INSIDE INFO

BURBANK VS. HART

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday.

WHERE: College of the Canyons.

RECORDS: The Bulldogs are 4-1; the Indians are 2-3.

LAST WEEK: Burbank defeated Glendale, 20-0; Hart defeated L.A.

Loyola, 23-16.

OUTLOOK: It might look a bit odd that Hart has a losing record --

as well as a worse record than the Bulldogs -- coming into its

Foothill League opener against Burbank. But don’t let the Indians’

record fool you, some of their losses have been close, against some

very good competition. Hart fell to Los Alamitos (No. 1 in CIF

Southern Section Division I), 20-17, Ventura St. Bonaventure (No. 1

in Division IV), 41-34, and Westlake (No. 2 in Division IV), 25-24.

In comparison, the only ranked team Burbank played was San Gabriel

Gabrielino (No. 7 in Division VII at the time), which the Bulldogs

beat, 21-14. The Bulldogs will probably have their hands full trying

to contain a potent Hart offense. The offense is spearheaded by

quarterback Sean Norton who likes to throw to receiver Kevin Ciccone.

Along with a fine passing game, the Indians can also run, with

running back Dan Howell leading the way. Burbank has proven it has a

fine offense, led by quarterback Mike McDonald, running back Tanner

Bennett and receivers Jesse Ayers and Robert Nichols. However, it

will be the team’s defense that will be put to the test against the

Indians. If the Indians get rolling on offense, the Bulldogs could be

in for a long night.

SOMETHING INTERESTING: Hart has won 58 straight Foothill League

games, a streak that spans 12 years.

BURROUGHS VS. SAUGUS

WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday.

WHERE: Memorial Field at Burroughs High.

RECORDS: The Indians are 3-2; the Centurions are 2-3.

LAST WEEK: Burroughs defeated Crescenta Valley, 41-17; Saugus lost

to St. Francis, 16-0.

OUTLOOK: If Burroughs was looking for a performance that would

catapult it into Foothill League play, it received that with a

convincing victory last week against Crescenta Valley. The Indians

not only played well on offense and defense, but also did a fine job

on special teams. The Burroughs defense racked up seven sacks. That

tough defense could spell disaster for the Centurions. Last week’s

loss to St. Francis proved Saugus has problems against talented

defenses, as the Centurion offense could muster just 140 yards in 46

plays. In last week’s loss, Saugus quarterback Travis Babin was

sacked six times. The Indians have developed a nice running game that

can chew up yardage. Against Crescenta Valley, the running name

netted 245 yards. The last two weeks, the ground game has been led by

sophomore Thomas Kyle, who has rushed for 323 yards in two games.

Look for the Indians to run crazy on the Centurions and start their

bid to qualify for the CIF Southern Section playoffs for the second

straight season.

SOMETHING INTERESTING: Burroughs hasn’t lost to Saugus in the

Foothill League since 2000.

Jeff Tully