1985 (9-4-1)
Bad Start, Mud Brawl and So Close

In 1985, Jim Bonds was a junior quarterback and obviously very talented. The 1985 season did not start out auspiciously. Hart lost to Canyon in the season opener 6-3, not exactly the scoring fest one would expect with a star quarterback. The second week was a loss to Santa Barbara. The third week was a loss to Alemany. The fourth week wasn't much of a breakthrough: the Indians tied with Saugus, 0-0. It wasn't until the fifth game against Quartz Hill that Hart finally got untracked and into the win column. So, after five games, Hart was 1-3-1 and it looked like the chances for a successful season were already down the drain.

Things turned around during league play. Hart went 5-0, completely dominating Foothill League opponents Burbank, Burroughs, Alhambra, San Gabriel and Schurr. The Foothill League was in the "Coastal Conference." Canyon and Saugus were in the Golden League which was in a different conference.

In the 1985 playoffs, Hart beat Newbury Park, Santa Barbara (check the fun facts link on this game) and Torrance to reach the finals only to lose to Muir of Pasadena in the championship game, 28-14.

Date	Location	Opponent	Score
09-13-1985	COC(H)	Canyon	3-6
09-20-1985	SBHS	Santa Barbara	18-28
09-28-1985	COC	Alemany	17-27
10-04-1985	COC(A)	Saugus	0-0
10-11-1985	COC	Quartz Hill	33-0
10-18-1985	BHS	Burbank	34-9
10-25-1985	BHS	Burroughs	22-7
10-31-1985	COC	Alhambra	35-9
11-07-1985	COC	San Gabriel	42-7
11-15-1985	COC	Schurr	35-19
11-22-1985	COC	Newbury Park	33-14
11-29-1985	COC	Santa Barbara	24-17
12-06-1985	WTHS	West Torrance	22-3
12-13-1985	COC	Muir	14-28

1985 Statistical Summary

1985 Achievements and Fun Facts

1986 (13-1)
Champions Again

In 1986, Jim Bonds returned as quarterback. This was the first year I went to a Hart-Canyon game. I was told by one of the players to get there very early if I wanted a seat. I got there for the JV game and the College of the Canyons stadium was almost full. By the time the Varsity game started, the stands were 100% full, the hillsides on the visitor side were packed as were the sidelines and much of the track. It seems that a goodly portion of the Santa Clarita Valley showed up for the game. Hart lost in a barnburner 42-32 but then went 4-0 through the rest of pre-league, 5-0 in league and then beat Arroyo Grande, Verbum Dei, Santa Maria and Temple City to win the school's second CIF championship, this time in the "Northwestern Conference".

The team finished 13-1, its best record to date. Bonds went on to play QB at UCLA and then to coach as an assistant at Hart and as the varsity coach at Alemany and now, St. Francis.

Date	Location	Opponent	Score
09-12-1986	COC	Canyon	32-42
09-19-1986	COC	Mission Viejo	14-13
09-26-1986	AHS	Alemany	28-3
10-03-1986	COC	Saugus	41-13
10-10-1986	QHHS	Quartz Hill	26-12
10-17-1986	SGHS	San Gabriel	49-0
10-24-1986	COC	Burroughs	20-8
10-31-1986	ELAC	Alhambra	49-7
11-07-1986	COC	Burbank	43-26
11-14-1986	SHS	Schurr	51-27
11-21-1986	COC	Arroyo Grande	38-0
11-28-1986	COC	Verbum Dei	52-12
12-05-1986	SMHS	Santa Maria	21-7
12-13-1986	Citrus College	Temple City	40-27

1986 Statistical Summary

1986 Fun Facts

1987 (11-2)
A Canyon Breakthrough for Coach Scott

Hart was on a 13-game winning streak to start the season and set what at the time was the Hart record at 14 consecutive wins, with the 41-21 win over Canyon to start the season. That was Hart's first win over the Cowboys since 1982 and Coach Scott's first (and as it turns out, only) win over Canyon.

The euphoria from the big breakthrough over Canyon seemed to have caught the Indians napping the next week. Hart lost to the winged-T running Mission Viejo Diablos in teh second game (shades of 2002 when MV stopped a Hart streak).

Darren Renfro, a smallish bulldog type, was Hart's third consecutive all-CIF quarterback. Hart also beat Saugus in 1987, 21-15. The Indians were once again 5-0 in league and after beating Redondo and St. Anthony in the first two rounds of the playoffs, lost to Arroyo Grande in the semi-finals. The team finished at 11-2.

