The High Schools : Conscientious Recycling Efforts Pay Off in Key First Down for Hart

In terms that only a kid with an overstuffed, dog-eared football playbook can appreciate, it is called the “recycle.” It has nothing to do with melting down aluminum beer cans and bottles, although its effect was roughly the equivalent of being cracked over the noggin with a beer mug.

In Hart’s 30-12 win over cross-town rival Canyon last Friday night, quarterback Rob Westervelt and crew pulled a trick out of the Canyon repertoire and it proved to be the game’s turning point.

And if anything’s good enough to use once, why not use it again, right?

With Hart leading, 14-6, on its opening drive of the third quarter, the Indian offense stalled at the 50-yard line. Rather than punt on fourth and six, however, first-year Coach Mike Herrington told Westervelt to run the recycle, a variation in the volume and rhythm of the cadence that is designed to entice the defense into jumping offside.

“We say ‘Hut one , set, hut one , set,’ over and over,” Westervelt said. “We were just gonna take the penalty if they didn’t go for it.”

The delay-of-game flag never came. Canyon jumped offside--something its offense has made opposing defenses do innumerable times over the years--setting up a fourth-and-one play. The Indians liked the gimmick so much that they used it again. Now that’s recycling.

Canyon again jumped offside and, given new life by the ensuing first down, Hart took a 20-6 lead when Westervelt hit tight end Chad Fotheringham with a 10-yard scoring pass, capping a 10-play, 75-yard drive.

The win gave Westervelt and his senior classmates a clean sweep of sorts. The Canyon class of 1990 never beat Hart at any level in football, and the Hart varsity has knocked off Canyon three years in a row, which, of course, is called threecycling.

Westervelt pulled an impressive recycling act of his own. In Hart’s 33-28 win last year, he completed 18 of 26 passes for 228 yards and four touchdowns. Friday, he nearly duplicated that, hitting 18 of 24 passes for 263 yards and three touchdowns for a two-game total of 36 completions in 50 tries for 491 yards and seven touchdowns.

So much for continuity: Here is one postgame footnote that Herrington would like to change next season. Sure, Canyon has lost to Hart three years in a row, but the Cowboys have fallen to three coaches, too: Rick Scott (1987), Dave Carson (1988) and Herrington.

Flashy flashbacks: In Burroughs’ 23-8 win over St. Francis, Danny Suarez took the opening kickoff and ran it back 78 yards for an apparent touchdown. Although it was ruled that Suarez had stepped out of bounds at the St. Francis 12-yard line, it was certainly reminiscent of the 1988 opener between the same teams.

Last year, Burroughs receiver Steven Hubbell returned the opening kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown to give the Indians a 7-0 lead before most of the crowd had taken their seats. Hubbell returned another kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown as Burroughs won, 22-21.

Add flashbacks: Crespi quarterback Bill Canalez threw a pass that was intercepted by Redlands defensive back Gary Yesionek in the Celts’ 17-7 loss, but he can at least take solace in the fact that he is still two up on his predecessor, Ron Redell, now at Stanford.

In last season’s 28-6 loss to Redlands, Yesionek intercepted three Redell passes.

Flying high again: Saugus’ 30-12 win over South Pasadena marked the first time that the Centurions have reached the 30-point plateau in 13 games, dating a 37-22 win over Ridgecrest Burroughs in 1987.

Saugus junior Jeff Hickman, who took over at quarterback two weeks ago when starter Rob Weeg left the team because of personal reasons, passed for 131 yards and one touchdown.

Crossing the black-and-blue line: Last season, Chatsworth Coach Myron Gibford was faced with a decision--go with sophomore Tyler Johnston and build for the future, or try a short-term fix and use an older starter at quarterback.

Gibford chose Johnston and, statistically, he wound up the worst quarterback in the North Valley League, completing just 35 of 100 passes for no touchdowns and throwing 14 interceptions. Building for the future has its risks.

“I used him because I thought he’d be back,” Gibford said.

Guess again. Johnston is now attending a prep school in Minnesota--after receiving a hockey scholarship.

“I guess that was his real first love,” Gibford said.

Orlando of Florida returns: Todd Orlando, who played on the varsity basketball team at El Camino Real High as a sophomore but missed last season after moving to Florida to live with his father, is expected back at El Camino Real when school opens Tuesday, according to Coach Mike McNulty.

Orlando, a 6-foot senior guard, has the kind of perimeter shot that could have put the Conquistadores over the top last season. El Camino Real advanced to the City Section 3-A semifinals before losing to eventual champion Fremont.

“He’s a very good outside shooter,” said McNulty, who lost his starting guard tandem of Russell Reid and Jason Farrell to graduation.

Former El Camino Real assistant Jeff Davis, now coach at West Valley League rival Canoga Park, says Orlando probably makes El Camino Real the team to beat in league play.

“Todd has the ability to be a fantastic player,” Davis said. “When he’s on, he can just shoot the lights out. He could be the difference.”