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Fox Sports West starting televising high schools games beginning with the 1997 season and the Hart-Westlake game was the television
debut for both schools. The Indians didn't exactly look their best but ultimately provided a lot of drama.
Hart is known for it's high-powered passing offense (and Westlake is no offensive slouch either). This game was not exactly
a scoring fest. Hart and Westlake were both scoreless in the first quarter.
The Indians' only first-half score was a 56-yard interception return by Jerry Owens three minutes into the second quarter
and then Hart missed the PAT. Hart 6-0.
Westlake scored on a short run a few minutes later and hit the PAT to make it 7-6.
Very late in the quarter, Neill threw a "Hail Mary" with the hope of at least getting Hart into field goal range.
Disaster! The pass was intercepted on the 10-yard line and returned 90 yards for a Westlake TD. Westlake 14-6 at half.
Hart generated 40 yards of total offense in the first half. Fortunately, the defense kept Westlake contained and basically
shut the Warriors down in the second half.
Of course shutting down the opponent in the second half when you are behind isn't too helpful unless you can score. Hart
- and Westlake - were scoreless in the third quarter.
Neill was having trouble getting away from the Westlake rush, throwing off target and then having his receivers drop passes
that were right on the money. And the running game up to the fourth quarter was basically non-existent.
Then things apparently got worse. Billy Brecht really got smacked and was taken away in an ambulance (concussion). Of
course, this didn't do a whole lot for team morale.
John Harrison - a linebacker and defensive lineman and the backup tailback - decided to take matters into his own hands.
He almost single-handedly moved the Hart offense down the field through sheer will power. After Hart recovered a Warrior
fumble at the Westlake 34, he moved the team down to the five where David Neill then threw a TD pass to Jerry Owens. The
2 point PAT attempt failed. Westlake 14-12 with 10:56 left.
Harrison hauled the offense down the field again and scored on a 15-yard run with 5:08. The PAT was a bust. Hart 18-14.
Harrison sacked Westlake quarterback Zac Wasserman on fourth down with 2:17 left to seal the victory for Hart.
David Neill passed for 145 yards on 14-of-30 passing with one touchdown and three interceptions (two in the first half).
Wasserman threw for only 48 yards in the second half.
Some observations about the TV coverage: I think it REALLY impacted Hart's play. FSW set up a camera on a big dolly
and moved it up and down the track just behind the Hart players. In addition, there was a cameraman with a hand-held camera
roaming the Hart sidelines. I got the distinct impression that the Hart players really went all out to look and sound good
for the cameras. Normally, when a high school kid makes a big run or a big hit, all the kids hoop and holler and jump all
over the place. It seemed like the Hart players were very constrained and temperate in their responses to good play: "By
jove, that was a fine hit my good fellow."
From my perspective, it looked like Harrison finally decided he'd had enough of that silliness and started kicking some
butts and taking names. At least from the stands, there was no question that he's the guy that got the team out of it's funk
and played to win in the fourth quarter.
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