39 straight victories, second longest in Southern Section history.

Hart has a red-and-black streak of four straight losses to Canyon. Red as in embarrassing. Black as in depressing.

“We gift-wrapped the game,” Hart Coach Rick Scott said. “I told them at halftime I couldn’t wear the helmet for them.”

Ken Sollom and Chad Zeigler, cousins who have been playing catch since they were 5 years old, turned the Hart secondary into a burn unit.

Zeigler caught six passes for 125 yards and three touchdowns. Like a Tommy’s burger stand, he’s always open. Sollom completed 13 of 22 passes for 214 yards in a display that most assuredly had the college recruiters in attendance salivating.

Behind quarterback Jim Bonds, Hart made a valiant comeback attempt in the second half. After Canyon took a 28-6 lead into intermission, Bonds led the Indians to 26 points on three touchdown passes. During the game, he completed 22 of 32 passes for 318 yards in a catch-up role.

After Bonds had brought Hart back to a 35-26 deficit with 8:50 left in the game on a six-yard touchdown pass to Chris Hite, Zeigler made one of two pivotal plays.

On fourth-and-goal from the Hart 20 yard line with 4:12 left, Sollom hit Zeigler in the end zone between two Hart defenders. Zeigler, a senior and three-year starter, leaped and snared the pass.

More astonishing was a defensive play made by Zeigler with Canyon leading, 13-0, and 6:50 left in the first half. Hart had driven 54 yards on three plays and a Canyon penalty to the Cowboy 22 when Bonds attempted an option pitch to running back Andy Iacenda. The ball bounced off Iacenda’s chest into Zeigler’s hands and the Canyon defensive back streaked 75 yards down the sideline for a score.

The play drove a stake into Hart. Jaws on the Indian sideline fell faster than the Dow Jones industrial average Thusday.

“Of course it was the key play,” Scott said. “We were driving and all of a sudden it’s 21-0.”

Said Welch: “If we keep Zeigler away from kryptonite, we’ll be all right.”

Canyon had a strong running game to go along with Sollom and Zeigler. Lance Cross (123 yards on 19 carries) and Paul Chadwell (58 yards on seven carries) forced Hart to honor the run. The Indians sacked Sollom three times, but in general, were not able to rush with abandon.

“We are much, much stronger on offense than we were last season,” Welch said. “Bonds and Hite were a dangerous team. I didn’t feel safe until the gun sounded.”

The fourth down scoring pass to Zeigler in the final period was one of three key fourth-down conversions by Canyon. In the first quarter, after Hart was called for having 12 little Indians on the field, Canyon’s fourth-and-18 situation was reduced to fourth-and-three. Welch went with the familiar and Sollom hit Zeigler with a 23-yard completion. Canyon went on to score its first touchdown. “That was the second-most key play,” Scott said.

With 5:14 left in the game and Canyon facing a fourth-and-12 from the Hart 29, Welch called a reverse to Trevor Doyle, which was good for 15 yards. On the next play, Cross cut, saw a hole and scored from the 14.

“We played like Cowboys,” Welch said. Then he said it again.

Canyon’s four straight over Hart include a 22-21 win in 1983, a 21-6 win in 1984 and a 6-3 defensive struggle last season.

Sollom completed 10 of 13 passes in the first half for 164 yards. Although the first Canyon drive ended in an interception by Hart’s Kevin Gannon after a Sollom bullet bounced off Cross’ chest, the senior quarterback maintained his composure.

After hitting Trevor Doyle for a 16-yard touchdown to give Canyon a 7-0 lead, Sollom kissed his cousin Zeigler with a 40-yard pass play to make the score, 13-0.

Zeigler’s gift from Iacenda made the score, 21-0. Bonds finally got Hart into the end zone on a 36-yard pass to Bryan Milner with 4:09 left in the half.

CANYON--Doyle 16 pass from Sollom (Gahry kick.

CANYON--Zeigler 40 pass from Sollom (kick failed).

CANYON--Zeigler 75 fumble return (Chadwell pass from Sollom).

HART--Milner 36 pass from Bonds (kick failed).

CANYON--Zeigler 7 pass from Sollom (Gahry kick).

HART--Iacenda 6 run (Bonds run).

CANYON--Cross 14 run (Gahry kick).

HART--Hite 14 pass from Bonds (Pass failed).

HART--Hite 5 pass from Bonds (Pass failed).

CANYON-Zeigler 20 pass from Sollom (Gahry kick).

HART--Wheeler 45 pass from Bonds (Pass failed).