Well its Sunday evening and I'm finally getting around to posting my game summary.

First as to me. I do not -- as someone so quickly assumed -- have Montazuma's revenge but rather a mild case of pneumonia, caused as much as anything by sucking in so much Argentine smoke, car fumes and dust.

Second, the flaming is astounding! I'll get to that later.

Here's the game summary. My thoughts follow.

Hart won the coin toss and deferred. Valencia took the opening kickoff right at the goal line and got a decent return but coughed it up and Terry Leigh recovered on the 22. The first Hart play from scrimmage was a 16-yard pass to Wolfe down to the six. While we Hart faithful didn't know it at the time, it seems like that was about the high tide for Hart. The next play was a 1-yard run by Robbie Casselbury to the 5; then in a two-back pro set (first time we've seen that this year), RC was hit for 3-yard loss back to the 8. The next play (out of the I with Wolfe as the fullback) was a sack back to the 10. A 27-yard field goal and it was Hart 3-0 at 9:07.

The next kickoff went into the endzone so Valencia started at the 20. Herrick's first pass of the night was an incomplete. His second was picked off by James Wheeler at about the 35 and returned back to the 15.

Hart's major problem of the night was evident on the next play, a high snap, way over the 6'5" Lyon's head and the race was on. Lyon got to the ball first for a 23-yard loss. The next play was a pass to Wolfe for 3. Third down was an incomplete pass. Fourth down: another disaster. The snap or the catch was a problem and the ball went sailing past the punter. He finally tracked it down and made a valiant try at punting it. It was blocked and bounced back to the Hart 37 where Valencia took over. Hart went from the Valencia 15 to the Hart 37, a loss of 48 yards which I note, was almost entirely self-inflicted.

Valencia: 3-yard run by Herrick after he was flushed; pass for 5, pass for 3 and a first down, pitch for 6, pass for 13, pass for 13 down to the Hart 6 and then a 6-yard run by Herrick for the TD (Hart flushed him but couldn't contain him). Valencia 7-3 at 4:33 in the first.

Hart started at the 20: run by RC for 3; from under center and Wolfe at FB, an incomplete pass to Wolfe; sack for -8 and punt.

Valencia started at the Valencia 49: sack by Arndt for -5, pass for 19, penalty for illegal shift, sack by Sarkissian for -7, pass for -6 [END OF QUARTER] -- now here's the killer play(s) and a perpetual problem all night for Hart. It was third AND 28 and Hart had, I believe a "dime" defense (Hart rushed only 2 or 3 most of the night) and Herrick still completed a long pass down the middle for 26. The next play -- fourth down -- was a 29-yard TD pass. There was a bad snap on the PAT so it was 13-3 at 11:44 in the second.

Hart started at the 20 again: pass to Surratt for 10; run by Wolfe from a pro-set for 1, pass to Yudin for 4, incomplete and punt.

Valencia started at the 37: pass for 3, incomplete, run by Herrick for 4 after he was flushed and punt.

Hart started at the 17: incomplete, run by Lyon for 1 (flushed), a delay penalty, another huge loss -- 12 yards -- after a bad snap over Lyon that Lyon managed to recover on the 1 and save either a safety or TD; punt.

Valencia started at the Hart 37: pass for 0, an incomplete (on what appeared to be a fumble recovered by Wheeler), incomplete (tipped) and on 4th down, a 54-yard field goal attempt that fell short.

Hart took over at the 20: incomplete to Wolfe (barely dropped) on a deep route down the center; incomplete, a sack for 5-yard loss and punt.

Valencia started at the Valencia 48: incomplete (a dropped pass by No. 21 when he was wide open down the right sideline -- should have been a TD); pass to 21 for 4 (on which he dropped the ball without being hit but recovered his own fumble), on 3rd down, a great pass and come back catch by 21 (should have been a sack) for 17, run for 5, run for 0, inc and [b]then a 37-yard field goal. Valencia 16-3 at 1:44.

