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[From a letter to my son]
On Friday, Hart play Ayala at COC in the quarterfinals. Ayala and its league are new to Division II this year. They were
in Division III last year and were moved up while Pasadena, Crescenta Valley et al. were moved down to Division III.
Hart took the opening kickoff down the field and scored. The Indians missed the extra point (shades of Westlake earlier
this year).
Ayala marched down the field. The Ayala quarterback overthrew an open receiver in the end zone. They had to go for a long
field goal. They missed.
In the second quarter, Hart didn't move the ball and had to punt. The regular punter Nate McAfee had sprained his ankle
last week and tried to play this week. He lasted one series and obviously could not play. He's an excellent linebacker. Cody
Joyce punted. It was an awful punt but it rolled a long way and ended up being about a 55-yarder. Hart intercepted a pass,
scored within a few plays and then went for two. They were stopped. Hart lead 12-0.
To this point Hart had three fumbles but recovered all three. Todd Hourigan, who the coaches use in short yardage situations
as a fullback, had two of the fumbles. Prior to Friday, Todd had 21 carries and had scored 11 touchdowns. He probably had
gained no more than 50 yards in those 21 carries -- as I said, he's a short yardage guy.
Any way, Ayala came back to score to make it 12-7. Hart was lucky to be ahead. Hart had another fumble at about the 45
just before half. Ayala was on the move and was clearly picking on one of the cornerbacks. With about thirty seconds left,
Ayala went after the same corner. The ball was slightly underthrown and the Hart corner intercepted on the one. The Hart coaches
thought it was time to cool it for a bit and just ran out the clock. Hart 12-7 at the half.
Hart scored again late in the third and kicked the PAT. Hart 19-7.
Following another Hart fumble (the sixth of the night and the second one they lost -- don't believe the Signal's statistics,
they're goofy), Ayala scored again and kicked the PAT. Hart 19-14.
In the fourth, Joyce punted again. Another stinko punt that rolled a long way. He had two punts for the night with about
a 50-yard average. Ayala took over on about the 20. They completed about a 20-yard pass down the far sideline and the receiver
took off and looked to be on his way to a touchdown. Somebody miraculously caught him from behind and he fumbled the ball
forward. (Believe it or not I think it was a deliberate fumble. Earlier, the same receiver fumbled the ball out of bounds
at about the 20. The fumble gave him about an extra 5 yards on the reception. The first time it happened was on the Hart side
of the field near where we were sitting [the 40] and we both thought that the receiver deliberately tossed the ball forward
and out of bounds when he got hit near the sideline. The second time it was on the other side of the field and at the other
end but looked suspiciously like the earlier play.
Anyway, the ball did not go out of bounds and Hart recovered at about the ten. Hart moved it quickly down the field but
finally stalled at the 21. They went for a 37-yard field goal. They missed.
Ayala took over on the 20 and slowly moved it down the field with an excellent passing game (great blocking and really
precise routes). They got to the five. They tried to run. Stuffed. Passed to one corner of the end zone. Missed. Passed through
the middle -- tipped and touched by half the players -- incomplete. Fourth down at the five with 37 seconds to go. They call
time out. Pray (literally). Tight end across the middle. Just barely out of Todd Hourigan's reach. Touchdown! They go for
two and make it. Ayala 22-19.
The ONLY time they've been ahead all night.
On the kickoff Joyce fumbled with the ball picked it up, run around a lot, mostly laterally and backward and ultimately
gets tackled on the five-yard line. But there was a penalty against Ayala -- 15 yards. Hart got a first down on the 20 with
26 seconds to go. On the first play -- interception. Game over. Ayala 22, Hart 19.
As a coach, I don't believe I would have called one play differently for Hart. However, there is one thing I might have
done. It was very cold which is the only way I can explain all the drops. An electric heater on the sidelines might have made
the difference. The Hart quarterback had one fumble and dropped at least one snap in the shotgun position (he successfully
picked it up on the fourth try). The running back had two fumbles (one lost) and dropped an easy shovel pass (first time I've
seen one of those dropped). Joyce had a fumble and Hourigan had two. Joyce dropped one snap on a punt and one kick off. He
dropped at least one easy pass. Receiver C.J. Bond dropped a couple of easy ones over the middle. For the most part the quarterback
was throwing it pretty well. Keeping their hands warm on the sidelines might have made a difference.
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