Hart Stops Big Burbank Rally to Post 41-29 Victory

Hart High cocked its run-and-shoot offense and repeatedly blasted host Burbank on Friday night at Burroughs High.

Trouble was, the Bulldogs kept getting up and coming back for more.

Despite another prolific performance by senior quarterback Ryan Connors--who passed for 298 yards and four touchdowns--and a four-touchdown performance by tailback Deriek Charles, Hart (4-3, 2-0 in league play) had to use all of its weapons to claim a 41-29 Foothill League victory.

Connors, who completed 25 of 39 passes, had a head-spinning third quarter in which he completed 14 of 16 for 180 yards and two touchdowns. That helped Hart extend a 14-13 halftime lead into a seemingly insurmountable 34-13 lead after three quarters.

In one stretch, Connors completed 10 of 11, hitting five different receivers to lead the Indians to two touchdowns in a little more than three minutes.

Charles, who played with a sore shoulder sustained in last week’s game, caught touchdown passes of 11 and 17 yards and ran one and seven yards for his other scores.

“I felt kinda slow,” said Charles, who rushed for 84 yards in nine carries and had seven catches for 63 yards. “Adrenaline took away most of the pain.”

But Burbank (3-4, 0-2), which held 7-0 and 13-7 leads, battled back with two fourth-quarter touchdowns--and followed both with two-point conversions--to make the score respectable.

Quarterback Bryon Linville led the comeback. He rushed for a game-high 90 yards, including a 30-yard scramble for a touchdown with a little less than two minutes to play.

“We made about five mistakes and that’s what cost us the game,” Burbank Coach Randy Stage said. “As you can see, it didn’t take them long to get from 14 to 41. But we refused to die.”

By Stage’s order, Burbank players also refused to shake hands with their opponents after the game. According to Stage, at least one Hart player slapped a Burbank player after last season’s game between the schools.