Due to the Veteran’s Day holiday the Foothill League will be in action tonight to conclude the football regular season, and depending on how things turn out, a “milestone” could occur with respect to the Hart Indians.
I witnessed an important milestone in October of 2004 when the Valencia Vikings defeated the Hart Indians for the first time in the school’s history. For Hart it marked the first time that they had lost a league game in over a decade (in a classic act of anti-climax they would lose to a resurgent Canyon one week later) and I began to predict the demise of Hart as the dominant Foothill League and CIF team.
What has happened in the last six years? Hart has continuously had its student body hollowed out by the opening of West Ranch and Golden Valley, and its coaching staff of Herrington brothers hollowed out by other coaching opportunities and tonight, if Hart loses to West Ranch they will NOT make the CIF playoffs for the first time in 22 YEARS. Even a win tonight puts them in a three way tie for third place, in which they must rely on a coin toss and the unlikely taking of an at-large team from the Foothill League into the CIF to make the playoffs.
But those triumphalists at Canyon and Valencia should hold their water of celebration. Eventually an unnecessary Castaic High School will hollow out Valencia and the entire Foothill League can suck.
Updated
Hart is defeated by West Ranch 37-21 and will finish FIFTH in the Foothill League. If I understand the tie-breaker correctly West Ranch and Saugus will flip a coin for the third place slot in the CIF, with the loser filling a potential at large spot.
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