The biggest news came at the end of the season when head coach Rick Scott resigned to return to Buena High in his home town of Ventura.

Date	Location	Opponent	Score
09-11-1987	COC	Canyon	41-21
09-19-1987	MVHS	Mission Viejo	14-31
09-25-1987	El Monte	Arroyo	13-7
10-02-1987	COC	Saugus	21-15
10-09-1987	COC	Quartz Hill	20-12
10-16-1987	COC	San Gabriel	35-13
10-23-1987	BHS	Burroughs	19-0
10-30-1987	COC	Alhambra	31-0
11-06-1987	BHS	Burbank	17-13
11-12-1987	COC	Schurr	34-7
11-20-1987	COC	Redondo	30-16
11-28-1987	LB Veteran	St. Anthony	41-14
12-04-1987	COC	Arroyo Grande	14-15

1987 Statistical Summary

1987 Fun Facts

1988 (6-5)
New Coach, Controversy, Crash

1988 was a controversial year. Hart had to hire a new head coach. Mike Herrington was the top varsity assistant and clearly one of the architects of the varsity's success. He was passed over. Rick Herrington had been the head JV coach for eight years and was riding a 40+ game winning streak, the JVs having gone 10-0 for four straight years. He too was passed over. Dean Herrington was a comparatively junior assistant coach. All three had been playing or coaching at Hart since the mid-70s. Nevertheless they were passed over for the head coaching position in favor of Dave Carson. The Herringtons collectively left Hart and went to Bellflower High school for the 1988 season and turned that program from a perennial loser to a playoff contender in one year. About the only good things that happened in 1988 at Hart were victories over Canyon and Saugus. Hart finished 3-2 in league, breaking a 22-game league winning streak with losses to Burbank and Schurr. The team finished 6-5 overall, losing in the first round of the playoffs to Paramount. Another bright spot: junior quarterback Rob Westervelt was named all-CIF, quite an achievement given the overall mediocre performance of the team. Brian Allen was named all-CIF as a tight end and the other receiver who was very successful that season was some kid named Cameron Smyth -- who grew up to become Santa Clarita's mayor and a California State Assemblyman.

The final interesting fact for the 1988 season: without Rick Herrington at the helm, the JV winning streak ended at 40 games with a loss to Canyon in the first game of the season.

Date	Location	Opponent	Score
09-09-1988	COC (A)	Canyon	33-28
09-16-1988	Colton HS	Colton	16-23
09-22-1988	COC	Palmdale	21-40
09-30-1988	COC (H)	Saugus	17-7
10-07-1988	QHHS	Quartz Hill	29-13
10-14-1988	COC	Burroughs	21-10
10-21-1988	ELAC	Alhambra	38-20
10-28-1988	COC	Burbank	7-21
11-04-1988	SHS	Schurr	15-21
11-10-1988	ELAC	San Gabriel	39-0
11-18-1988	PHS	Paramount	14-26

1988 Statistical Summary

1989 (10-2)
The Herringtons Take Over: Pass!

The new era for Hart began in 1989. Coach Carson was canned and the Herringtons came home with Mike -- "Coach 1" as head coach, Rick --"Coach 2"-- as defensive co-ordinator and Dean -- "Coach 3"-- as the offensive co-ordinator. They turned things around in a hurry. Hart was 10-2 overall with lop-sided wins over Canyon and Saugus. Hart beat Dana Hills in the first round of the playoffs and then lost, for the second year in a row to Paramount, in the quarter-finals. Rob Westervelt was again named all-CIF at quarterback. Hart was once again the Foothill champion at 5-0. Finally, and most importantly, this was the season where Hart installed it's spread offense, a four-receiver, single-back offense. At the time, it was unique in Southern California.

Date	Location	Opponent	Score
09-08-1989	COC	Canyon	30-12
09-15-1989	Crespi	Crespi	13-21
09-22-1989	PHS	Palmdale	14-13
09-29-1989	COC	Saugus	56-14
10-06-1989	COC	Quartz Hill	38-6
10-13-1989	BHS	Burroughs	47-11
10-20-1989	COC	Alhambra	43-8
10-27-1989	BHS	Burbank	55-0
11-03-1989	COC	Schurr	35-28
11-10-1989	COC	San Gabriel	41-8
11-17-1989	COC	Dana Hills	41-13
11-24-1989	PHS	Paramount	14-16

1989 Statisical Summary

1989 Fun Facts