Kyle Matter and Manuel white, Step Aside. In Tonight’s Foothill Showdown Between Hart and Valencia, the Defenses Take Center Stage. It’s . . . : D-DAY

Defense wins championships.

A cliche in the world of team sports, but words of wisdom which bear repeating for good reason.

Just ask any defender in the Santa Clarita Valley football showdown at 7 tonight between Hart and Valencia highs at College of the Canyons.

Hart hopes to extend its 40-game Foothill League winning streak. Valencia is aiming to end it.

Winner takes sole possession of first place.

But this game, which is expected to draw 12,000 fans, is less about two of the region’s most productive, highly publicized offenses than it is about two suffocating defenses.

Neither team has had trouble scoring. Hart is averaging 41 points a game, Valencia 38.

Yet it’s the defenses that have made the biggest impact. Hart (7-0, 2-0 in league play) is allowing 183.9 yards and 9.3 points a game, Valencia (6-1, 2-0) 191.3 and 10.6.

But both have their work cut out tonight.

Can Hart stop senior tailback Manuel White, who ran for 215 yards and two touchdowns against the Indians as a sophomore?

Will the play-calling of Harry Welch, a Valencia assistant for the last two games, be the difference for the Vikings, who have scored 134 points in those games?

Valencia’s defensive task is no less daunting.

Pass-happy Hart proved it can move the ball on the ground, rushing for 295 yards last week against Burroughs. Can Valencia afford to blitz often and cover the pass at the expense of its run defense?

These are the questions swirling in the minds of defensive coordinators Rick Herrington of Hart and Larry Muir of Valencia.

Herrington, whose defenses have allowed as many as 25 points against Valencia in 1997 and as few as seven in 1996, is expecting a different kind of game this time for one reason: Welch, whose battles against Hart date to the early 1980s when he was head coach at Canyon.

“It’s a little harder with Harry calling the plays now,” Herrington said. “We still expect him to throw a little more . . . but we plan on [White] getting the ball 40 to 45 times and we’re just hoping we can hold our own.”

White had 25 carries in each of the last two games against Hart.

“[White] is going to get some yards, we know that and the players know that,” Herrington said. “But hopefully we can minimize it a little bit.”

Hart’s defense isn’t as big as usual, but shorter and smaller has its advantages.

“We’re a little quicker on defense than years past because we flow to the ball a little better,” Herrington said.

UCLA-bound Patrick Norton is the centerpiece of one of the region’s finest linebacker corps.

At 5 feet 11 and 160 pounds, Chad Carlson is the smallest of the Hart linebackers, but he leads the team with 46 tackles.

Nose guard Peter Dubsky, with 37 tackles and a team-high seven sacks, plugs the middle.

“But we haven’t had to tackle one of [Valencia’s] guys yet,” Herrington said.

With White healthy and coming off a 274-yard, seven-touchdown performance in only 14 carries against Burbank, Valencia isn’t likely to drop back to pass very often.

When the Vikings attempt to throw, Hart defensive tackle Evan Allen will be salivating. He has eight pass deflections and five sacks.

On the flip side, Valencia has to prepare to defend one of the most explosive, well-coached offenses in region history.

“It just gets harder and harder [to prepare for], I think the offense should be outlawed,” Muir cracked. “They do so many things so well.”

Valencia’s swarming defense appears up to the task, having improved steadily since a 27-13 victory over Highland in its opener.

“Our first game, we didn’t play particularly well,” Muir said. “But we’ve gotten better each week.

“We’re just going to try to play with the same toughness as we’ve played with in the last few weeks, with the same intensity and effort. And then whatever happens, happens.”

UCLA-bound Ray Cassaday anchors the Viking defense at inside linebacker. Equally valuable is junior Kaelen Jakes, who played defensive end last year before being switched to nose guard this season.

“We wanted to get him a little closer to the action so guys can’t run away from him,” Muir said.

Said Jakes: “Hart is just a team you want to go after because of who they are.”

Cassaday and Jakes have combined for 11 sacks, with linebacker Zack Gampe leading the team with seven. Valencia has 32 sacks in seven games.

Defensive back Peter Fernandez is the Vikings’ leading tackler with 30. Linebacker Marc Stockland has 23.

Looking forward to their sternest tests of the year are defensive backs Fernandez, Zack Sapp, Stephen Stokes and Cheyne Flatt, who have combined for six interceptions.

Valencia coaches and players are keeping a tight grip on their emotions leading up to the game, mindful of not putting too much emphasis on one game.

Although this is the Vikings’ best team, they are respectful of a rival that has owned Santa Clarita Valley football through the 1990s.

“The only thought I have is for us to do what we’re supposed to be doing,” Coach Brian Stiman of Valencia said. “If they do that, we’re OK.

“It’s a big game for us. It’s a big game for them. But the more you keep it in perspective, the better off you’ll be.”

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DOMINATING DEFENSES

Tonight’s game between Hart and Valencia features two of the region’s best defenses. A closer look:

WEEK 1

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SCHOOL OPPONENT PTS RUSH PASS TOTAL AV/YRD AV/PTS Hart Quartz Hill 18 155 46 201 201.0 18.0 Valencia Highland 13 119 113 232 232.0 13.0 WEEK 2 Hart Thousand Oaks 7 104 83 187 194.0 12.5 Valencia Peninsula 21 155 97 252 242.0 17.0 WEEK 3 Hart Sylmar 12 131 61 192 193.3 12.3 Valencia Oxnard 13 74 155 229 237.7 15.7 WEEK 4 Hart Palmdale 0 -17 107 90 167.5 9.3 Valencia Chatsworth 12 58 162 220 233.3 14.8 WEEK 5 Hart Loyola 7 59 109 168 167.6 8.8 Valencia Quartz Hill 0 75 1 76 201.8 11.8 WEEK 6 Hart Saugus 3 20 111 131 161.5 7.8 Valencia Burroughs 8 58 90 148 193.0 11.2 WEEK 7 Hart Burroughs 18 177 141 318 183.9 9.3 Valencia Burbank 7 56 126 182 191.3 10.6

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