Canyon Ends Hart’s Mastery, 14-7 : High school football: Third-quarter touchdown provides Cowboys’ first win over Indians since ’86.

Perhaps Canyon High was especially motivated to win one for Coach Harry Welch, who announced Thursday that this season will be his last. Perhaps the Cowboys were out to show everyone in the Santa Clarita Valley that they would not stand for four consecutive losses to archrival Hart.

Or perhaps Canyon is just a slightly better football team.

Whatever the reason, Canyon defeated Hart, 14-7, Friday night at College of the Canyons before a standing-room-only crowd of about 10,000.

David McDivitt’s 52-yard run from the 20-yard line late in the third quarter inspired an otherwise listless Canyon offense, setting the stage for reserve tailback Mark Santos’ two carries for 26 yards. Those, in turn, set the stage for McDivitt’s one-yard plunge with 1 minute 6 seconds left in the third quarter for the difference in the game.

McDivitt finished with 118 yards on 21 carries.

“We were on such a high last week,” said Welch, referring to a 40-0 triumph over Honolulu St. Louis, winner of 55 consecutive games. “It would be impossible to duplicate that intensity level. But we were looking for a spark somewhere, and David provided it.”

The Canyon defense stiffened when Hart, after intercepting a Kevin Bialas pass, moved to the Canyon 11-yard line with 4:05 to play.

On second down, Hart tailback Jami Wolocko took a pitch from quarterback Ryan Connors and set up for an option pass to Doug Distaso. But Canyon defensive back Joe McKeon made a one-handed interception at the one-yard line to kill Hart’s final threat.

“I was playing the run,” McKeon said. “But when he set up, I saw it and jumped up. There it was.”

Canyon thus took its first win over Hart since 1986--a meaningful one, too, considering Welch’s announcement earlier in the week.

The coach, however, remained unsentimental.

“We had too many distractions,” Welch said. “We played much less intensely than we would like. And that’s my fault. I allowed the interruptions to get in the way.”

Hart quarterback Ryan Connors was 17 of 31 for 177 yards and tight end George Kase caught six passes for 61 yards.

Canyon spent precious little time with the ball in the first half but escaped with a 7-7 tie at halftime.

The Cowboys’ only score of the half came from a grievous Hart turnover. With fans still settling in their seats early in the game, Hart punter Distaso, standing at the 15-yard line, let a long center snap slip through his fingers.

Canyon took over on the one-yard line and McDivitt plunged across the goal line with 5:31 left in the first quarter. It was 7-0, Canyon.

Hart dominated time of possession thereafter as junior quarterback Connors, behind a mammoth front line, picked apart Canyon’s defense with short passes and rollout runs.

Hart received its big break of the first half when Canyon was called for clipping on a Hart punt, giving the Indians the ball on their own 46-yard line.

From there, Hart marched down the field with the short-pass, quick-run combination orchestrated by Connors.

A one-yard run by Tucker Setterberg capped the drive with 10:22 left in the first half to tie the score, 7-7.