Matix Frithsmith’s 4 TDs power Hart football past Saugus

SANTA CLARITA — The first play from scrimmage lets everyone settle in. It’s that first hit for both lines and, for running backs, a great opportunity to set the tone for a rushing attack. Hart senior running back Matix Frithsmith received the ball on the first play of the game to do just that – set the tone.

Instead, the Saugus defense set the tone early on with junior linebacker Ryker Wixom forcing a fumble by Frithsmith. Saugus recovered and scored five plays later. Six plays into the game, Hart was down early. Frithsmith didn’t let that mistake rattle him, as he went on to have over 200 total yards and four touchdowns.

The performance helped the Hart Hawks (4-1, 1-0) beat the Saugus Centurions (4-2, 1-1) 34-17 to start Foothill League play undefeated.

“We came out a little flat to start the game,” Hart head coach Jake Goosen-Brown said. “(Saugus) is a well-coached team. They have great players, so we knew we had to come out and still play football … Matix (Frithsmith) took over the game, which is what we wanted with the offensive line.”

The rushing attack by the Hawks was creative and dominant. Offensively, the line and receivers played a huge part in opening up holes for Frithsmith to run through. Hart also used creative motions to insert receivers into specific gaps to block.

Hart would use the motions to run power and counter-type concepts to stump the Saugus front seven. Saugus crowded the line of scrimmage and played a single-high safety over the top, but it didn’t matter. Frithsmith would read his blocks and get yardage. His best read came on his 91-yard touchdown run, when he bounced the run toward the outside, and his speed did the rest.

“I know a lot of where my blockers are going, so that really helps knowing the entire play,” Frithsmith said on his vision. “My coaches taught me the offense inside and out, so knowing everything and where the hole is gonna be, and then just making that split-second decision is huge.”

Saugus’ offense kept up with Hart for most of the game. Until Frithsmith’s 91-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, it was a one-score game. Saugus senior running back Mono Ortega had 121 total yards and two touchdowns. Ortega ran, threw and caught the ball, repeatedly causing problems for the Hawks.

A chunk of Ortega’s receiving damage was done in the flats out of the backfield. Whether it was Saugus freshman quarterback Zachary Banres or junior quarterback Brayden Connelly. Each found Ortega wide open in the flat, and Ortega would do the rest. It wasn’t until the second half that Hart adjusted to take away the flats for Ortega.

“We were making different calls and things like that to make sure that we were communicating,” Goosen-Brown said. “We were just missing the communication part, but we were calling it. It wasn’t getting processed by everybody. So, we went back, reemphasized it, and got it rolling in the second half.”

Hart’s defensive line put consistent pressure on Saugus’s quarterbacks. The Hawks didn’t have to blitz or send extra pressure. The pure four-man rush was getting home, forcing Saugus to check the ball down or throw shorter routes.

Hawks senior defensive lineman Gabriel Degl’innocenti stood out, repeatedly getting into the Saugus backfield for tackles for loss and a sack. But Goosen-Brown knows it was a team effort.

“We knew (Saugus) was going to come out and try to sling it,” Gossen Brown said. “We had to get after it up front. And we have the guys to do it … We have a good defensive line. I’ve always thought they’re going to be the strength and anchor of our defense, and I’m glad they showed up tonight.”

Hart travels to Golden Valley next. Saugus hosts Valencia.