Hart, Frome Rout Valencia

You don’t win 50 consecutive Foothill League football games with only a passing attack. Newhall Hart High turned loose Notre Dame-bound lineman Chris Frome on Friday night in a 26-0 victory over Valencia at College of the Canyons.

Frome, a 6-foot-5, 240-pound senior, did his best to smother a Valencia offense that had rolled to five consecutive victories.

“Frome was all over the field making tackles,” defensive coordinator Rick Herrington said.

UCLA-bound quarterback Matt Moore completed 20 of 37 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns for Hart (6-0, 2-0), which hasn’t lost a Foothill game since 1990.

The victory, however, proved costly. Running back Tim Gregory, who rushed for 117 yards in 15 carries, left the game in the third quarter after breaking an ankle. The hard-luck Gregory was sidelined after the second game last season with a knee injury.

In Gregory’s absence, the always dependable Mickey Mercado scored on a 45-yard touchdown run on the first play after Gregory’s injury.

Valencia (5-2, 1-1) received a strong performance from junior running back Charles Burnley, who rushed for 103 yards in 16 carries. Quarterback Colin Carey, pressured relentlessly by Frome, completed just nine of 27 passes for 105 yards.

Frome had two sacks in the first half when Hart took a 9-0 lead. Julian Lewis caught an eight-yard touchdown pass from Moore. Later, Chris Steck caught a 12-yard touchdown pass.

Kicker Will Simons had field goals of 35 and 32 yards.