SOME TRICKS UP ITS SLEEVES HART FOOTBALL TEAM GETS CREATIVE DURING PLAYOFFS.

Byline: Ramona Shelburne  Staff Writer

Even if you've never played them before, most teams have a pretty good idea of what to expect when it goes up against the Hart High football team: a Pacific-10 Conference-caliber quarterback, playmaking wide receivers and a sophisticated offense that executes at a high level.

Come playoff time, though, coach Mike Herrington has made a tradition of inserting a few unexpected wrinkles into his play-calling, throwing in trickery such as double-reverses and double-passes. Several years ago, the Indians even changed jersey numbers for their second-string quarterback, lined him up at wide receiver and had him throw a touchdown pass on the first play of the game.

But Herrington insists this is no different from what Hart does all year.

``We just go game by game and see what our opponent does on defense,'' Herrington said. ``In the playoffs, you play teams that aren't as familiar with your style or your offense compared to teams in our league, who know our offense and defense inside and out.

``We have a lot of plays we may not run every game that we pull out every three to four games.''

That might be one explanation, but it's hard to argue with history.

Last season in the Division III semifinals against Mira Costa of Manhattan Beach, reserve running back Paxton Howard executed a 38-yard double pass to wide receiver Chris Steck. Hart scored on the next play to stake a 21-point lead and won the game 35-6.

``All I remember was the ball sitting up in the air for an hour before it came down, said Steck,'' now a walk-on receiver at UCLA. ``I think we brought out more of them (trick plays) in the playoffs because its teams we don't always play in the regular season, and they're more likely to bite on them.''

Earlier in that semifinal with Mira Costa, Hart almost pulled off an 11- yard touchdown pass to lineman Chris Frome on a tackle-eligible play. But the play was ruled illegal because Frome was only eligible to catch a lateral pass, not a forward pass, and Frome began moving toward the end zone before quarterback Matt Moore had a chance to release the ball. Players with jersey numbers in the 70s aren't allowed to catch forward passes, and Frome wore No. 75.

So what kind of deception can we expect from Hart this year, as the Indians make their first playoff run in Division II after four consecutive Division III titles? Wide receiver Kevin Ciccone wondered the same thing.

``I was just thinking that if other teams see our films and they see we run the same plays every game, it's kind of hard to just keep running the same plays again in the playoffs,'' Ciccone said.

But if Ciccone knows any of Herringtons plans for the playoffs, he's not saying anything to tip off first-round opponent El Toro of Lake Forest.

``We might add a few extra guys or something, but I think were just going to go out and keep doing what has worked for us all year,'' Ciccone said.

Needless to say, Herrington is tight-lipped as well.

``Not this week,'' he said of the Indians running trick plays Friday night against El Toro. ``But maybe down the road.''

Mystery it seems, is all part of the game plan.

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(color) Hart High football coach Mike Herrington has been known to add some trick plays during the playoffs.

Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer