Hart Makes Carson Debut a Success

A much-improved Rod Baltau and a much-ballooned Chris Peery were not enough for Canyon High to spoil the coaching debut of Hart’s Dave Carson.

Baltau played the best game of his career, completing 16 of 23 passes for 228 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Tailback Peery, however, played perhaps, his worst game. Hitting the Hart line hard at 220 pounds--20 more than last year--last season’s Cal-Hi Sports sophomore player of the year was held to 66 yards in 14 carries as Hart closed the door on Peery and the Cowboys, 33-28, Friday night at College of the Canyons.

“We fumbled twice and and they scored two TDs, that’s 14 points right there,” Baltau, a senior, said. “I’m not saying it’s a cheap way to win, but we just didn’t play well.”

Hart almost put the game away on the first play of the second half. With Hart leading, 19-7, Peery fumbled on Canyon’s 24 and defensive end Marty Pettee scooped the ball up and rambled to the five-yard line. Three plays later, junior quarterback Rob Westervelt threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Cameron Smyth to give Hart a 26-7 lead.

Westervelt completed 18 of 26 passes for 228 yards and 4 touchdowns, three of them to tight end Brian Allen, who caught 9 passes for 121 yards.

“I didn’t really concentrate on stats or anything,” said Westervelt, who this week was named the team’s starting quarterback ahead of junior Chad Fotheringham. “I just wanted to win.”

Said Carson: “I had to go with the hot hand. Robby’s going to be a lot better.”

Baltau rallied the Cowboys with three second-half touchdown passes to Clint Beauer, the final one covering five yards on the final play of the game.

Baltau’s second touchdown pass to Beauer, with 7:44 to play, cut the Indians’ lead to 26-21. But Westervelt hit Allen with a five-yard touchdown pass with 2:33 left to give Hart a 33-21 lead.

“They deserved to win,” Canyon Coach Harry Welch said. “I’m not happy now. I’d have to see the film.”

Canyon ran only four offensive plays, including a punt, in the first quarter as Hart controlled the ball with two time-consuming drives.

On Hart’s opening drive, the slashing running of tailback Howard Blackwell (15 carries, 100 yards) took the Indians to the Cowboys’ 16 before Scott Etheridge booted a 33-yard field goal.

Blackwell crossed up Canyon on alternating draw plays and runs off tackle, accounting for 62 yards in 10 carries.

Hart snuffed Canyon’s opening drive, with a heavily pressured Baltau overthrowing Jason Stanley on third down.

The Indians punched deep into Canyon territory on their next drive, which culminated with a 30-yard field goal by Etheridge three plays into the second quarter.

Hart then capitalized on Canyon’s first mistake: Brian Schroeder’s fumble on the ensuing kickoff. Pat Perdisatt recovered for Hart on Canyon’s 26 and, three plays later, Westervelt hit Allen with a seven-yard strike for a touchdown and a 13-0 lead.

Faced with the possibility of his team being blown out, Baltau dropped back on first down at the Indians’ 35 and zipped the ball to Beauer for a first down at the 15. It took six running plays--four by Peery--for the Cowboys to get on the board as Peery scored on a three-yard dive.

Hart, however, came right back with an 8-play, 80-yard drive that climaxed with Westervelt firing an 11-yard bullet to Allen for a touchdown and a 19-7 halftime lead.