THE HIGH SCHOOLS / STEVE ELLING : Hart’s Herrington Brothers Turn Domicile Into Screening Room

It is a bachelor pad, to be sure.

The three brothers Herrington admit that the house they share in Valencia isn’t as spotless as it could be. Things tend to stack up, especially this time of year.

Who does the dishes?

“Nobody,” said Mike Herrington, the football coach at Hart High.

Clutter is the order of the day in this fraternity.

“There’s always time for cleaning, just not during football season,” Herrington said.

They might get around to tidying up about December, but don’t bet on it. When it comes to the Herringtons and the likelihood of cleaning up, it’s three men and a maybe. Game videotapes are stacked all over the TV set. One that will get considerable attention is the film from Friday’s head-spinning, 32-27 victory over Santa Clarita Valley rival Canyon.

Herrington shares the house with two brothers, Dean and Rick, his assistants at Hart. There have been those who have questioned the sanity of three grown men living under the same roof. In fact, a Canyon assistant--throwing a barb in the brothers’ direction--once accused the Herringtons of sitting around the TV all day “playing Nintendo.”

Not even close. Those are game cassettes, not game cartridges. Super Mario Bros. has been replaced by Super Herrington Bros.

Dean pushed the offensive buttons against Canyon and Hart ruled the day with a no-huddle, run-and-shoot offense that rolled up 388 passing yards. The strategy, well, Harried the Canyon defense.

“I definitely was not expecting the no-huddle,” Canyon Coach Harry Welch said.

Neither was Mike Herrington who, like Welch, didn’t know what was coming next.

“Sometimes I don’t know what (Dean) is doing,” Mike said. “I just get out of his way and let him roll.”

Hart quarterback Ryan Connors, who threw four touchdown passes, was rolling sevens all night. Canyon tried a zone defense in the first half, then started blitzing in the second, trying to pressure Connors into making poor defensive reads and hurried throws.

“It’s a terrific high school offense and they have the right personnel to run it,” said Welch, who has a career record of 100-20-1 but is 5-5 against Hart. “The Hart coaches and players have created a monster.”

A monstrous rhubarb involving Connors, prompted by a Canyon protest of an official’s ruling, might have changed the face of the game.

In the first half Connors, who also started at defensive back, struck Canyon receiver Clint Jones in the helmet and was called for a personal foul. Welch claims that a review of game film indicates that the official who called the penalty twice threw his thumb in the air, signaling that Connors had been ejected.

The Canyon bench erupted in unison: Connors is out of the game!

The ejection never materialized, however, leaving some to wonder whether the referees backed off once they realized that Connors was not just another defensive back.

“He threw his thumb in the air like an umpire signaling strike three,” said Welch, who said he has viewed the play on videotape shot from two different angles.

Welch said he later was told by the official who threw the flag that he was “overruled by the umpire.” Saturday, Welch produced a directive from the National High School Federation that states, among other rules clarifications and revisions for 1991, that the penalty for intentionally swinging or kicking at an opponent is 15 yards and disqualification. Contact is not requisite for ejection.

Mike Herrington admitted that it is risky to use Connors both ways.

“He’s probably one of the best defensive backs around,” Herrington said. “I’m scared every time he runs out there, but when you play our schedule you need all the help you can get.”

As for the personal foul, Herrington said he was disappointed that Connors, who Herrington said had become frustrated, committed the foul. Herrington said time stood still as the officials sorted out the implications of the flag. “I was a little nervous,” Herrington said. “We should never (be penalized for) that kind of penalty.”

Even with Connors at the helm, Canyon almost pulled out a victory. Trailing by the final margin, the Cowboys drove into scoring position. But sophomore running back Ed Williams--who gained 204 yards in 24 carries--fumbled at the Hart six with 2 minutes 8 seconds remaining. “It may have been one carry too many,” said Welch, who earlier had substituted Andy Cleland for Williams. “I honestly thought we were going to score and take the lead.

“Of course, Hart still had some time left, so whether we would have won, I don’t know.”

As it was, there were a combined eight lead changes and tie scores in the contest. All in all, just another Hart-Canyon nail biter. If there weren’t enough fireworks for some of the 8,000 in attendance at College of the Canyons, the teams are expected to play in the same league next fall.

That should make for a house so crowded, even the Herringtons might squirm.

Injury report: The injury to Glendale tailback Pathon Rucker, who gained 1,878 yards last season, is not considered serious.

Rucker suffered an injury to his left shoulder in Glendale’s 30-28 loss to Alhambra on Thursday. Precautionary X-rays were taken but no damage was found, according to Coach Don Shoemaker.

The injury was diagnosed as a deep bruise and Rucker is expected to be sidelined for at least a game.

Ian Jewitt, a sophomore linebacker from Palmdale who suffered a neck injury in the Falcons’ 34-8 loss to Muir, was treated and released Friday from Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena after X-rays showed there was no damage, a hospital spokesman said.

Ultimate comeback: Crespi defensive back Dereck Williams attended Serra as a freshman, and during Friday’s game against the Cavaliers he heard more than a few pointed reminders of his change of uniform from his former mates. Williams, in fact, said that several Serra players were “talking a lot of trash.”

Williams’ response: Que serra, serra. He answered in his own fashion, returning a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown as Crespi pounded the Cavaliers, 42-18.

“We haven’t had anybody running ‘em back 99 yards since old No. 4 was here,” Crespi Coach Tim Lins said, referring to former All-American Russell White, now a tailback at Cal. “If then.”

Not everyone was quite as coolheaded as Williams. Crespi’s sophomore center, Andrew Gardener, had a huge case of stage fright in his varsity debut. As quarterback Cody Smith bent over center to take Crespi’s first snap, it felt like Gardener was riding in an earth mover.

“On the first snap, his knees were knocking so bad you could see them shaking,” Lins said. “Smith leans over and says, ‘What’s wrong with you?’

“Gardener looked back and says, ‘I’m nervous.’ ”

So edgy, in fact, that Crespi was flagged for illegal procedure when Gardener moved the ball before the first snap. Soon enough, though, Gardener and Co. plowed Serra under, handing the Cavaliers their first regular-season loss since 1988.