Hart High 2016 Year in Review 2017

The playoffs were full of drama for Hart High this year, and, generally, the ball bounced the Indians’ way.

Whether you’re talking about boys soccer’s first round playoff win over Cabrillo of Lompoc in overtime. Or girls soccer’s three one-goal wins on its way to the semifinals.

The most obvious example came in softball, where Hart had to win its regular-season finale just to make the playoffs.

The Indians then went on a five-game win streak to reach the CIF-Southern Section Division 3 title game.

Along the way, Hart beat Patriot High of Riverside 9-8 on Abby Sweet’s walk-off home run. It beat Ayala of Chino Hills 6-5 in 12 innings, outlasting one of the Division’s best pitchers.

Hart’s run even ended in dramatic fashion, with Murrieta Mesa launching a two-run, walk-off home run to center field in the bottom of the eighth inning in the championship. It was an incredible run. Girls soccer’s run relied heavily on the leg of Taylor Scott. The senior forward scored on a line-drive kick with 2:05 to play against Long Beach Poly in the first round of the CIF-Southern Section Division 1 playoffs.

She then netted a golden goal in double overtime in the second round against Upland. It seemed unreal. Hart’s run even ended in dramatic fashion, with Mater Dei of Santa Ana besting the Indians 1-0 in the semis before two Mater Dei players ran to a fence and attempted to tear down a homemade Hart sign.

Of course, not every Hart team made a deep run. After a strong regular season, the baseball team owned a

one-run lead on Vista Murrieta on the road in the first round of the Division 1 playoffs before the Broncos strung two runs together in the bottom of the seventh for a walk-off win.

After its own epic win, Hart boys soccer fell 2-1 to Division 4’s No. 1 seed Desert Mirage of Thermal in the second round. Football lost in the first round of playoffs. So too did boys basketball, but not before, like girls soccer, winning its fourth straight Foothill league title.

Whitten Dominguez and Ben Kaufman were as good a scoring duo as any in the league.

Jess Scheller and Art Thompson led the way for boys golf, the Foothill League’s team champion.

Adam Osowski and Ryan Brimer did the same for the boys swim team, also a Foothill League champion team.

For girls cross country, it wasn’t a league title season, but it was a breakthrough one. The Indians, after regularly finishing at the bottom of the Foothill League before 2015’s turnaround, kept the momentum alive, advancing to the CIFSouthern Section finals for the first time in program history.

John Campbell led a solid season for Hart boys track and field, a group that finished second in the Foothill League at 3-2.