PREP FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK: HART, PARACLETE RETURN MUCH.

Byline: Gerry Gittelson Staff Writer

In a terrifically successful football weekend, Hart High won its third consecutive Southern Section championship Friday and Paraclete its fourth straight Saturday.

The question now: Will the dynasties continue?

Key players return for both teams, especially Hart, which probably will enter next season as the Daily News' preseason No. 1 team.

Hart quarterback Matt Moore's development is crucial. He replaces senior Kyle Matter, who completed 27 of 31 for 363 yards and two touchdowns in the Division III title win over Mira Costa.

Moore, who played mostly as a defensive back this season and had his school-record 10th interception Friday, probably will concentrate only on quarterback until next year's playoffs, according to coach Mike Herrington.

Moore, a 6-foot-4, 180-pounder, completed 19 of 34 passes for 214 yards and a touchdown this season. He'll benefit from the return of several key receivers, notably Chris Steck, Keith Howell, Julian Lewis and Todd Wilson. Steck had 53 catches and nine touchdowns, including two against Mira Costa, and was Hart's hardest runner after receptions. Howell (38 catches, six touchdowns) and Lewis (34 catches, two touchdowns) are both breakaway threats.

Plus, running back Tim Gregory returns from a knee injury. If he regains his speed, he might be an All-American. He had 1,334 yards, 43 receptions and 24 touchdowns as a sophomore, and he was averaging 13.4 yards per carry and had five catches before suffering a season-ending knee injury early in Game 2 against Thousand Oaks.

Replacement Mickey Mercado, who had 458 yards, 29 catches and four touchdowns this year, also will be back.

``We're really excited about our offense next year,'' Herrington said.

Chris Frome, one of the region's most dominating two-way lineman, returns. Promising lineman Tony Leko and Mike Linn are also back.

Paraclete, which beat Montclair Prep 14-12 in the Division XII final at L.A. Valley College, returns Curtis Brown, who rushed for 1,754 yards this season and more than 2,600 as a sophomore.

Fellow running back Erick Jackson, who had 1,095 yards this season, also returns, along with standout safety Joe Martin and tight end Patrick Courtney.

Paraclete coach Jeff Cortez, hoping to raise the team's profile even higher, said he is attempting to find challenging nonleague opponents. But most teams don't want to play Paraclete.

''I'm trying to get some bigger (schools), but for them it's a lose-lose situation,'' Cortez said. ''We can beat a lot of larger schools because there's a lot of talent out here, but they don't have much to gain by beating us.''

--Really hip running back: There was concern before Montclair Prep's matchup against Paraclete that star running back Gary Sonkur wouldn't be healthy. He had suffered a hip-pointer in practice 11 days earlier and wasn't himself in a semifinal victory over Don Bosco on Dec. 2, rushing for a season-low 76 yards on 10 carries.

Coach George Giannini ordered a special hip pad - ``I still haven't gotten the bill,'' he said - and Sonkur had daily therapy.

Against Paraclete, he broke a nifty 30-yard run down the left sideline on his second carry to set up a 4-yard touchdown run, appearing to be OK.

But until Sonkur's late 31-yard TD to cut the gap to two points with 2:27 remaining, he was held in check. Sonkur finished with 120 yards on 21 carries.

--Just checking up: Giannini's ex-high school coach at Black Foxe military academy, Tom Caffrey, watched the championship from Montclair Prep's sidelines.

``At Black Foxe, we won two 6-man football championships, in 1966 and 1967,'' Caffrey said. ``George was our defensive end, and he was a good ballplayer. He was outstanding.''

Paraclete has never lost an Alpha League game since joining the conference three years ago, and the Spirits also have won 16 consecutive playoff games.

Caffrey, one of the originators of the power-pitch offense in which the quarterback leads the blocking, is still coaching. He has been at Anaheim Fairmont for two years.