“The bell stays home.”

Valencia players shouted it in unison Friday night after the Vikings defeated Hart, 45-26, at College of the Canyons’ Cougar Stadium to win the Foothill League title for the fourth consecutive season.

The win keeps the Victory Bell - the trophy awarded to the Santa Clarita Valley’s top high school football team - with Valencia, and it put the Vikings ahead in the all-time series against Hart for the first time in program history. The teams entered Friday night tied 16-16-1.

It is the program’s 15th Foothill League title under head coach Larry Muir, who has led Valencia since 2005.

Hart led 20-17 at halftime behind two touchdown passes from junior quarterback Camren Ketner, including a 47-yard strike to Matix Frithsmith in the first quarter. But Anthony Vernon opened the second half with a 60-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, and Valencia poured on 21 third-quarter points to take control. The Vikings’ defense allowed only one second-half touchdown the rest of the way.

Senior running back Nico Funez scored three touchdowns and ran for 63 yards. Sophomore quarterback Evan McCalister completed 7 of 9 passes for 138 yards. The Vikings held Frithsmith, the Foothill League’s leading rusher, to 59 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Ketner finished 19-of-29 for 277 yards.

The loss dropped Hart to 8-2, but Hawks head coach Jake Goossen-Brown is already looking ahead. “Everything from here on out that we previously did, doesn’t matter,” he said. “Our goal is to be 1-0 next week and keep fighting.”

The CIF Southern Section releases playoff pairings Sunday morning, with first-round games set for Friday.