Hart Beats Santa Barbara; Game Ends in Brawl

When his football playing days are over, Jim Bonds doesn’t have to worry. If all else fails, he can become a magician.

See Jim Bonds pass? Oops, he handed off. See Jim Bonds run? Oops, the fullback has the ball.

He’s a play-by-play announcer’s nightmare.

Bonds saved some of his best sleight-of-hand tricks of the season for Santa Barbara High School Friday night at College of the Canyons, leading Hart High School to a 24-17 win in the quarterfinals of the Southern Section’s Coastal Conference playoffs.

As the final gun sounded, players from both sides charged onto the field, and a brawl that included players, coaches and fans from both teams ensued. The melee lasted more than five minutes before police managed to break it up.

It wasn’t the only fight of the night. Kevin Bolden, generally considered to be Santa Barbara’s best player, was ejected midway through the second quarter when he was involved in an altercation with Ralph Elliot of Hart on a kickoff return.

Bonds, who had thrown for 1,950 yards and 15 touchdowns coming into the game, completed 10 of 19 passes for 92 yards.

He didn’t have a great night statistically, but his steady hand at the controls of the Hart offense was a key element as the Indians advanced to the semifinals next week against West Torrance.

Excluding punts, Hart ran 61 offensive plays (Santa Barbara ran 29) as the Indians were able to play ball control, much to the delight of Coach Rick Scott.

The domination of Hart’s offensive line showed not only in the number of plays the Indians ran but also in yards rushing. Bonds gained 63 yards on 16 carries to tie teammate Brian Baie, who gained 63 on 18 carries. The pair combined for 20 of Hart’s 24 rushing attempts in the second half.

The final run, a two-yard quarterback sneak by Bonds with 40 seconds left in the game, was the most important. It was the margin of victory.

“They were overloading their linebackers to the side we were running to all second half,” Bonds said. “I ended up calling a lot of audibles. I either sneaked it, or we went to the fullback.

And Baie, a transfer from Bella Vista High in Sacramento, responded like a true mudder.

“I ran in mud a lot in Sacramento,” he said after the game. “I’m used to it, so it didn’t bother me at all.”

Baie scored Hart’s first two touchdowns, the first a one-yard run with 33 seconds left in the first quarter.

Baie’s second score, a two-yard run, came midway through the second quarter after he blocked a Santa Barbara punt to set up a 35-yard drive. Chris Hite ran in for a two-point conversion to give Hart a 14-7 lead.

Baie, a 6-0, 200-pound senior, has has scored 15 of Hart’s 22 rushing touchdowns for the season.

Santa Barbara scored on its second possession of the game to take a 7-0 lead as Bolden hauled in a 34-yard touchdown pass from Wayne Shipley.