Crescenta Valley Stops the Hart Beat

Tired of all the talk about what Hart High’s powerful football team would do to them in the Southern Section playoffs, the Crescenta Valley Falcons promised themselves they would at least earn the Indians’ respect.

Crescenta Valley’s defense vowed to slow the Indians’ vaunted run-and-shoot offense, and the offense promised scores of its own.

Both sides held up their ends of the agreement in upsetting Hart, 13-7, Friday night in the quarterfinals of the Division II playoffs before about 7,000 at Glendale High.

“We did it both on offense and defense, just like we said we would,” said quarterback David Fielder, who engineered the upset. “All week long we read in the papers that they were going to come down here and just toy with us.

“I guess that didn’t happen, huh?”

Falcon linebacker Victor Huezo intercepted two of Davis Delmatoff’s passes, including the final one at the Crescenta Valley four-yard line with 41 seconds to play. Delmatoff completed 11 of 24 for 152 yards.

Crescenta Valley (11-1) will play Los Alamitos on Saturday in the semifinals.

Hart ended the season 11-1. The Indians were ranked first in The Times’ regional poll throughout most of the regular season, and entered the game with a No. 10 ranking by Cal-Hi Sports.

The Falcons’ game plan on offense was to keep the ball out of the hands of the Hart offense, which had been easier said than done before Friday. Hart entered the game with averages of 38.6 points and 420 yards, each figure tops among area teams.

Crescenta Valley, which ended the season ranked first among area Southern Section teams in defense, forced Hart into six turnovers by using an aggressive, blitzing defense. Delmatoff, who entered the game with a state-leading 36 touchdown passes, was held without a touchdown and committed five turnovers--three interceptions and two fumbles.

“We had a lot of yardage, but you won’t win with six turnovers,” Hart Coach Mike Herrington said. “You have to give them a lot of credit, but we just didn’t hold on to the ball.”

The Falcons’ offense did its part by perfectly executing a ball-control attack.

Fielder completed eight of 19 passes for one touchdown and led the Falcons on three time-consuming scoring drives. Fielder, the team’s kicker, booted a 39-yard field goal to put Crescenta Valley ahead, 10-7, on the first possession after halftime. The kick capped a 16-play drive that spanned 8 minutes 52 seconds of the third quarter.

Fielder ended the game’s scoring with a 32-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, capping a six-minute, 14-play drive. Hart’s offense had the ball twice in the second half.

Tailback Deriek Charles led the Indians on a charge in the fourth quarter that fell short when Delmatoff’s pass was intercepted. After Fielder’s last field goal, Charles returned the kickoff 45 yards to the Falcons’ 45.

Charles (12 carries, 80 yards) carried four times for 29 yards on the drive, helping Hart reach Crescenta Valley’s 14. However, a motion penalty called on the offensive line backed the Indians to the 19 with 55 seconds to play. Delmatoff threw an interception on the next play, and the Falcons ran out the clock.

“We did exactly what we had to do to win--we kept the ball away from them,” said running back-linebacker Paul Lopez, who led the Falcons with 58 yards in 14 carries. “They are a great team, I know they were surprised by what we did to them.”

The Indians found themselves in an unfamiliar position at halftime, tied with the Falcons, 7-7.

Hart, which entered the game having outscored opponents, 425-72, led at the half in its previous 11 games.

Crescenta Valley opened the scoring in the first quarter on a 15-yard touchdown pass from Fielder to Brett Miller with 5 minutes 52 seconds remaining. The pass ended a 46-yard drive after a fumble by Charles.