Hart Loses Snap Decision

In a special game filled with special players, it was only fitting it would come down to a play on special teams.

When Hart High, ranked No. 7 in the state, botched a field-goal attempt because of a bad snap with 15 seconds remaining, Loyola, ranked No. 8, escaped with a 23-22 nonleague victory Saturday night at Glendale High.

After John Grady bulled through the Hart defense for a five-yard touchdown and quarterback Chris Peterson ran in the two-point conversion to give Loyola (5-0) the lead, Hart started a drive at its own 28 with 1:45 left.

Kyle Boller, Hart’s quarterback, twice completed passes on fourth down during the drive, one to Jared Bazar for 19 yards with 1:09 remaining and another to Jerry Owens for 22 yards to the Loyola seven-yard line with 22 seconds left.

The Indians (3-2) tried two more passes, one fell incomplete and the other gave the Hart four yards on a pass interference call.

Hart lined up for a 20-yard field goal, but the snap sailed high and J.J. Nese of Loyola recovered.

Hart’s Kirk Bardin missed a 23-yard field goal wide right and Hart failed on two extra points, one because of a similar problem with the snap.

“Special teams killed us,” Hart Coach Mike Herrington said. “They beat teams right and left with special teams and the last few times we’ve played right with them, but not tonight.”

Hart took a 3-0 lead on Bardin’s 24-yard field goal just before halftime, but what appeared to be a dull game quickly had the estimated 3,000 fans on their feet.

Justin Wesson of Loyola blocked Boller’s punt and the Cubs got the ball at the Indians’ 23. Four plays later, Peterson found tight end John Guthrie for a nine-yard touchdown pass.

Hart answered with a six-play, 78-yard drive set up by a 41-yard pass play from Boller to Owens and capped with an eight-yard strike between the same pair to take a 9-7 Hart lead.

Loyola marched 68 yards in eight plays, all runs, and took a 15-9 lead on Grady’s two-yard touchdown.

Hart answered.

Boller and Owens connected for a 44-yard play to set up a four-yard touchdown run by Boller and a Hart led, 16-15, with 11:54 to play.

Hart caught the Cubs off guard with an onside kick, and Owens recovered, leading to a 13-yard touchdown pass from Boller to Owens and Hart stretched the lead to 22-15.

“Football games don’t get much better than this,” said Grady, who rushed for 130 yards in 24 carries.

A newspaper predicted Hart would win, 48-16. Loyola took that as an insult.

“We saw those articles,” Grady said. “We wanted them to see that we were a good team.”

Herrington never had a doubt.

“That [prediction] gave them so much motivation,” said the disgruntled coach.

Boller finished with 359 yards and on 22 of 41 passes. Owens caught 12 for 204 yards.