QB MAKES 'EM BRAVE HART NORTON LEADS INDIANS INTO DIV. II FINAL WITH POISE, TOUGHNESS.

Byline: Gerry Gittelson Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - The latest elite quarterback at football factory Hart High in Newhall, Sean Norton isn't the biggest or most physically gifted of the school's long line of prolific passers.

But having persevered over the past two seasons through knee surgery, a concussion and, most recently, a torn rib ligament, he might be the bravest.

Norton, the school's all-time yardage leader after passing Kyle Matter (now at Stanford) last week, also might be Hart's best - especially if the undersized 5-foot-11, 180-pounder can orchestrate an upset over two-time Div. II champion Mission Viejo in the Southern Section championship Saturday night at Home Depot Center in Carson.

Top-seeded Mission Viejo (12-0) has won 41 in a row - including a victory over Hart in last year's final at Edison Field and a 56-21 semifinal rout of Canyon last week - and is ranked No. 5 in the nation by USA Today. Of Hart's many notable victories through the years - the school won four Div. III titles in a row from 1998 to 2001 and is making its sixth consecutive championship appearance Saturday - the team never has beaten an opponent of Mission Viejo's stature.

But if Hart is looking for a special leader to provide a lift, Norton is the guy.

Despite passing for just 59 yards because of the rib injury in a season-opening loss to Los Alamitos in September, Norton is on the verge of becoming only the second player in region history to pass for 4,000 yards in consecutive seasons. After totaling 4,014 yards last year, he has completed 65.2 percent of his passes for 3,727 yards and 41 touchdowns this season. Hart (10-3) has won 10 in a row after starting with three consecutive losses to high-powered opponents.

Because Hart is so dependent on its quarterback, Norton must come through with one last monumental performance for Hart to have any chance of winning what undoubtedly would be the school's biggest championship in any sport.

``It all depends on him,'' receiver Kevin Ciccone said. ``Sean knows how big this game is, and we know he'll be pumped up. But the best thing about Sean has always been his poise. He makes really smart decisions, plus he's a great athlete. That makes him a great quarterback.''

Norton isn't the type to make any Joe Namath-style predictions. Yet Norton's only missing accomplishment is a section championship, though he was a late call-up from the junior varsity during the last Div. III title run in 2001. In fact, he personally shouldered the blame for last year's loss to Mission Viejo. The memory of that disappointing 10-6 defeat - during which Norton, dazed from an early concussion but refusing to sit on the bench, failed to lead a touchdown drive - remains fresh in his mind.

``I'm pleased, and I feel like I've played well over these two years. But, yes, it would be a great ending to beat Mission Viejo,'' Norton said. ``We're not quite finished yet.''

The four Hart starting quarterbacks who preceded Norton - Matt Moore, Kyle Matter, Kyle Boller and David Neill - have played Division I college football; Boller was starting for the NFL's Baltimore Ravens this season until being sidelined by an injury. So not surprisingly, Norton felt the pressure of the school's quarterback legacy from the moment he stepped in as a junior last year.

Then an untested 16-year-old, Norton didn't take long to join the club. In his debut during last year's season opener at Los Alamitos, which was ranked No. 10 in the nation by USA Today at the time, Norton threw a 68-yard touchdown in the final seconds as Hart rallied from a 13-point deficit for a 21-21 tie.

Sean Norton had arrived.

Moore, a part-time starter at UCLA the past two seasons before recently deciding to transfer, has watched Norton from the sideline on a weekly basis this year - partly because Moore's younger brother, Robbie, is Hart's starting safety and Norton's backup. Moore said he think Norton will continue to improve in college.

``Sean's got everything - a great arm and great feet,'' Moore said. ``You look at the guys before him that are so much bigger and taller, but Sean's really the same. I mean, he's thrown for about 8,000 yards, so he must be doing something right.''

And he's never one to shy from contact. Despite handling the ball as a passer or scrambler on about 75 percent of Hart's plays over the past two seasons, Norton never so much has gotten up slowly from one of the many jarring hits he has taken.

``The one thing I've always strived for is to be a tough quarterback,'' Norton said.

Norton has scored 12 touchdowns (five this season), meaning he's accounted 88 in his 27-game career. His prowess has not gone unnoticed by colleges, and Norton has been offered scholarships by Fresno State, Portland State and Wyoming. Among the others who have shown interest are Washington and Nevada.

``I'd wanted to play quarterback for Hart for years, but at first I really wasn't very confident,'' Norton said. ``I've grown up a lot since that first season, and I'm really having a blast.

``You know, there's nothing like the rush of excitement I felt when I threw a 99-yard touchdown pass to Kevin this season.''

Gerry Gittelson, [phone]

gerry.gittelson(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) Sean Norton said beating division rival Mission Viejo on Saturday would be a ``great ending.''

(2) Hart High's Sean Norton is on the verge of becoming only the second quarterback in region history to pass for 4,000 yards in consecutive seasons.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News

Box:

NORTON AT A GLANCE