Passing the Torch for Hart

The ghosts of Hart football championships past roamed the sidelines as the Indians did a good imitation of their predecessors with a 45-14 victory over Granada Hills on Thursday night at College of the Canyons.

Hart’s 1986 CIF championship team was honored in a halftime ceremony and Ted Iacenda of last season’s Division III champion casually conversed with Indian coaches throughout the game.

Quarterback Travis Carroll passed for 275 yards and two touchdowns. He added 55 yards and a touchdown rushing.

Iacenda’s replacement, Chris Wright, rushed for only 34 yards but caught three passes for 100 yards and a touchdown.

“I just wanted to show we can come out here and win,” Carroll said. “I don’t think we were nervous with [all the past players] here. We just wanted to win.”

Carroll wasted little time in making fans forget Steve McKeon at quarterback when he scrambled 28 yards for a touchdown on the Indians’ fourth play from scrimmage.

“It surprised me too,” Carroll said. “When you have big guys like that after you you can run a lot faster.”

Cody Joyce, who had six catches for 78 yards, caught a 15-yard pass for a touchdown with 4:43 left in the first half for a 28-0 lead that stood until halftime.

Joyce added a one-yard scoring run two minutes into the second half.

“This will make us a better team in the long run,” Granada Hills Coach Brad Ratcliff said.

Granada Hills had 176 yards in seven kick returns but could do nothing with the field position, missing a 35-yard field goal and turning the ball over on downs at the Hart 31 trailing, 14-0, with 9:31 left in the first half.

Ricky Mathiesen threw for 134 yards and two touchdowns, both in the second half.