THE HIGH SCHOOLS : Scott Says Hart Failed to Follow His Plan on Friday to the Letter

Rick Scott has learned some lessons while coaching against Canyon High’s football team the past three years. And after his Hart team lost for the third straight time to the Cowboys in Friday’s game at College of the Canyons, he is not about to make the same mistake.

“What I’ve learned is not to go to my mailbox,” Scott said Saturday while watching a replay of Friday’s 42-32 defeat. “After last year’s 6-3 loss, everyone in the community was telling me how to turn the team around. There were all kinds of letters telling me what I did wrong.

“People thought they knew more about kids than we did, and more about football because maybe their girlfriend once dated a football player. No one wanted to add any plays to the playbook, but everyone wanted to get his 2 cents in. It got kind of funny after a while; it was kind of a joke.”

If anyone could use a laugh, it’s Scott, and he seems open to the prospect. A pleasantly gruff sort of guy, Scott managed his share of jokes and light moments while shuffling around in his cramped office Saturday morning in a pair of shorts and T-shirt. While reviewing Friday’s game film, he sprawled out on a couch that looked as worn as his T-shirt, sipped coffee from a plastic cup and munched on a doughnut.

“I went home about 2 o’clock last night and tried to get some sympathy from my wife,” he said. “That didn’t work so I went and sat on the couch with the dogs. I only slept about three hours. There must have been an alarm clock for all my coaches because we all got up about 5. Joe McKeon got up and watched the movie ‘Ice Station Zebra.’ If I’d known it was on I would have watched it with him.”

Instead, Scott watched a rerun of Canyon’s victory. It was enough to clear away what little sleep remained in his eyes, rekindling the disappointment that kept him tossing and turning the night before.

“Well, the worst thing for me is my hairline moved up a bit more, and I’m not as pretty as I used to be,” he said with a laugh. “But there’s got to be a morning after.”

That’s what he and his staff were looking for Saturday. And they probably found it, Scott said.

“Last year we just tried to justify the hurt, but we saw a lot of good things out there Friday,” he said. “The 7,000 or 8,000 people out there ought to come back and give us an extra $2 each. Even the people in the weeds should give us $1. They got their money’s worth.

“We’re a good football team. Everything we had on offense worked and we kept coming back. If we didn’t spot them 21 points. . . .”

That’s where the disappointment began. Hart dug itself a three-touchdown hole, in part because of two lost fumbles that helped Canyon secure leads of 21-0 and then 28-6 at halftime. A furious second-half rally engineered by quarterback Jim Bonds resulted in four touchdowns.

“When you look up at the scoreboard and you’re down 21-0, you throw the game plan in the trash,” Scott said. “We went with no huddle the last three quarters of the game.”

Bonds directed that offense, completing 21 of 33 passes for 318 yards and 4 touchdowns. The senior quarterback was both the team’s brightest light and biggest question mark. Saturday, he arrived for Hart’s film session on crutches, his left knee bruised and swollen. He will visit the doctor before Monday’s practice but insisted he’ll be ready for next week’s game.

Scott need not worry, however, about starting the season 0-3 like last year, according to one source who has seen the Indians play.

“They have good size up front and their skill position people are just that--skilled,” Canyon Coach Harry Welch said. “They have no obvious weaknesses. I’d be very disappointed if they’re not 3-1 after four games.”

Bonds said he will take personal responsibility to ensure Hart rebounds.

“I’m going to make sure we work our butts off in practice,” he said. “We’re not going to let it affect us like last year. Losing was a bummer. When we lost those fumbles, I thought, ‘Oh God, not again.’ But there’s a big difference between this year and last. This team has more character.”

By this time, Scott had straightened up on the couch and put his coffee and jokes aside. He assumed a serious look.

“This is kind of a philosophical thing and it may be bull,” he said, “but the reason you get into coaching is to see kids mature. So we’ll say to them, ‘OK, guys, here we are, where we were last year.’ We’ll help them as coaches, but it’s on their shoulders. You want players to not only develop physical skills but mental skills they’re going to use the rest of their lives. There’s got to be some intrinsic values in all this.”