Hart’s Iacenda Runs Over San Fernando, 41-18

If San Fernando Coach Sean Blunt and his staff wake up today with heartburn and indigestion, there might be a good reason. Hart punched their Tigers in the gut repeatedly in a season-opening 41-18 victory Friday night at Canyon High.

“The gut,” in football terminology, is the middle of the line and the center of the playing field. That’s where Hart, led by junior running back Ted Iacenda’s five touchdowns, hammered San Fernando.

The Indians scored on their first three possessions, Iacenda running up the middle 12 yards for the first touchdown, quarterback Steve McKeon going 12 yards on a sneak for the second and Iacenda prancing untouched over center for the third.

“We weren’t going to run,” Iacenda said. “But what can I say? I got really great blocking by my line. The holes were just huge.”

Hart, with its run-and-shoot passing attack, had San Fernando playing a soft 5-3 defense. The Tigers often rushed only three men while concerning themselves with deep and crossing pass patterns.

“They were giving us the run,” Hart offensive coordinator Dean Herrington said. “They were dropping deep.”

Virtually all of Hart’s 301 yards of offense (120 rushing yards for Iacenda in nine carries, 111 yards for McKeon, who completed seven of 16 passes) went straight up the middle.

Iacenda, who had 19 touchdowns as a sophomore last season, also caught four passes for 74 yards.

San Fernando quarterback Keijuan Douglas was nearly a one-man show, completing five of 12 passes for 86 yards and rushing 19 times for 164. But none of his heroics--including a dazzling 66-yard scoring run--mattered much after Hart built a 35-0 lead by halftime.

“I had to make something happen,” Douglas said. “I’m no Leon Blunt (the Tigers’ quarterback last year who now plays for Notre Dame). But I got to do what I got to do. I had to step up.”

Midway through the third quarter, Douglas escaped a shirt tackle by Aaron Curd behind the line of scrimmage and weaved up the field for the touchdown.

San Fernando piled up 363 yards, all but 86 on the ground, but was penalized 15 times for 123 yards.

It took Hart only three plays on each of its first three possessions to pierce San Fernando for scores.

ANOTHER PHOTO: C14