Hart Slips Up in 4th Period, Loses, 15-14

John Bauccio’s 28-yard field-goal with 1:45 left was short and Arroyo Grande escaped with a 15-14, upset against Hart, the defending Northwestern Conference champion.

Hart got the ball at its 41 with 3:15 left in the game and drove 48 yards to the Arroyo Grande 8. But Craig Whitten was stopped for no gain on runs on first and second down, and Darren Renfro’s pass on third down fell incomplete.

Hart held a 14-3 lead three and half minutes into the fourth quarter, but Arroyo Grande rallied for two fourt-quarter touchdowns within two minutes to make the score 15-14.

Arroyo Grande had the ball at its own 13-yard line with 8:46 left in the game, when Alfonso Daniels took a reverse 87 yards for a touchdown.

Daniels began running down the left sideline then angled toward the middle of the field. As he cut, two Hart defenders slipped, freeing him to run untouched into the end zone. The conversion attempt failed and Hart still led, 14-9.

After Darren Renfro threw three consecutive incomplete passes and Hart punted, the Eagles sped to the game-winning touchdown in two minutes.

The score came on a third-and-seven play from the Hart 48-yard line. Jamie Martin threw 30 yards to Matt Drake, who scampered the remaining 20 yards.

Excuse the Arroyo Grande High fans if they got a little boisterous before the opening kickoff Friday against Hart, the defending Northwestern Conference champion.

It was the first time Arroyo Grande (9-2-1) had reached the semifinals of the playoffs, and five rooter buses caravaned four hours from the Central Coast near Pismo Beach to College of the Canyons.

“I think we’re peaking,” said Norry Eben, the athletic director for 29 years. “We’ve never been this far, and the school dates back to the ‘30s.”

In the championship game, Arroyo Grande plays Burroughs next Friday, which defeated El Segundo 26-16.

Hart, which had won 24 of its past 25 games over two seasons, finished at 11-2.