Valencia football beats Hart to preserve its unbeaten league record
Hart’s Matix Frithsmith #4 looks for some running room during their Foothill League football game against Valencia at College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita on Friday Oct. 18, 2024. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Hart’s Matix Frithsmith #4 carries the ball during their Foothill League football game against Valencia at College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita on Friday Oct. 18, 2024. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Valencia quarterback Brady Bretthauer #12 passes the ball during their Foothill League football game against Hart at College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita on Friday Oct. 18, 2024. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Valencia’s quarterback Brady Bretthauer #12 scrambles during their Foothill League football game against Hart at College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita on Friday Oct. 18, 2024. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Hart’s Ryder Frithsmith #5 tackles Valencia’s Nick Seymour #1 after Seymour made a reception during their Foothill League football game at College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita on Friday Oct. 18, 2024. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Valencia’s Nick Seymour #1 celebrates a first quarter touchdown reception during their Foothill League football game against Hart at College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita on Friday Oct. 18, 2024. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Hart’s Matix Frithsmith #4 looks carries the ball during their Foothill League football game against Valencia at College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita on Friday Oct. 18, 2024. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Hart quarterback Nate Mata #12 scrambles for some yards during their Foothill League football game against Valencia at College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita on Friday Oct. 18, 2024. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Valencia’s Brian Bonner #34 runs for a long touchdown during their Foothill League football game against Hart at College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita on Friday Oct. 18, 2024. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Valencia’s Nico Funez #24 carries the ball during their Foothill League football game against Hart at College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita on Friday Oct. 18, 2024. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Valencia quarterback Brady Bretthauer #12 attempts to go over the top during their Foothill League football game against Hart at College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita on Friday Oct. 18, 2024. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Valencia’s Brian Bonner carries the ball during their Foothill League football game against Hart at College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita on Friday Oct. 18, 2024. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Valencia quarterback Brady Bretthauer #12 passes the ball during their Foothill League football game against Hart at College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita on Friday Oct. 18, 2024. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Valencia’s Brian Bonner #34 runs for a long touchdown during their Foothill League football game against Hart at College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita on Friday Oct. 18, 2024. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
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Hart’s Matix Frithsmith #4 looks for some running room during their Foothill League football game against Valencia at College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita on Friday Oct. 18, 2024. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
VALENCIA — Valencia quarterback Brady Bretthauer predicted on Wednesday that he would throw a fourth-down touchdown pass to Nick Seymour.
His inkling proved true two days later when he hit Seymour with two touchdown passes as the Vikings used their balanced offense to beat Hart 44-14 and preserve its unbeaten league record on Friday night at College of the Canyons.
“We’ve just got that special connection,” Seymour said. “We’ve been connecting all year. It’s just what we do at practice. We practice how we play.”
The Vikings (4-4 overall, 4-0 Foothill League) struggled on their first offensive drive. Timothy Tadler sacked Bretthauer and Valencia had two false starts in the series before Bretthauer connected with Seymour for a 69-yard touchdown.
Bretthauer and Seymour teamed up for a 17-yard touchdown on fourth down late in the third quarter to extend Valencia’s lead over Hart (7-2, 4-1) to 37-7.
“He is one of the most underrated receivers around,” Valencia coach Larry Muir said. “He’s so smart. He’s faster than people realize and he does such a great job of getting the other receivers on the same page.”
Meanwhile, on the ground, Brian Bonner used his speed to score two touchdowns — one on a 95-yard kick return and another on a 98-yard run to help get Valencia a 26-7 lead at halftime. An interception by Ronald Bruner set up Bonner’s second touchdown run of the night.
“Bonner had an amazing game,” Seymour said. “If they want to play pass, Bonner will just gash them deep and if they want to load the box up, they just hit me.”
Hart running back Zach Rogo scored a 21-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 7-7 with 1:06 left in the first quarter, but Valencia snatched the lead right back on Bonner’s scoring kick return. The Vikings regained the advantage on a 2-yard quarterback sneak.
Hawks starting quarterback Jacob Paisano missed the last two games due to an undisclosed injury but was deployed in the second half on Friday night. Nate Mata, who typically plays running back, started the game and alternated at quarterback.
“Jacob was our ace in the hole,” head coach Jake Goossen-Brown said. “We brought him in and we were hoping to get a little spark and get us going. We were pretty good between the 20s, we couldn’t just get a finish.”
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Oliver Welch intercepted Bretthauer late in the fourth quarter and went on to catch a 23-yard touchdown pass from Mata with 48 seconds left on the clock.
Hart heads into a bye week before playing Saugus in its last game of the regular season on Nov. 1. Valencia has two games left against Castaic and West Ranch. The Vikings’ winless nonleague record is a distant memory.
“We keep getting better and better,” Seymour said. “We just use (nonleague) as motivation instead of letting it hurt us. We use it as motivation to keep pushing every week.”