Wheeler got a nice 27-yard return and Hart started at the 28: pass to Surratt for 23, incomplete, holding penalty (on a completed pass to Yudin) which inexplicably resulted in only a -7 loss then an interception by Morales on the left sideline.

Valencia started at the 37: incomlete, run by Herrick for 4 (with a fumble recovered by Valencia) and then a run for 5 and it was halftime.

Lyon was 5 for 13 for 56 yards and one interception. Casselbury had 4 net yards rushing on 3 carries, Wolfe had 1 yard on 1 carry and of course the killer was the 2 bad snaps and 3 sacks leaving Lyon with -14 yards rushing [the -35 yards on the two bad snaps probably will not be charged to Lyon but show up as "team" losses].

Herrick was 12 of 20 for 121 yards and 1 INT. Herrick rushed 6 times for a net 5 yards and a TD (he was sacked twice). Vereen had four carries for a net 4 yards.

Quite frankly, neither team's offense was particularly potent in the first half and, for Hart, the three bad snaps (two to Lyon and one to Christensen, the punter) were probably the difference (taking away what should have been a score and putting Valencia in scoring position).

Hart took the second half kickoff and Wheeler returned it 23 yards to the 23. Hart ran three straight plays from under center: pass to Wolfe for 12, run by RC for 2, pass to Yudin for 16, run by Lyon (flushed) for 8, run by Lyon for 1, run by RC (undercenter) for 1, pass to Yudin for 24, pass to Yudin (from undercenter) for 0, incomplete to Surratt coming from the tightend spot in an I-formation, penalty offsides by Valencia, penalty defensive holding and then a run by Wolfe for 4 yards and the TD. 16-10 Valencia at 8:03 in the third.

Valencia started at the 35 when the kick went out of bounds: incomplete, run by Herrick for 10, pass for 7, incomplete, incomplete, incomplete and punt.

Hart started at the 3. The first play was a long INT on a pass down the left sideline intended for Wolfe.

Valencia started at the Hart 47: run by the RB for -3, incomplete (and here comes another killer: 3rd and 13 and Hart has a nickel or dime set up) a 38-yard pass down to the 12, pass for 4, run by Herrick (flushed) for 6, run by RB for 1, run by RB for 1 and the TD. Valencia went for 2 and failed so it was 22-10 at 4:08 in the third quarter.

Hart got another 23-yard return by Wheeler and started on the 23: run by RC for 0, penalty for -5, incomplete, sack for -11 and punt.

Valencia started at the 36 following a penalty for illegal use of the hands: sack for -5, incomplete (note once again: its 3rd and 15, Hart has in either a nickel or dime package) and a 34 yard pass for a first down, followed by another 33-yard pass down the Hart 2. Herrick ran it in for the TD and it was 29-10 at :56 in the third.

Hart started at the 20: incomplete, incomplete and sack for -5 and punt. END OF QUARTER.

Valencia started at the 41: pass for 4, pass for 5, run for 2, run for -3, incomplete, run by Herrick for 10 (flushed) and punt.

Hart started at the 10: pass to Surratt for 12, incomplete, pass to Surratt for 31, penalty pass interference, incomplete, incomplete (flushed), another HUGE loss of 27 yards on another snap over Lyon's head and punt.

Valencia started at the 11: incomplete, incomplete, pass for 0 and punt.

Hart started at the 43 of Valencia: incomplete, sack for -7 and INT.

Valencia started at the 34: penalty for -5, run for 6, run for 8, run for 13, run for 5, run for -4 run for 8, run for 1 and Hart took over at the 3 on downs.

Hart: run by RC for 29 but 15 got taken off of it for a clip; penalty pass interference, run by RC for -5, sacl for -12 and pass to Surratt for 15 (also a penalty for roughing the passer) and then Hart let the clock run out.

My thoughts: Valencia's second half offense wasn't all that terrific but Hart's bordered on impotent. Herrick was 8 of 17 for 125 yards with no TDs and no INTs in the second half. He rushed for 15 yards on 5 carries and a TD. Vereen had 33 yards on 11 carries and a TD.

