Hart Makes It Four in a Row

When it was over, Valencia High was nothing more than another blip on the continuum of success for Newhall Hart.

The Vikings kept things interesting for a quarter before the Indians did their winning thing, 42-13, Friday before an overflow crowd of about 9,000 at College of the Canyons. The victory gave Hart its fourth consecutive Southern Section Division III championship.

Quarterback Matt Moore threw four touchdown passes and ran for a score as the second-seeded Indians (13-0) extended their winning streak to 22 games and defeated Foothill League rival Valencia (11-3) for the second time this season.

“I’m feeling so excited right now,” said Moore, whose next stop is UCLA. “I’m enjoying it.”

After the game, Hart players lifted injured running back Tim Gregory onto their shoulders, and Gregory, who was lost for the season after tearing a knee ligament against Valencia in Week 7, hoisted a crutch high in the air in celebration. Indian fans exulted, while wearing their “Not then ... Not Now ... Not Ever!” T-shirts, a not-so-subtle nod to Hart’s 8-0 all-time record against Valencia.

The outcome was never in doubt as Hart took a 28-0 third-quarter lead. Moore completed 14 of 18 passes for 274 yards and ran for 99 yards, including a 49-yard touchdown early in the second quarter.

“He runs the ball, takes the big hit and puts the ball on the money,” Valencia Coach Brian Stiman said of Moore.

Valencia, which lost, 26-0, in the teams’ first meeting this season, was led by junior running back Charles Burnley, who rushed for 159 yards in 18 carries. Burnley, a junior, ran the ball well in spurts but was never able to get in sync after breaking out on a 65-yard run early in the game on a drive that ended with an interception.

The Vikings played valiantly but did not possess the size and depth along the lines to play with Hart. “They got after it in the trenches,” Stiman said of the Indian linemen. “That was the most obvious difference between the two teams.”

Burnley gave Viking fans brief hope with his long run on the game’s second play to the Hart 15-yard line. Valencia moved to the 11 before Indian defensive back Keith Howell intercepted a Colin Carey pass at the one and returned the ball to the six.

Hart then drove the length of the field for a touchdown, Chris Steck taking a screen pass from Moore and running into the end zone from 15 yards to give the Indians a 7-0 lead. Steck finished with four receptions for 70 yards with two touchdowns.

Moore scored Hart’s next touchdown on his 49-yard run early in the second quarter. Howell put the Indians ahead, 21-0, on their next drive when he caught a pass at the Indian 37, slipped a tackle downfield and skirted the sideline for a 78-yard touchdown.

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Four’s a Crowd

A look at football teams that have won four Southern Section titles in a row:

Hart: 1998-01

Paraclete*: 1997-00

Bloomington: 1996-99

Temple City: 1970-73

* Will play for an unprecedented fifth consecutive title tonight