A HART CHECKUP; VALENCIA GETS ITS SHOT VS. PERENNIAL POWER INDIANS.Byline: Lee Barnathan Daily News Staff Writer This is the night Valencia High School Valencia High School may refer to:
Tonight he and everyone else finds out if the Vikings are as good as their 5-1 record indicates. Tonight they play No. 3 Hart (5-1, 1-0), which has a 29-game Foothill League win streak, at 7 at College of the Canyons College of the Canyons is one of the fastest-growing community colleges in the state. According to the National Junior College Research Association, College of the Canyons consistently ranks in the top 50 community colleges in the nation. . Hart crushed the Vikings 37-7 last year. ``Hart is by far the best team we'll see,'' Stiman said. ``I know I said that about Quartz Hill, but we know how much better Hart is than Quartz Hill.'' Valencia beat Quartz Hill two weeks ago and handled Burbank 42-6 last week. Stiman's stated goal has been to improve on last year's 1-4 league record and make the playoffs. At this time last year, Valencia was 5-1. After losing to Hart, the Vikings never won again. ``They lost a ton of confidence,'' Stiman said. ``Now they look around. Hart has been successful. We can't allow what happens (tonight) to affect our season. The goal is to make playoffs.'' To that end, the coach attempted to better prepare for the Division II Foothill League by lining up more top-quality nonleague opponents. Lower-division teams such as Bishop, Cantwell Sacred Heart The Sacred Heart is a religious devotion to Jesus' physical heart as the representation of the divine love for humanity This devotion is predominantly used in the Roman Catholic Church and also used in the Anglican Church. , St. Anthony and Yucca Valley gave way to Division III
Division III (or DIII) is a division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association of the United States. Chaminade and Serra from the Mission League and Highland and Quartz Hill from the Golden League. While the overall records of this year's nonleague opponents were well below .500, you can't fault Stiman for trying. Will it be enough to challenge Hart? ``To be quite honest, I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. if we're capable of winning,'' Stiman said. ``We just want to make an improvement compared to last year. I just hope we'll fare better.'' No matter what happens, some will say this season was a success. Valencia lost several key skill players, including tailback tail·back n. Football The back on an offensive team who lines up farthest from the line of scrimmage. tailback Noun Brit a queue of traffic stretching back from an obstruction Donovan Calhoun, who rushed for 1,105 yards and 16 touchdowns. This year, sophomore Manuel White Manuel White (born July 2, 1982) is an American football running back. has taken over with 1,064 yards and 12 touchdowns. Quarterback Brian Hamilton Brian Hamilton (born July 24, 1964) is an American actor and voice actor. He was born at Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern, New York and raised in nearby Thiells. Hamilton has appeared in scores of television commercials. transferred from Clovis High and has provided a big lift, completing 43 of 88 passes (48.8 percent) for 701 yards and 12 touchdowns. His favorite target is Michael Swanson, the one holdover hold·o·ver n. One that is held over from an earlier time: a political advisor who was a holdover from the Reagan era; a family tradition that is a holdover from my grandparents' childhood. Noun 1. skill player from last year, who has 24 catches for 360 yards and five touchdowns. The defense has been solid. The Vikings are giving up just 254 yards per game, 11 fewer than Hart. All this has Hart coach Mike Herrington believing the Vikings are for real. Can he make his players believe the same thing? ``I don't have to convince them they're for real,'' Herrington said. ``It's a rivalry. These guys played youth sports together. They go to the same record stores and sporting good stores.'' In other words Adv. 1. in other words - otherwise stated; "in other words, we are broke" put differently , don't expect a Hart letdown letdown 1. the sudden flush of milk flow that occurs when the calf begins to suck or when milking commences in a properly prepared cow. Depends for its occurrence on the release of oxytocin from the pituitary gland in response to massage of the teats and udder. after beating longtime rival Canyon last week. ``There'd better not be,'' Herrington said. ``We have a goal and that's to win the Foothill League championship. They're probably more fired up this week than last week. It's a new rivalry.'' One thing has remained the same: Hart's passing game. No three yards and a cloud of dust here. Quarterback David Neill David Neill (born July 17 1980[]) was an American college football quarterback for the University of Nevada. In 1998 he set an NCAA record for most touchdown passes in a season by a freshman with 29 thrown. has skillfully skill·ful adj. 1. Possessing or exercising skill; expert. See Synonyms at proficient. 2. Characterized by, exhibiting, or requiring skill. handled the run-and-shoot offense, passing for 1,335 yards and 10 touchdowns. Receiver Jerry Owens Jerry Lee Owens (born on February 16, 1981 in Hollywood, California) is a Major League Baseball outfielder currently with the Chicago White Sox. He played most of the 2006 season with the AAA Charlotte Knights (Chicago White Sox affiliation) of the International League, but was has caught 32 passes for 756 yards and 11 touchdowns, but receivers Jared Bazar (17 catches, 268 yards) and Nick Mercado (17-179) also figure to be involved, testing Valencia DBs Nick Carey, Adam Walker Adam L. Walker (born in 26 December 1987) is an English classical flautist. Walker was born in Retford, Nottinghamshire, where by the age of nine, he taught himself to play the flute and piano. , Rick Zeller and Dan Botton. Hart's defense - linebackers Scott Hunt (14 tackles last week) and Pat Norton are the catalysts - must be wary of Valencia's love of trick plays. The Vikings have run the fumblerooski twice this season. ``We've practiced against it: The fumblerooski, the power-toss-back, the double pass, the shovel pass, the hook-and-ladder, the triple reverse,'' Herrington said. GAME OF THE WEEK: HART VS. VALENCIA STRENGTHS Hart: No one runs the run-and-shoot offense like the Indians, which has helped them win 29 straight league games. Quarterback David Neill is attempting to become the next in a long line of Hart All-Southern Section quarterbacks. He has the receivers in Jerry Owens, Nick Mercado and Jared Bazar, among others, to spread out the offense. Don't forget tailback Billy Brecht, either. Linebackers Scott Hunt and Pat Norton regularly have at least 10 tackles a game. Valencia: Tailback Manuel White has made everyone forget about Donovan Calhoun. Quarterback Brian Hamilton gives the team a new option with his running and passing, and the lines are quick, which makes up for a lack of size. WEAKNESSES Hart: The offensive line hasn't been the same in any game. Injuries to Paul Dolinsky and Nathan Rasmussen have caused different personnel to be shuffled in and out. It gave up just one sack last week, but it needs to have a similar performance this week. Valencia: The linebackers are young (one senior with two juniors and a sophomore) and the defensive backs will be tested against Hart's passing. They haven't faced a similar offense this season, so there's no telling how they will fare. They lost by 30 last year. KEY PLAYERS Hart: QB David Neill, WR Jerry Owens, WR Jared Bazar, WR James Mercado, LB Scott Hunt, LB Pat Norton. Valencia: TB Manuel White, QB Brian Hamilton, WR Michael Swanson, CB Nick Carey, FS Adam Walker OVERALL Hart: If the offensive line can protect the quarterback, the Indians should be able to match the 37 points they scored last year against Valencia. No one in the league has shown it can stop the run-and-shoot, so there's little reason to think Valencia has come up with a unique way. Valencia: The Vikings need to keep Hart's offense off the field for as long as possible. When they have the ball, they need to be able to run and tire Hart's defense. They can't commit turnovers, nor can they give up the big play. Hart has been beaten with speed, and Vikings have plenty of that. CAPTION(S): Box Box: GAME OF THE WEEK: HART VS. VALENCIA (see text) |
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