FRESNO HAS A SLICE OF SANTA CLARITA.Byline: Matthew Kredell Staff Writer Sean Norton admits he felt twinges of homesickness when he woke up in the middle of the night during his freshman year at Fresno State. Such feeling are familiar to most college students living away from home for the first time. The former Hart High standout quarterback doesn't have to look far for relief: His best friend, Kevin Ciccone, a former Hart teammate, also is at Fresn State. Hart players are making a second home in Fresno, with Norton, Ciccone, Chris Piligian and incoming freshman Joe Bernardi - all former high school teammates - playing for the Bulldogs. ``You can just call it Hart North,'' Norton said. ``It's definitely a comforting feeling coming up here in a new situation and having people you're familiar with right there to keep you going.'' As it turned out, the extra support has been essential for the Hart contingency. Norton, Ciccone and Bernardi have battled injuries. Only Piligian, an offensive lineman, has seen the field, and that was just for a few plays during garbage time Garbage time, also known as "junk time", is a term used in American sports (most commonly, basketball and football) parlance to refer to the period of time at the end of a timed sporting event when the outcome of the game has already been decided, and the coaches of one or both last season. Norton is recovering from surgery to repair cartilage in his right knee, similar to the surgery he had following his junior year of high school. He missed spring practice and just started to throw last week. He might apply for a medical redshirt this season. Ciccone has returned from shoulder surgery. He hopes to play his way into regular special-teams work in the fall and perhaps get on the field as a backup receiver. Bernardi, an offensive lineman who attended Hart as a freshman and sophomore before moving with his father to northern Arizona Northern Arizona is dominated by the Colorado Plateau, the southern border of which in Arizona is called the Mogollon Rim. In the West lies the Grand Canyon, which was cut by the flow of the Colorado River while the land slowly rose around it. , tore the anterior cruciate ligament anterior cruciate ligament n. Abbr. ACL The cruciate ligament of the knee that crosses from the anterior intercondylar area of the tibia to the posterior part of the lateral condyle of the femur. in his knee during an All-Star game An all-star game is an exhibition game played by the best players in their sports league. The players are often chosen by a popular vote of fans of the sport and the game often occurs at the halfway point of the regular season, although this is not the case for some all-star games this spring. When he makes his way to Fresno State next month, he will find a support system of familiar faces waiting. ``For a guy who has never really sat and watched in his life, it's difficult not to be out there starting,'' Norton said. ``But it helps knowing you can always fall back on your buddies up there, who will give an arm and a leg to help you out.'' Piligian made it to Fresno State first, two years ago. He helped sell Norton and Ciccone on the school, pumping Fresno as sort of a bigger Santa Clarita Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, and quelling their concerns about the school's academics. They knew they were getting information they could trust rather than the company line. Piligian never thought so many former Hart teammates would join him at Fresno State. But the relationship makes sense. Hart, one of the best prep football programs in Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, the past 15 years, produces winners. Many of the players haven't had the size or athletic ability coveted cov·et v. cov·et·ed, cov·et·ing, cov·ets v.tr. 1. To feel blameworthy desire for (that which is another's). See Synonyms at envy. 2. To wish for longingly. See Synonyms at desire. by Pacific-10 Conference The Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) is a college athletic conference which operates in the western United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I. Membership Full members schools. Fresno State coach Pat Hill built the Bulldogs' program around such players. The Bulldogs began recruiting Ciccone after seeing the underrated player catching passes on Norton's highlight tape. ``One of the first things coach Hill told me about Fresno State is that they're not looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. your prototypical athlete,'' Ciccone said. ``They're just looking for someone who can go out there and win. He watches Hart and sees well-coached players who make the most out of their ability. ``That's one of the biggest reasons Hart and Fresno State match. And that's why I think this is just the beginning of Hart players going to Fresno.'' |
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