Hart wins Foothill League game against West Ranch, loses three players to injuries

By Tim Haddock

Hart football secured its second consecutive Foothill League win, defeating West Ranch 48-27, but lost three key players—quarterback Jacob Paisano, wide receiver Parker Maxwell, and defensive back Nate Mata—to injuries. Despite the setbacks, Hart's Zach Rogozik scored four touchdowns, while Paisano threw for 331 yards before leaving the game.

 

Sep 5, 2024 - The Hart football team won its second Foothill League game in a row but lost three players to injuries in the game against West Ranch at Canyon High School.

 

Hart never trailed and won the game 48- 27 to improve to 2 and oh in the Foothill League. It was also Hart’s fifth win in a row, but quarterback Jacob Paisano and wide receiver Parker Maxwell left the game with injuries. Nate Mata, who plays defensive back and running back for Hart, was also injured in the game. Their status for Hart’s next game is uncertain.

 

Hart’s Zach Rigozik scored four touchdowns in the game and had 121 receiving yards. He caught one touchdown pass, scored two rushing touchdowns, and kept the Hart offense rolling throughout the game.

 

West Ranch’s Luke DePerno scored three touchdowns, two in the fourth quarter, and rushed for 198 yards. But it was not enough to put West Ranch in position to win the game. Maxwell caught nine passes for 84 yards and scored two touchdowns before leaving the game with a head injury.

 

Paisano threw four touchdown passes. His fourth went to Rogozik in the fourth quarter on a play that ended with Paisano taking a hard hit near the sideline. He left the game and did not return.

 

Sophomore Matix Frithsmith finished the game at quarterback for Hart. He also took snaps at running back and wide receiver, finishing with 53 rushing yards and caught three passes for 44 yards. He led Hart on its last scoring drive to put the Hawks up 21 points and ending any chance of a West Ranch comeback.

 

Hart plays Castaic next and might be without Maxwell, Paisano and Mata for the game. Maxwell has been one of the better players in the Foothill league with eight touchdowns in six games and 46 receptions for 709 yards.

 

Paisano passed for 331 yards against West Ranch and led Hart to a 34-14 win over Golden Valley in the first week of the Foothill League season. He threw one touchdown pass and scored a rushing touchdown in the game against Golden Valley.

 

Hart coach Jake Goossen-Brown praised Quarterback Jacob Paisano and talked about how his team built a big lead in the third quarter against West Ranch.

 

“He’s a phenomenal player,” Goossen-Brown said about Quarterback Jacob Paisano. “He’s a great quarterback. I think he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the League, and he’s putting out big numbers. He’s a smart guy.”

 

Coach Goossen-Brown said, "We knew that we had to come out and get the job done the second half. And we had one setback, but we were able bounce back and keep fighting, and find a way to put the ball in the end zone."

 

Matix Frithsmith talked about how his teammates approached the second half of the game and came up with some big plays.

“Our coach, from the beginning of the game, said that we need to win the offensive line of scrimmage. He said it was going to be ‘smash mouth’ football. Our whole line needed to drive forward, and that’s what they did. They stepped up.”