NORMAL UNDER NORTON QB PUTS HART ON TRACK FOR 5TH TITLE IN A ROW.

Byline: Gerry Gittelson Staff Writer

NEWHALL - Sean Norton keeps getting better, and that's good news for the Hart High football team.

Always reliant on their quarterback, the pass-crazed Indians continue to thrive under Norton's sturdy leadership. Coming off a personal-best 365-yard, two-touchdown performance in Hart's victory over Valencia to clinch the Foothill League championship last week, Norton completed 13 of 16 passes - all three misses were dropped, and two of them would have been touchdowns - for 298 yards and two TDs during Friday's 52-0 victory over El Toro in the first round of the Southern Section Division II playoffs.

If Norton continues to show poise in the pocket, make correct decisions and retain his accuracy, Hart's 33-game unbeaten streak figures to continue at Ayala (9-2) of Chino Hills in the quarterfinals Friday night.

A junior playing varsity football for the first time this season, Norton has completed 197 of 308 passes (64 percent) for 3,269 yards, 33 touchdowns and just three interceptions.

Hart's previous four starting quarterbacks - Matt Moore, Kyle Matter, Kyle Boller and David Neill - all earned Division I college scholarships. The 6-foot, 175-pound Norton should be the next in line.

``It's an honor to pick up where the others left off and continue to do well in the system,'' Norton said. ``I feel like I'm extremely lucky to play quarterback for Hart. It's exciting because I used to watch those other guys when I was a kid. I've waited my whole life for a challenge like this.''

Norton is blessed with four excellent receivers - Kevin Ciccone, Cody Kase, Todd Wilson and Ryan Wolfe all have more than 30 receptions - plus running back Paxton Howard is an excellent receiver.

But Norton has special qualities that make his receivers look good, not the other way around.

``I think the biggest thing is Sean is extremely accurate,'' said offensive coordinator Davis Delmatoff, a former All-Southern Section quarterback at Hart. ``Plus, he's very tough, especially under pressure when he's about to get hit. Those are qualities you can't really teach. You either have them or you don't, and Sean has them.''

Norton is also an effective runner who has scored five touchdowns, including two on runs of 12 and 11 yards against El Toro.

Other quarterbacks shy away from contact, especially in the open field, but not Norton.

``Running hard is the part of the game I enjoy the most,'' Norton said. ``At some point I should probably stop doing it because it would be more injury-safe. But I just love and enjoy it too much.''

Norton prides himself on improvement, not just his own but the team's. Since an opening 21-21 tie at Los Alamitos, which was ranked No. 10 in the nation by USA Today at the time, Hart (10-0-1) has won all of its games by 14 points or more and hasn't been held to less than four touchdowns by anyone.

``I'd like to say we've gotten a lot better,'' Norton said. ``I think we've kind of proved ourself as we've come along.''

Hart, which has won four consecutive Division III championships and is 32-0-1 since an October 2000 loss to Loyola of Los Angeles, needs three more victories to win its fifth consecutive section title; no Southern Section large school ever has won five in a row since football competition began in 1914.

If Hart is to make history, Norton needs to be at his best. And there are no indications he won't be.

CAPTION(S):

photo, box

Photo:

Hart quarterback Sean Norton is succeeding at a program that produced Division I quarterbacks each of the four seasons before him.

Tina Burch/Staff Photographer

Box:

NORTON'S NUMBERS