Lyon was 7 of 17 for 100 yards, no TDs and 2 INTs. Casselbury had 27 yards on 5 carries. Wolfe had 4 yards on 1 carry and a TD. Lyon had -26 yards on 6 carries and then a -27 to the team on the "over-the-head" snap.

The differences in the game:

First big problem: there is no doubt the bad snaps were disastrous for Hart. This doesn't even count the frequent high snaps that Lyon had to jump to catch. Sorry Valencia fans but the Vikings defense doesn't get all the credit for this one. It has been a persistent problem for Hart all year. The losses were purely self-inflicted and, arguably, cost Hart two scores.

Second big problem: defense on third and long. The respective defenses were a very interesting contrast. Hart rushed 3 people most of the night, sometimes only two and rarely 4, typically dropping Ardnt or Onawuchi off as an extra linebacker. What appeared to be blitzes were usually just all four linemen or on a couple of occasion the MLB or FS charging in while one of the lineman backed off. This "zone blitz" generally was a very effective technique particularly when one takes into account how many times Herrick was sacked or flushed.

In contrast, Valencia was blitzing a lot of extra people all night and, obviously, got to Lyon a lot, sacking him 3 times in the first half and 4 times in the second (I'm not counting the high snaps as sacks -- those were simply footraces to the ball).

The big difference on defense: on Valencia's last four scores -- the second TD, the first half field goal and both TDs in the second half, Hart had Valencia buried on third and long and in each case Valencia converted on a long pass. This is, of course, a great tribute to Herrick and his receivers but Surratt's quote in the paper on Saturday is a very accurate assessment from the Hart perspective: "We played stupid." Face it: when the defense has EIGHT guys in coverage and a receiver catches the ball -- wide open on 3 of 4 of these plays -- somebody on the defense clearly "played stupid."

Another problem on defense: failure to contain Herrick. He's not that much of a runner but burned Hart when it counted. The fact that Hart was flushing him with only three rushers says something about both the Hart defense linemen and the Valencia offensive linemen. But in the end, Herrick got critical yards when Valencia needed them.

Fourth problem: the offensive line. Last January this group looked to be stellar. Then Joe Bernardi's (all-CIF Center in 2003) family moved to Flagstaff and there went the returning starting center and all CIF player. Then Zack Zimmerman (all-CIF OT in 2003)went down with an ACL (he was in a wheelchair on Friday) and whatever promise there was in January is in tatters in October. The inability of the O-line to pick up blitzes at this stage of the year is truly perplexing.

Fifth big problem for Hart: lack of consistent play from the seniors. Quite frankly there were once again passes dropped that should have been caught. There were missed blocks. Lyon has enough trouble dodging blitzers; receivers can't add to his problems. I think that two of the interceptions should be chalked up to the receiving corps for poor efforts. In each instance had the Hart receiver gone after the ball more aggressively, it is likely there would have been a reception or an incomplete. Similarly on defense, it was my perception that some of the blown assignments were by seniors who ought to be far less mistake prone.

Sixth problem: receiver routes. I don't know whether this is a play-calling problem, a problem with poor reads or decisions by Lyon or a failure to make reads by the receivers. A number of times it was OBVIOUS, certainly up in the stands that Lyon was going to be blitzed. The "obviousness" was based both on the situation (third and long) meaning everyone on the Hart side should have had that contingency in mind when the play was sent in or, alternatively, adjusted to the Valencia actions at the line of scrimmage. It wasn't like Valencia was disguising it's intentions all that well. Where were the quick/hot/fade routes to protect the quarterback? On a couple of the sacks, Lyon had absolutely no choice but to eat the ball because there was no one he could have really thrown the ball to -- everyone was headed downfield. Couple that with Lyon's relatively slow delivery and you have a major problem with the passing game.

