Boller Passes First Test by Throwing for 5 Hart Touchdowns

Pressure? What pressure?

After being hyped by nearly everyone in sight all summer and throughout the preseason, the expectations on quarterback Kyle Boller of Hart High entering the opener against Quartz Hill on Friday night were almost unrealistic.

But Boller, in his first varsity start, responded like a veteran, completing 24 of 40 passes for 410 yards and five touchdowns and rushing for another, leading the Indians to a 49-13 nonleague victory over Quartz Hill.

Boller, touted as perhaps the best quarterback in the history of Hart, was nearly flawless. He looked comfortable in the pocket, looked off covered receivers and found open teammates where there didn’t seem to be any.

“We’ve been practicing together and running seven on seven forever,” said receiver Jerry Owens of Hart, who caught nine passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns. “I was wanting to see what he could do in a game and he impressed me.”

Even Hart coaches couldn’t help but watch in amazement as the 6-foot-3, 190-pound senior quarterback dazzled the crowd with an unending aerial assault.

Hart had only 17 running plays, seven in the final two minutes.

“Maybe we’re setting the run up for the future,” Hart Coach Mike Herrington quipped. “Kyle did a real good job. We knew he had the capabilities, the question was whether he would be too nervous.”

Boller said he started out nervous, but when the Hart line showed it would protect him, he said he felt at ease.

“The line did awesome,” Boller said. “I was a little nervous at first but they did a great job. I was just hoping to get the win.”

More nervous was Owens, who has been as highly touted as Boller and is coming off an All-Southern Section season. But he shook those nerves with a 64-yard return on the opening kickoff.

“I almost threw up before the game,” Owens said. “That’s never happened to me. But I thought about the pressure last year and I let it get me down. This year I’m just going to play.”

Hart took a 35-13 halftime lead when Boller threaded a bullet through a defender to a sliding Owens for a seven-yard touchdown.

While the Hart offense was in midseason form, the defense came out a little shaky.

Quarterback Clifton Herbert of Quartz Hill, a 5-8, 160-pound scrambler who squeezed through enough holes to gain 129 yards in 12 carries, including runs of 24, 34 and 42 yards. He also had a one-yard touchdown that tied the score, 7-7, in the first quarter.

Hart scored 21 unanswered points in the second half and had a 28-7 lead with 7:10 left in the half.