The Hart Hawks football team picked up the program’s first playoff win since 2019 in Friday night’s thrashing of the Mayfair Monsoons.
Led by senior quarterback Jacob Paisano’s five total touchdowns and 340 total yards, the Hawks (8-3) took down the visiting Monsoons (4-7), 52-24, at College of the Canyons’ Cougar Stadium to advance to the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division 7 playoffs.
“It feels great,” Paisano said. “We had a great week of practice, so we came into this game with a whole bunch of confidence, you know. It’s good to see that good practice translates to the game. We prepared for this game well, and it showed tonight.”
Paisano threw for 177 yards and ran for 163. Two of his nine completions went for touchdowns, and he added three more scores on the ground. Junior Matix Frithsmith showed off his dual-threat ability as well, running for 146 yards while catching five passes for 89 yards. He ran in one touchdown and caught both of Paisano’s touchdown passes.
The Hawks are set to go on the road in the second round, making the long trek to Palm Springs to take on the Indians (10-1).
It’s the first playoff win for Hart second-year head coach Jake Goossen-Brown, who said he was surprised to see his team predicted to lose by Calpreps on Friday despite being the higher seed.
“I always think we’re underrated,” Goossen-Brown said. “You know, everybody picks other people … But we like it. We embrace the underdog, and we come out there and we show up. We have great players. They’re making plays.”
Paisano and Frithsmith made the plays on offense, but it was the defense early on and throughout the entire game that put Hart in a position to win. Two interceptions in the first quarter — one by senior Cesar Trujillo and one by senior Devin Thompson — helped the Hawks to an early 14-0 advantage. Junior Michael Toner added an interception in the third quarter with the Monsoons threatening onoffense.
“I talked before the game, I said, ‘You know, if we win the turnover battle, you have a 90% chance of winning the game,’” Goossen-Brown said. “The defense took it to heart and came out here and made some big plays. You know, the defense played lights out tonight. They did a great job. It’s the best our defense has looked all year.”
Junior Josh Rogozik added a rushing touchdown in the third quarter to round out the scoring for Hart.
The Monsoons were seemingly unprepared for the two-headed rushing attack of Paisano and Frithsmith. It looked like every time one of them had their name called, the chains were expected to move.
“I think I showed that they got to prepare for me throwing the ball and running the ball,” Paisano said.
Much of Hart’s offense came on the ground, but with the Monsoons scoring late in the first half to make it an 11-point game, Paisano showed he also has a good arm to go with his strong legs. The Hawks needed just 17 seconds to cap off a 28-point first half, with Paisano hitting Frithsmith on a 36-yard pass that fell almost perfectly into the right corner of the end zone.
“As a quarterback, when you let it go, you know sometimes when it’s just gonna be a perfect ball,” Paisano said. “That one of those throws where I knew it was just gonna be perfect ball.”
Up next for the Hawks is a Palm Springs team that took down Claremont on Friday, 33-7. Noting that most of Hart’s road games are just a few miles away from campus, Paisano said it should be a fun experience making the long trip east.
“This is gonna be quite a drive, but it’s gonna be fun to go out there,” Paisano said.
