FOOTBALL ’94 / High School Coaches Show Off Their Tricks! : THE CHALLENGES / GAMES OF THE YEAR : Hart at the Heart of Area’s Toughest Schedules : Indians Don’t Face an Easy Season’s Road

It would be easy for Mike Herrington to say he concocted the brutally tough schedule the Hart High football team faces because he was confident the Indians can beat anyone.

The coach might think that, but it wasn’t his reason.

“We’ve had good success in the past few years so a lot of teams will not play us,” Herrington said. “So you wind up playing other teams who are in the same situation. . . .

“I’d like to have one tough game, one easy one, one tough one, one easy one, then another easy one.”

Easy ones are few and far between for the Indians, who are expected to again be one of the area’s top teams. Their schedule (see chart) includes defending Southern Section Division I champion Eisenhower and Marmonte League favorite Westlake. Both games are on the road.

The Indians also play Thousand Oaks, historically one of Ventura County’s best teams, and San Fernando, traditionally one of the City Section’s strongest teams. Hart’s most entertaining game might be against Palmdale, which runs a wide-open passing offense similar to Hart’s.

And that’s just the nonleague portion of the schedule.

Hart’s league opener is against Canyon--a game that marks the Foothill League debut for Cowboy Coach Larry Mohr, who took over after Harry Welch retired. But the game four weeks later against Saugus might be the one that determines the league champion.

“There’s nothing like a Hart-Canyon game,” Herrington said, “but Saugus is good, too. We have two rivals.”

Complicating matters, Hart’s home stadium at College of the Canyons was damaged in the earthquake, forcing the Indians to play at least the early portion of their home schedule at Canyon High.

One quirk of the Hart schedule, which includes four consecutive road games, is a trip to Palm Springs High during the Indians’ bye week from Foothill League play.

“Our booster club and parents are making a weekend out of it, making reservations for golf and shopping,” Herrington said. “But I’m not. We’ve got a game to play.”

Exciting high school football certainly isn’t limited to Hart’s schedule. Some other recommendations:

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Sylmar at Kennedy (Sept. 9): Bad blood is boiling. Kennedy Coach Bob Francola has criticized the strength of the Valley Pac-8 Conference and the rivalry heated up last fall when Kennedy assistant Tom Sams admitted hiding out and videotaping what he perceived to be an illegal practice at Sylmar.

After Sams turned over his tape to the City Section and Sylmar was placed on probation for the infraction, the Spartans and Golden Cougars played to a 7-7 tie.

Adding further friction to this year’s matchup, linebacker Erik Sweet transferred from Kennedy to Sylmar over the summer.

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Taft vs. Crespi (Sept. 9, Pierce College): Two of the area’s toughest defenses met last year and the game ended in a less-than-scintillating 3-0 victory for Taft. Toreador standout running back Jerry Brown, held to 38 yards last year, gets a chance to erase that memory. Crespi’s Shaun Williams, who rushed for 17 yards, won’t get another chance. He’s playing at UCLA.

Two of the better teams in the area, their campuses are only about two miles apart.

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Antelope Valley vs. Loyola (Oct. 1, Glendale High): Even though Antelope Valley was moved down to Division II of the Southern Section, the Antelopes will still have a chance to put a dent in one of Division I’s finest.

Coach Brent Newcomb’s Antelopes, who stunned top-seeded Bishop Amat in the quarterfinals last year, return running back Jermaine Lewis. He’s only 5-foot-7, but gained 1,612 yards. Loyola has advanced to the semifinals five of the last six years.

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Sylmar at Reseda (Oct. 14): Is Sylmar unbeatable under Jeff Engilman? Not if you ask Regent Coach Joel Schaeffer, whose team is back in the Valley Pac-8. Engilman has not defeated Schaeffer in three meetings. The two last met in 1989, before Reseda was moved to the Northwest Valley Conference. That loss cost Sylmar a league championship.

Since that setback, Sylmar has won 32 consecutive conference games.

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Westlake vs. Royal (Oct. 21, Moorpark College): These teams are in a class by themselves in the Marmonte League--meaning the winner of this game likely will be the champion. The key matchup: Westlake all-everything receiver Billy Miller and Royal’s Christian Broussard, one of the league’s best defensive backs.

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Santa Barbara at Ventura (Nov. 4): Enjoy a fast pace? These are the top teams in the Channel League, primarily because of their speed.

The quickest player on either side is Ventura receiver Ramsey Jay, who finished fourth in the 400 meters in the state track meet. He won the 200 and the 400 in the Channel League meet. Santa Barbara running back Phil Pipersberg won the Channel League 100 as a sophomore.

Be on the lookout for wind-aided touchdowns.

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Crespi at Bishop Amat (Nov. 4): Bishop Amat last season played at Del Rey League opponents Crespi and Alemany. This year, fans will have to make the drive to La Puente to see the Celts take on the No. 1-ranked team in the nation, according to in one preseason poll.

Crespi played a good first half against Bishop Amat last year, only to lose, 35-7. Crespi lost 10 starters on defense and Bishop Amat returns nine of its defensive starters, including blue-chip defensive back/running back Daylon McCutcheon, so this game might not be as close.

(On Oct. 29, Bishop Amat plays Loyola. Neither team is located in the region, but the game will be at Glendale High.)

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Moorpark vs. Nordhoff (Nov. 4, Ojai Valley Community Stadium): Small-time programs. Big-time running backs. Nordhoff’s Josh Hawkins and Moorpark’s Bryan Wilkins are Division I college prospects.

Last year, Wilkins scored in the fourth quarter to give Moorpark a dramatic 27-21 victory, all but sealing the league title. Wilkins finished that game with 223 yards and Hawkins with 190.

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Kennedy at Taft (Nov. 10): This is a matchup of the two best teams in the Northwest Valley Conference. The game should draw plenty of attention because it’s on a Thursday night, on the eve of Veterans’ Day.

The game will also feature one of the City Section’s top running back’s, Taft’s Brown, and one of the top quarterbacks, Kennedy’s Dan McMullen.

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Quartz Hill at Antelope Valley (Nov. 11): In the ninth week of last season, Quartz Hill’s Troy Searcy caught a bomb in the third quarter, giving the Rebels a victory over the Antelopes and sealing the Golden League title. Again this year, the winner is expected to be league champion.

Hart Schedule Date: Opponent Sept. 9: San Fernando at Canyon Sept. 15: Thou. Oaks at Canyon Sept. 23: At Westlake Sept. 30: Palmdale at Canyon Oct. 7: At Eisenhower Oct. 14: At Canyon Oct. 22: At Palm Springs Oct. 28: At Burbank Nov. 4: Burroughs at COC Nov. 11: Saugus at COC