Hart’s Connors Passes for Record 442 Yards

Ryan Connors and Hart High’s celebrated passing attack soared to new heights Friday night at College of the Canyons. Hart moved the ball virtually at will against visiting Palmdale to claim a 33-14 nonleague victory.

For the third time in as many games this season, Connors treated the football like a hot potato, completing 25 of 39 passes for a school-record 442 yards and five touchdowns against a defense that was unable to sack him or make an interception.

Connors’ performance pushed him over the 1,000-yard mark for the season, giving him three-game totals of 139 attempts, 77 completions and 1,177 yards and evoking inevitable comparisons to storied Hart quarterbacks of years past.

“Week by week, it gets easier to operate,” the 6-foot-1, 180-pound Connors said of Hart’s no-huddle offense, which rolled up 15 first downs and 489 total yards. “It’s fun to be a quarterback in this offense. I know the numbers are up there by (Jim) Bonds and (Rob) Westervelt. With our offense, I know I’m going to get a lot of yards.”

Hart (2-1) went for the knockout early and kept slugging. Connors capped two lengthy drives with touchdown passes to Aron Miyata (23 yards) and Deriek Charles (17 yards) to give the Indians a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter.

After the second touchdown, Hart lofted an onside kick and recovered at Palmdale’s 31-yard line. Two plays later, Charles caught a quick pass and bolted 16 yards for a touchdown.

Connors, who passed for 361 yards before halftime, hit Ted Kiester for a 17-yard touchdown to give Hart a 26-0 lead at intermission.

Palmdale (0-3) moved the ball successfully on the ground, totaling 194 yards. Fullback Danny Morris, a recent transfer from Maryland, led all rushers with 98 yards in 21 carries and scored a third-quarter touchdown on a three-yard smash.

Palmdale quarterback Terrence Zenno passed for only 43 yards, completing three of six, and spent much of the game under pressure. But Hart Coach Mike Herrington wasn’t satisfied with a 26-point halftime lead and kept Connors in the game until midway through the fourth quarter.

“We play full out for one half and then at least one series for the second half,” Herrington said. “That’s our offense.”

Connors threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to Charles to give Hart a 33-0 lead early in the third quarter. Charles caught nine passes for 143 yards and three touchdowns.

Palmdale scored its first touchdown on a 25-yard pass from Zenno to Tywann Gaines in the third quarter before Morris added a touchdown five minutes later.

Connors seemingly had his fifth first-half touchdown pass in the bag in the final seconds of the second quarter when he fired a 64-yard bomb to Doug Distaso. However, Distaso, who finished with five catches for 143 yards, was tackled from behind at the five-yard line and fumbled the ball into the end zone and Palmdale recovered for a touchback.