Hart Shows Its True Colors in 47-7 Defeat of Saugus

The Saugus High football team painted the grass at College of the Canyons with blue emblems before Friday night’s showdown with Hart for the Foothill League championship.

But the estimated 7,000 fans saw Hart cover the field with red and black.

The Indians (8-2, 4-0 in league play) captured the league title for the fifth consecutive season with a 47-7 victory.

Hart’s Steve McKeon completed 14 of 20 passes for 254 yards and four touchdowns. Cody Joyce caught seven passes for 128 yards, and Ted Iacenda rushed for 76 yards and two touchdowns in 10 carries.

“We just dominated,” McKeon said. “We came out so fired up and we almost played flawless. The defense played great, because our defense is great, but nobody seems to notice that.”

Kevin Carrasco of Saugus (5-4, 3-1) completed five of 19 for 57 yards with two interceptions. Jeremy Mushinski had 32 yards in 12 carries.

The Centurions’ touchdown, on a one-yard run by Chris Kobe with 47 seconds left, came against Hart’s second-string defense.

The Indians, who outgained Saugus, 425-176, now lead the series, 15-4-1, having won 14 of the past 15 meetings.

Strangely, both teams, who have good defenses, attempted to convert on fourth down in the first half. Hart tried twice, Saugus tried three times. Each attempt failed.

The difference is what the teams did with their other possessions.

Hart: four touchdowns.

Saugus: two interceptions.

McKeon fired a bomb that covered 59 yards to make it 6-0 in the first quarter with Joyce dragging David Kim the final five yards.

The Indians scored three times in the second quarter. Iacenda took the snap out of the shotgun and ran 29 yards and added a four-yard touchdown run to make it 20-0.

McKeon then threw a 47-yard play-action pass to Kevin McLaughlin for a touchdown. McLaughlin, wide open, looked like a baseball center fielder, catching the ball over his shoulder in stride.

In the third quarter, McKeon scored on a 10-yard run to make it 33-0. A five-yard run by Tim Waddell, following a third Saugus interception, made it 40-0 with 6 minutes 40 seconds left to play. On Saugus’ next play, Hart linebacker Seth Schienle returned a fumble 20 yards to make it 47-0..

As if Iacenda and McKeon didn’t do enough on offense, Iacenda, playing end, had two sacks.

McKeon, a defensive back, broke up one pass and intercepted another, both in the end zone.