Hart football holds off Golden Valley

Hart sophomore Matix Frithsmith (4) and Golden senior Jordan Flores battle for a pass. Photo courtesy of Cole Franquiz.
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By Matt Lechuga 

For The Signal 

Heading into Friday night’s Foothill League opener against an undefeated Golden Valley team, the Hart Hawks knew they needed to get ahead early to put the Grizzlies’ run attack on its heels. And they had the perfect play in mind to do it.  

On the first play of the game from their own 18-yard line, Hart junior quarterback Jacob Paisano took the snap, faked a handoff to running back Zach Rogozik, and launched a perfect pass up the right sideline to a waiting Parker Maxwell for an 82-yard touchdown and an early 7-0 lead that the Hawks never gave up en route to a 34-14 win over Golden Valley at Valencia High School. 

Hart quarterback Jacob Paisano throws the ball. Photo courtesy of Cole Franquiz.

The win was the first Foothill League victory for new Hart head coach Jake Goossen-Brown. 

“We know they’re [Golden Valley] good at what they do; they want to run the ball,” said Goossen-Brown. “If they run the ball, it’s going to be a hard game for us. We wanted to get them on their heels, so we’re going to run a little play action, max protect, and throw it up and make a big play. Every day this week it was the first play we practiced, and it worked out.” 

Paisano and Maxwell continued their hot start to the season together, connecting seven times for 154 yards and the score.  

The Golden Valley offense sputtered in the first half while the Hawks (4-1, 1-0) scored three more times: a 23-yard field goal, a 10-yard rush by Paisano and a 25-yard rush by Rogozik to give Hart a 24-0 lead at the half. 

Hart running back Zach Rogozik rushes up the field. Photo courtesy of Cole Franquiz.

“It’s a great win for us,” said Rogozik. “The gameplan was to come out and do what we’ve been doing. We’ve been very successful on offense so far. We wanted that first play, like we knew we were going to Parker Maxwell to start off, put them on their heels and go out and execute.” 

The win extends Hart’s streak of scoring at least 30 points per game, while putting an end to the Grizzlies’ streak of holding opponents to one score or less.  

Golden Valley (4-1, 0-1) rallied in the third quarter, scoring on a 33-yard run by Jamison Torres and a 9-yard rush by Anthony Seragusa to cut the lead to 24-14.  

“Our defense was flying around but they have a lot of weapons over there,” said Golden Valley head coach Dan Kelley. “We played better on offense in the second half, the guys didn’t give up, that shows a lot of character and chemistry in the team. I’m proud of that.” 

Golden Valley linebacker wraps up Hart running back Zach Rogozik. Photo courtesy of Cole Franquiz.

As the Grizzlies inched their way back into the game, Hart put together its longest drive, a 17-play march down the field, capped by a 3-yard run by Rogozik. After intercepting a pass by Golden Valley’s Brandon Contreras, the Hawks capitalized with a 30-yard field goal to make the final score 34-14. 

“The tradition, the coaches, the legacy here at Hart is awesome,” said Goossen-Brown about his first Foothill League win. “That’s what has made it so easy to step in here, to build on what they’ve done. It’s a good first win, but we still have plenty of work to do.” 

Hart will look to keep its win streak alive against West Ranch next week while Golden Valley will look to get back in the win column against Castaic. 

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