I have been saying for a year and half now that Hart ought to run more from under center and less from the shotgun. I went back and looked at the tapes of TV games from 98, 99, 00, 01 (Boller, Matter and Moore at QB). In those games that were televised, Hart ran from under center considerably more in 98-00 than they have the last two years. My main point has been that against a team with quick linebackers, the ability to run effectively out of the shot gun is negligible.

I now add another problem. There is always the risk of a bad snap. As noted above, in this game it may well have been outcome determinative. And that's counting only the "over-the-head" snaps. What doesn't show up in the stats is how many times the snaps have been really high, typically 6 or more per game. Clearly, when Lyon has to jump to retrieve the ball then try to get it set in his hand, any rhythm or timing is destroyed. When he has to jump to get the ball on a running play, Casselbury has to stop and wait for Lyon to get the ball and then get it to RC. When Lyon has to jump on a passing play, he's not looking downfield for at least a second and any hot routes are out of the question and it probably takes him an extra full second after that to find his receivers. In all honesty, at least from the stands, Lyon looks far more comfortable under center and no wonder, he doesn't have to worry about chasing down errant snaps. If Norton where the QB this year, there probably been at least 30 snaps over his head as he is so much shorter than Lyon.

About Valencia's fans' sportsmanship both at the game and on this board: you should be embarrassed!

First, the Valencia signs at the game. Am I the only one who noticed the pejorative Valencia posters that were in Portugese? And you'd think high school kids could spell, almost a third of the signs had a misspelled word. If you're gonna throw out insults, at least spell them right. And don't try to be cute in explaining away the "Newhall High" stuff. Its clearly intended as a dig at the poor neighborhood surrounding Hart and carries with it very bigoted, anti-hispanic overtones.

Second, some of the Valencia chants were beyond the pale. I have no problem with "scoreboard, scoreboard" and such but as identified by other posters in this thread, there was a lot that was over the line. (If the Hart kids are guilty of such stuff, I am unaware of it as I sit above and behind the students; I note, however that I never read of any complaints from anyone about this -- ie, Canyon, Saugus, etc other than from Valencia posters.)

Third, when Hart took over the ball with about a minute or so left, the Valencia folks turned their loud speakers toward the field and cranked them up full blast, making it impossible for the Hart kids to hear the signals. I fault the refs for not calling this right away as it is a violation of CIF rules but in any event was unsportsmanlike.

Fourth, the comments by Stallion about the big sign that the Hart cheerleaders held up before the game for the players to run through appear to me to be wholly gratuitous if not wholly false. The cheerleaders lay that big sign flat on the ground out in the middle of the field -- facedown -- waiting for the players to come down the stairs to the field. If anything inappropriate was on the backside, it would plainly visible to anyone on the Hart side at that time. I didn't see it! Stallion, I'm disappointed in you. This sounds much like the race-baiting comments you offered up on this board after the Notre Dame game.

Now how about some of that score-comparing stuff to determine rankings. Mission Viejo beat Mater Dei 14-7. Loyola beat Mater Dei by the same score. Hart beat Loyola 17-16. Valencia beat Hart by 19 and Notre Dame beat Valencia by 30. Ergo, Notre Dame must be 50 points better than Mission. Just thought I'd help OCStatman with his rankings.

Finally, what a night of firsts: Hart's first league loss since, 1990. Hart's first loss to an SCV team since 1991. Hart's first regular season game without a passing TD since??? (I have no idea what the answer is). Hart's first loss to Valencia (somehow I felt this inevitable on Wednesday night-Thursday morning when the pilot on the return flight from Argentina announced that the Boston Red Sox had won when we were about over Panama). Hart's worst loss since the semifinals in 1997 (indeed the only Hart loss in that stretch that the outcome was not finally resolved until the last minute).

A couple of you boys have been getting a little ahead of yourselves in this thread. Yes Hart lost and badly. But this is the same team that knocked off Loyola. If I were you, I'd hope Hart is not in your playoff bracket. While it does not appear likely at this point, I am sure the Hart kids would love to end up in the same bracket with Valencia.

Burbank on Thursday and then I suspect many of us will be at the Valencia-Canyon game on Friday.

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