A TIMELINE OF SUCCESS NOT SOON TO LAPSE.

Byline: VINCENT BONSIGNORE

There were moments Friday night when the past, present and future of Hart High football stood along the same sideline at College of the Canyons.

For Indians fans, it must have been a comforting sight.

Only a few feet separated the former, current and soon-to-be caretakers of this magical march Hart continues on after beating Mira Costa 34-11 to win its third consecutive Southern Section championship and sixth overall.

But no amount of distance, whether short or long, is sufficient enough to break the special bond among Hart quarterbacks.

After Friday, Jim Bonds, Kyle Boller (the past) and Kyle Matter (the present) became forever linked by history and titles, having teamed to engineer a run of championships that only the word dynasty adequately defines.

Bonds helped get things started by leading the Indians to the 1986 title, three years after his brother Tommy did the same in 1983.

Boller jump-started the latest run, guiding Hart to the 1998 title before moving on to Cal.

Both former quarterbacks were on the sideline to watch the present and future.

Looking back it almost seems silly how some people wondered whether Matter would emerge from the long shadows Boller and Bonds cast.

Matter not only survived, he flourished, steering Hart to two championship victories and earning a scholarship to Stanford.

Not even Boller or Bonds won back-to-back championships.

Matt Moore (the future) inherits the keys to the Indians' offense next year, and it's not a question of if he'll pick up where his predecessors left off, only who the Indians will beat in the title game next year, how much they'll win by and how many yards and touchdowns Moore will throw for.

The Indians return a number of key players next season, so this run doesn't figure to end any time soon. Moore, a strong-armed gunner who needs only to refine his skills, will be another worthy caretaker.

``It think it'll keep going,'' Matter said after riddling Mira Costa for 363 yards and two touchdowns. ``The program and the pieces are in place and I'm sure it'll go on for a long time.''

That's the way it works at Hart, where coaching brothers Mike, Dean and Rick Herrington have done such a masterful job in building an absolute, certain machine you almost believe anyone can line up behind center and break records and win championships.

Nothing could be further from the truth, of course. The Herringtons simply give their quarterbacks the tools to work with. After that, talent takes over.

It's a lethal combination. Knowledge, means, confidence and work ethic.

``It's two things,'' Matter explained. ``It's good coaching and a lot of heart by our players. We come out and probably work harder than anyone else. That's why we win championships.''

Matter's place in Hart history is unquestioned, especially after what happened this year. This wasn't one of the great Indians teams, lacking the speed and skill players that broke games open in the past.

At one point Hart was 2-2 after losing to Westlake and Loyola, and things were looking bleak when star running back Tim Gregory was lost for the year with a knee injury.

But the Indians rallied around Matter, the confident, precise leader.

``We struggled this year and we had to overcome a lot of things,'' Matter said. ``That's why winning this championship is so awesome.''

He forgot to say the latest championship, but certainly not the last.