Hart Puts Run Back in the Run-and-Shoot

In a game that figured to be a duel between two of the area’s top passers--Mike Kocicka of Hart and Kevin Crook of Westlake--Kocicka and Hart pulled a fast one.

The Indians abandoned their run-and-shoot offense and played pitch and draw. They ran the ball 44 times and passed only 13 en route to a 31-14 nonleague victory Friday night.

Kocicka ran the ball more than he threw, carrying 14 times for 32 yards and a touchdown as Hart put up 31 unanswered points in the second and third quarters.

Crook completed 16 of 28 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns. He also had two interceptions and misfired on seven consecutive passes in the third quarter.

Kocicka spared his arm but suffered bruised ribs and a bruised left thumb. He left the game in the second quarter with shortness of breath and blurred vision, but returned to throw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Ted Iacenda to give Hart a 17-7 lead at halftime.

All he had to do in the second half was hand off to Iacenda.

Iacenda, a 6-1, 200-pound sophomore, added two rushing touchdowns with 16 carries for 111 yards as Hart rushed 44 times for 248 yards.

“I was expecting us to pass,” Iacenda said, “but they were in man-to-man coverage. The line was blocking great. We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to run.”

Westlake (2-1) took a 7-0 lead by marching 77 yards in 10 plays on the game’s first possession. Crook’s 11-yard scoring pass to Billy Miller was set up by Jason Bedell’s 18-yard run.

But Hart (3-0) hit the Warriors with too many surprises. It ran the ball on its first six plays. Matt Kohl’s 38-yard field goal was all the Indians had to show for their first two drives, but they kept surprising Westlake.

A successful onside kick led to Iacenda’s six-yard scoring run that made it 10-7. Kocicka passed only four times in the second half, and Iacenda broke the game open on a 35-yard scoring run in the third quarter.