HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS : SOUTHERN SECTION DIVISION II : Hart Sticks to Its Plan, Wins, 35-28

Hart High beat Antelope Valley, 35-28, to win the Southern Section Division II football championship Friday night at Antelope Valley.

The underdog Indians avenged a 36-15 loss to the Antelopes in the 1994 title game in which Hart, the favorite, committed four turnovers in the first half while playing on its home field, College of the Canyons.

This time Antelope Valley was playing at home in front of about 6,000 and getting shocked after it pulled out to a 21-7 lead in the second quarter.

Hart scored four consecutive touchdowns and shut out the Antelopes for 16 minutes.

Hart’s 28-point run started with Ted Iacenda rushing 13 yards for a touchdown late in the second quarter to make it 21-14 at halftime.

Iacenda, who scored three touchdowns to end his high-school career with 95, tied the game, 21-21, by breaking loose on a 45-yard run with the Indians facing fourth down and three yards to go.

“This is big time . . . big time,” said Iacenda, who rushed for 163 yards in 30 carries.

Hart quarterback Steve McKeon completed eight of 10 passes for 163 yards. Cody Joyce caught four of them for 115.

Jermaine Lewis rushed for 270 yards and two touchdowns in 28 carries and did everything he could to help Antelope Valley repeat.

“I’m in shock right now,” Lewis said. “What you live for in high school football is to play in a game like this. [But] when you’re a senior, all you really want to do is win.”

Lewis finished the season with 2,511 yards and 34 touchdowns.

Each team committed only one turnover. Hart (12-2) rolled up 357 yards and 15 first downs. Antelope Valley (12-2), which averaged 10 yards a play in the first half, finished with 389 yards and 13 first downs.

If there was a surprise, it was Hart’s seeming abandonment of the run-and-shoot in favor of a ball-control attack.

“The key was ball control, nothing more,” McKeon said.

“We couldn’t stop them,” said Antelope Coach Brent Newcomb, who is contemplating retirement. “We made the mistakes this year. And give them credit. They studied some game film.”