Hart Falls Short In Season Opener Against Quartz Hill

The Hart Hawks lost to Quartz Hill by a score of 8 points in a thrilling game that came down to the wire. Just a few plays separated the teams from heading into overtime.

After a scoreless first half and being down by seven, the Hawks came out of the locker room ready to play in the third quarter.

On Hart’s first defensive drive of the second half, Quartz Hill made a bold decision to try to convert on fourth and short, but the Hawks were prepared and stuffed the run, forcing a turnover on downs.

Just moments after that, quarterback Jacob Paisano took off from the pocket and into the endzone to tie the game at seven a piece.

With momentum and the home crowd on their side, Hart was able to rally back with another touchdown, this time to the big 6’2” tight end Oliver Welch. Following the big touchdown to take the lead, there was a miscommunication between the long snapper and kicker that led to the Hawks scrambling around to try to make something out of a broken PAT attempt.

Oliver Welch stumbles into the endzone after catching the touchdown pass to give the Hawks the lead. Steven Barrera | KHTS

Unfortunately, they were unable to convert but still had a 13-7 lead over Quartz Hill.

As Hart was getting comfortable with the lead, Quartz Hill came back with a one-yard rushing touchdown to take a one-point advantage. The Royals kept their foot on the gas to score what would end up being the game-winning touchdown with under four minutes left in regulation.

Down 21-13, Hart still had a chance. They drove the ball down within 10 yards of the endzone but could not escape Quartz Hill’s defensive rampage.

In the midst of defeat, head coach Jake Goossen-Brown was able to find the positives in his team’s performance.

“I think this is a great group of kids. We got a lot of guys where this was their first varsity start,” said Goossen-Brown. “So we got to get through some of the jitters and find out where we’re at, but we took them to the brink and they’re a very good team.

During Hart’s back-and-forth match against the Royals, several players made big plays, including sophomore Matix Frithsmith.

Frithsmith was a night-long menace to the Royals’ defense, making plays and contributing to the running game. Senior receiver Parker Maxwell was drawing in double teams in the coverage, which, according to Goossen-Brown, allowed Frithsmith to get an opening.

“That’s what happens if they double-team somebody. We’re going to have somebody else open,” said Goossen-Brown. “So I appreciate what Parker does and I think Maddox is a great player as well.”

Along with Maxwell drawing in the double team, Paisano extended plays using his feet, giving receivers like Frithsmith and Maxwell a second chance to make a big play.

“Jacob is a great player and he’s going to continue to get better with more reps and experience he gets at this level in these games,” said Goossen-Brown.

As to the loss, Goossen-Brown puts it on himself and the coaching staff, but he’s looking forward to next week’s road test against Burroughs at 7 p.m.

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