Hoover football looks to turn corner with added depth
Following a series of jumping jacks, the members of the Hoover High football field were ready to go through another practice during the middle of a warm afternoon.
It was another opportunity to prepare for Hoover’s season-opening game against Hacienda Heights Wilson at 7 p.m. Friday at Glendale High’s Moyse Field.
Hoover began working out in pads Aug. 4. Fourth-year coach Matt Andersen stockpiled depth to the roster, as Hoover will field a 39-player squad after being close to 30 each of the past two seasons.
“We’ve had a lot of injuries during my first three years and it’s been tough trying to fill out the lineup on offensive and defense,” said Andersen, whose team finished 2-8, 1-6 in the Pacific League last season. “It will be our first year having added depth on the offensive and defensive lines and some guys will be able to take a break instead of having to play on both sides of the ball. In the past, nobody really came off the field.
“We’ll have some more experience across the board and we just want to be sure we are ready for the first game and go from there. The summer went well at all levels and it was extra time spent going over repetitions. We looked to see improvement and we’ve gotten that.”
Some changes have been made in the lineup, the seismic one being Hoover turning over the quarterback responsibilities to sophomore Andrew Rangel. Senior Quinton Smith was the quarterback last season and will now be the featured running back in a quest to provide the Tornadoes with more speed.
It’s a sign of encouragement for Hoover, which scored just 94 points and was shut out six times last season.
“[Rangel] will have some weapons around him,” said Andersen, a former running back at Occidental College. “We just want to see him be in good position to control the offense and make the routine plays.
“Quinton did a good job for us last year at quarterback. Now, we have confidence in him doing well at running back.”
The projected starters on the offensive line are seniors Angelo Clarizio, Omar Gonzalez, Elmer Moreno and Fred Salcaeda and junior Azad Markosian.
The receiver corps will feature seniors John Aranilla, Johnny Hernand, Jared Wick and Jordan Richardson. Senior Chris White will be the tight end.
“It’s a completely different team now,” Clarizio said. “We come to practice ready to do the repetitions so we are in better position to succeed. I think we’re ready and will come out strong.”
White agreed.
“I think we have been coming along nicely on offense,” White said. “The practices have been high tempo and we’ve been going hard all of the time. We’re ready to show improvement.”
Hoover will look to shore up its defense after yielding 36.7 points per game in 2015. The Tornadoes allowed 40 or more points in a game six times last season.
“We think our defense will be a strong point going forward,” Andersen said. “I think we’ll have one of our best linebacking corps since I’ve been here and we believe they’ll be able to step it up.”
The linebacking group will feature White, seniors James Tumbucon, Ara Toubeh, Orlando Rosa and Bernard Mindanao and junior Gabriel Bermudez.
The defensive line will be anchored by Clarizio, junior Allen Melikyan, sophomore Joseph Kim and senior Enrique Rosales.
In the secondary, juniors Maurice Herrera and Jewel Holman will be the corner backs and the safeties are Smith, a reigning all-league pick on defense, and Aranilla.
Hoover will take part in nonleague games versus Sotomayor and Glenn before beginning league action at 7 p.m. Sept. 23 against visiting Burroughs, which won the league championship last season.
Hoover will wrap up the regular season at 7 p.m. Nov. 4 against crosstown rival Glendale in the “Battle for the Victory Bell.” Hoover posted a 41-14 win against Glendale and gained possession of the bell for the first time since 2009.
“I think the league will be tough again,” Andersen said. “You got Burroughs up there and Crescenta Valley, Burbank and Arcadia will also be good. The key for our team will be to stay healthy and play hard.”
