Los Angeles Times 1995 All-Valley Football Team : COACH OF THE YEAR : Herrington Got Missing Pieces of Puzzle

Hart High School couldn’t have asked for more when it hired Mike Herrington to coach its varsity football team in 1989.

In seven seasons, he has won 82% of his games with a record of 74-16.

One would figure Herrington, 37, would have won a Southern Section championship or a coach-of-the-year award somewhere, but he hadn’t. Until now.

Herrington’s Indians upset Antelope Valley, 35-28, last Friday night to capture the Division II crown, avenging a 36-15 upset loss to the Antelopes in 1994 and finishing 12-2. For that, Herrington finally wins a coaching award.

“I’m really happy for my coaching staff and all the players,” he said.

Hart has eight players on the All-Valley team, including four on the first team, but Herrington could hardly relax on the sidelines against Antelope Valley, the most talented team in the area.

Instead, Herrington’s staff scrapped the team’s cornerstone run-and-shoot offense and added some wrinkles that helped the offense gain 13 first downs and allowed Ted Iacenda to rush for 163 yards and three touchdowns.

The idea came from offensive coordinator Dean Herrington, Mike’s younger brother who has been an assistant all seven years.

“That was a pretty good hire,” said Mike, whose other brother, Rick, is defensive coordinator.

Hart’s losses to Loyola and St. Louis of Hawaii can hardly be regarded as blemishes. Loyola reached the Division I championship game, and St. Louis won the state championship.

But Herrington had concerns after the season-opening, 38-33, loss in Honolulu, after which Hart made seven position changes on defense.

In the end, Herrington believed in a group of players who were mature and close to each other. But he was still prepared for a loss to Antelope Valley.

“The coaching staff was scared to death,” Herrington said. “We thought it was an impossible task. All we talked about was playing 48 minutes.

“They had their minds made up that this is what they wanted.”