Valencia Reaches Summit in Foothill

Sometimes a victory is more than a victory.

Sometimes it changes the landscape in a community, sometimes it shifts the balance of power and sometimes it makes history.

On occasion, it does all three. Valencia, ranked No. 13 in the Southland by The Times, had one of those victories Friday night when it rolled past No. 9 Newhall Hart, 29-10, in a Foothill League upset at College of the Canyons.

The result ended the state’s longest current league winning streak -- and third-longest all-time -- at 65 games, made Valencia the favorite in a league that for 13 years had been controlled by Hart, and turned the Santa Clarita Valley, long dominated by Cowboys and Indians, into Viking Country.

“This means everything,” said Valencia Coach Brian Stiman, whose team is 7-1, 3-0 in league. “We’ve been climbing this hill and climbing this hill and we finally got to the top.”

Valencia opened in 1994 and first fielded a varsity football team in 1996. Ever since, there has been something of a natural rivalry brewing between the neighboring schools as well as Canyon Country Canyon (the Cowboys).

Before each season, Valencia fans hoped it would be the year. Each year, until now, the Vikings came up short. Before Friday night, they had gone 0-10 against Hart.

“This is a dream come true,” said Valencia quarterback Michael Herrick, who passed for 261 yards and a touchdown and scored two rushing touchdowns. “Ever since Valencia opened, I wanted to go there and beat Hart. The curse is over.”

Valencia’s defense can take credit for that. A Hart offense averaging nearly 35 points a game managed only 65 total yards. Indian quarterback Tyler Lyon was sacked nine times, five by Anthony Difillippo, and had three passes intercepted.

Hart (5-3, 2-1) recovered a Valencia fumble at the Viking 22 on the opening kickoff and managed only a field goal. Two plays later, Hart intercepted a pass and took over at the Valencia 15 and did not score.

Poor snaps out of the shotgun formation and on punts hampered the Indians on that drive and throughout the game.

Herrick passed for one touchdown and rushed for another in the first half as Valencia forged a 16-3 lead. Hart, which rushed for 103 yards, pulled within six points on a Ryan Wolfe touchdown run with 8:03 left in the third, but the Indians had only four first downs the rest of the game.

It was Hart’s first league loss since a 42-35 setback to Montebello Schurr on Oct. 26, 1990.

“People make a big deal about the streak, but that isn’t our goal,” Hart Coach Mike Herrington said. “I’m sure they are happy to be the streak buster and they should be. But our goal is a league championship.”

Each team still has a game left against Canyon, which is 8-0. “That’s our focus now,” Stiman said. “We have to turn our attention to Canyon or this won’t mean as much.”