Except for some major foot shooting by Hart (on one drive, Hart gained - get this - 210 yards! I'll explain below) Hart dominated every aspect of the game.

The first series did not look like things would go well for Hart. To begin with, K. J. Comrie, a defensive end, fielded the opening kickoff, not usually the guy you would expect (K.J is very tall and slender and fast). He returned it about 5 yards and Hart started at the 26: incomplete, 2-yard run by Howell, incomplete and punt.

Newbury Park did not start too well either, getting about a 7-yard return on the punt and starting at the 40. The Panthers too went 3 and out on 3 running plays by Brown. NP has a very unusual punting formation. Basically the QB lined up in the shotgun a little deep and then essentially did a "quick kick."

Hart started the second series at the 8 and took 16 plays (including replays of a holding penalty, too much time and a pass interference) to get to the 4 where the Indians kicked a 21-yard field goal. The two big plays 18 and 36 yard passes to Diamond. Hart 3-0 at 3:09 in the first.

NP started at the 35 following an out-of-bounds kickoff and scored 11 plays later on a 5-yard pass to Roberson. The PAT was blocked and NP lead 6-3 at :14 in the first quarter.

Hart again stumbled. Starting at the 34 after a 10-yard return by Howell, Souza caught a 25-yard pass to end the first quarter. Holbrook fumbled on the next play and NP recovered at the NP 41. NP once again went 3 and out.

Hart started at the 6 and here comes the 210 yard drive. The first play was a 19 yard pass to Souza. On the second play, Hart was assessed a 10-yard PENALTY for holding. Third play was an incomplete pass. Next play was an 85-yard touchdown on a short screen to Howell. It was called back and Hart was assessed -6 yards because of an "alleged" block below the waist (Hart Dad and the Hart coaches did not like this call). Now back at the 9 after gaining 104 yards so far on the drive, Howell ran for 14, pass to Borland for 14, run by Howell for 7 but another PENALTY for holding resulted in a net loss of 8, pass to Borland for 21 out to the 50, run by Howell for 1, run by Howell on a draw for 21 and then run by Howell for 28 and the TD. Hart 10-6 at 7:22 in the second.

NP, starting at the 22, went 3 and out.

Hart at the 33: pass to Felt for 19, run by Howell on a draw for 2, run by Howell on a pitch for 17, run by Souza for -1 and then pass to Howell (about as perfect as possible, right on the finger tips on what appeared to be a skinny post) for 30 yard and the TD. Hart 17-6 at 3:49.

The next series was enough to give any defensive co-ordinator a heart attack or at least major heart burn. NP started at the 23. First play: SACK for -10 (good play!). Second play, a draw for +19 (phooey!). Third play: incomplete. Then pass on 4th down from that weird punt formation for 3, run on a draw for 8, incomplete, PENALTY for illegal procedure, incomplete and then punt on 4th down. But no, wait, there was a penalty flag! Illegal participation by Hart (presumably 12 guys on the field). Turns out that's a 15-yard penalty so it's another first down for NP. Then: incomplete, incomplete, incomplete and punt. The snap went way over the QB/punter’s head. He finally tracked it down and punted it very short. Rather than let it drop and roll, a couple of the Hart linemen or linebackers tried to catch it, dropped it and NP recovered. NP eventually moved down to the Hart 19 before time ran out in the first half.

First half stats: Holbrook was 8 of 13 for 182 yards and a TD (and an 85-yarder that was called back). He ran 5 times for 30 yards. Howell had 105 yards on 12 carries and a TD. He also had 1 reception for 30 yards and a TD. Diamond had 2 catches for 54 yards, Souza had 2 for 42 yards, Borland had 2 for 35 yards and Felt had 1 for 19 yards. Souza had 1 carry for -1.

NP: Brown had 73 yards on 10 carries. Cameron was 8 of 22 for 91 yards and a TD. He had -13 yards on 2 carries and there was 1 other carry for 2 yards.

Second half:

NP started at the 23: incomplete followed by INTERCEPTION by Wachter (he almost intercepted the first pass). Wachter lost some yardage on the return and then Hart got called for a PENALTY, clipping and thus ended up back at the 15.

Hart scored 11 plays later on a 4-yard run by Howell. He also had a 28-yard catch, an 18-yard run and a 13-yard run during the drive. Hart 24-6 at 6:28.

NP at the 29: runs by Brown of 9, 8, 3 and 2 and then an INTERCEPTION by Johnny MacArthur.

Hart at the Hart 45: run by Howell for 55 yards and the TD, right through the middle of the field. Hart 31-6 at 3:50 in the third.

NP at the 29: the Panthers moved it out the 45 on 6 plays and then punted.

Hart started the next drive at about the 1-foot line with about 1 minute left in the third quarter and went on a 14-play drive which culminated in a 1-yard run by Howell for the TD. The PAT was blocked and it was 37-6 at 6:05 in the fourth.

NP went from the 28 down to the Hart 19 but then turned the ball over on downs. Hart took a knee and it was over.

Second half stats.

Holbrook was 6 for 7 and 65 yards. He had 1 carry for 8 yards. Howell had 154 yards on 17 carries and 3 TDs. Souza had 1 carry for 1 yard. Borland had 2 catches for 17 yards, Howell had 2 for 30, Souza had 1 for 1, and Felt had 1 for 17.

Brown had 31 yards on 9 carries. Cameron was 6 of 14 for 54 yards and 2 interceptions. He had 1 yard on 1 carry and there was one other carry for 6 yards.

Totals: Holbrook was 14 of 21 for 247 yards and a TD. Howell had 259 yards on 29 carries and 4 TDs. He also had 3 catches for 60 yards and TD.

Brown had 104 yards on 19 carries. The QB was 14 of 36 for 145 yards, 1 TD and 2 INTs.

Comments: This was the best game of the year for Hart against a quality opponent. The offense was clicking on all cylinders especially after the first couple of possessions. The passing was spread around to all five receivers: Howell 3 for 60, Diamond 2 for 54, Borland 4 for 52, Souza 3 for 45 and Felt 2 for 36. Howell ran well. There were several new wrinkles and generally less predictability in the play-calling. While the play-calling was not all that "aggressive" on the last couple of scores, it was clear that the NP guys were tiring and what might have been short gains became very long plays for Hart. Defensively, Hart was overwhelmingly better than NP. Had it not been for the stupid penalties and the goofy attempt to field a punt, NP would have had about half the yards.

Alas, Hart Dad committed to a perform 18 months ago at COC next Friday and Saturday nights so no championship game for me. That's why we have Dish Network and a DVR!