Connors Sets Passing Mark in Hart Win Over El Dorado

Hart High’s Ryan Connors made the biggest pass of his career Friday night against El Dorado in the first round of the Southern Section Division III football playoffs.

But the Indians’ defense made the biggest play of the season, turning visiting El Dorado away inside the 10-yard line with 34 seconds to play to preserve a 33-26 come-from-behind victory at College of the Canyons.

On fourth down, a pair of Hart defenders broke up quarterback Jim Beck’s pass in the end zone to thwart a 73-yard drive that began with three minutes to play. It was the decisive play of a game in which the lead changed hands four times.

And Hart, for perhaps the first time this season, needed every one of Connors’ 284 passing yards.

Connors, the state’s leading passer, completed 15 of 28 passes for two touchdowns--including a 68-yard game-winning bomb to Doug Distaso with six minutes to play that gave Connors the Southern Section single-season passing record with 3,484 yards.

For Hart (8-3), which will face the winner of tonight’s Chaminade-El Modena game in the second round, it was hardly the kind of blowout the team has enjoyed several times this season.

El Dorado (5-6), the at-large entry from the Empire League, led, 12-8, after one quarter and 19-16 after three.

Senior running back Eric Ayala rushed for 136 yards and two touchdowns in 25 carries, including an eight-yard burst with seven minutes to play to give the Golden Hawks a 26-23 lead. Two plays later, however, Connors connected with Distaso for the deciding score. Tim Cronk added a 34-yard field goal with four minutes left.

“We didn’t think we were going to roll over them,” Connors said. “We came out here knowing they were going to play us tough.”

Connors got right to work, hitting Carlos Cardenas with a 47-yard bomb on the game’s first play. That set up a one-yard touchdown run by reserve tailback Mike Neil to gave Hart a 6-0 lead.

Four minutes later, Hart took an 8-0 lead by throwing fullback Spencer Frost for a one-yard loss in the end zone.

Two interceptions by Blayne Leitner set up two touchdowns to give El Dorado a 12-8 lead at halftime. The first score came on a four-yard pass from Beck to tight end Mike Roth. Beck later hit Leitner with a 26-yard touchdown pass.

Hart scored 17 points in the fourth quarter. Neil dived one-yard for a touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter to give Hart a 23-19 lead.