Turning on the AC: Hope in little supply for Glendale, Hoover football
As the pomp and circumstance surrounding the Victory Bell is underway this week, there is much celebration and talk about the Hoover High and Glendale football teams.
The rivalry brings about an opportunity to fight for city pride and bragging rights, sure, but perhaps what isn’t mentioned as much is one other added benefit.
Friday provides both teams their best chance at a Pacific League victory.
For years now, there have been two residents lagging at the bottom of the league standings: Hoover and Glendale.
One team will be victorious Friday night, but both are ultimately in a no-win situation.
How long and how much losing will it take for both schools’ administrations to consider a change, at least for for football – whether that’s switching leagues, choosing a different format or anything else?
Let’s look at some real quick facts.
Neither the Hoover or Glendale High football teams have reached the postseason since 2003.
In the 13 playoffs since then (not counting the upcoming one), every team in the Pacific League has advanced to the postseason at least four times, every squad has won at least one playoff game and no group has gone more than five years without a postseason visit.
Glendale has ultimately advanced to the playoffs once this millennium, while Hoover is stuck in the 20th century.
Outside of league, the area hasn’t produced such futility.
La Cañada finished winless this season. Yet, over the past 13 years, the Spartans have reached the playoffs seven times and haven’t gone more than two seasons without a postseason visit.
Flintridge Prep, which battled with low numbers for years, is en route to the playoffs again.
The Rebels have had their struggles, but over the last 13 seasons, they advanced to the postseason five times and have never had a stretch longer than three years without a playoff berth.
Even Bellarmine-Jefferson High, which may be fielding its final football team ever this season, reached the playoffs last year.
The point for all the info above is that sooner or later, everything should be cyclical. Teams should occasionally have good seasons and reach the playoffs every once in a while. That’s just not happening at Glendale and Hoover.
Schools should offer their student-athletes hope, not crushing defeatism year after year.
I’ve spoken with Glendale Unified School district officials before and they admit there’s a problem. Yet, where are the solutions?
So, now the question arises, what can be done?
Well, for answers, just look around.
In the five seasons before the Burroughs and Burbank football programs moved to the Pacific League, the teams combined for a 9-41 record in the formidable Foothill League with three playoff appearances and no victories.
In 2004 and 2005, much like with the Victory Bell game, the only league victories for either squad took place in the Big Game city showdown.
Since the move to the Pacific League in 2006, Burbank has reached the postseason in nine of 11 seasons, while Burroughs is eight for 11. Both teams have playoff wins and league titles.
I remember sitting in a Foothill Area releaguing meeting at Hart High in April of 2013 when Crescenta Valley made a push to leave the Pacific League for the Rio Hondo League in all sports.
At the time, Crescenta Valley Principal Michele Doll made an impassioned plea that the Rio Hondo would be a better league for her school due to competitive equity, enrollment and geography.
That day, Hoover drafted a proposal to also leave for the Rio Hondo League should Crescenta Valley go.
The Falcons’ proposal was voted down, 23-5, and Crescenta Valley stayed in the league. Shortly after, Hoover chose to withdraw its proposal.
At the time, one Hoover administrator commented that the school was too fearful to move because of what change may bring and because it didn’t want to lose the rivalry with Glendale.
Forgetting football for a moment, the Rio Hondo League would be a much more competitive league for both Glendale schools across all sports, but that’s for another column.
Now, a school district official recently presented me with another idea: eight-man football.
It’s the path Flintridge Prep took in 2016 and the program has reached back-to-back postseasons.
The main drawback I can see, though, is school attendance.
Eight-man football is generally designed for small schools with the average size of the 51 teams rounding out to about 202 students.
There are outliers for sure, such as Blair (510), formerly of the Rio Hondo League, Milken Community (560) and Orcutt Academy (591).
However, using the CIF Southern Section’s figures, Hoover (1,791) and Glendale (2,316) would easily dwarf the other 51 schools. Even the next largest institution – Chadwick and its 835 students – would be tiny.
For me, I speak for those whose time has passed, collateral damage due to the status quo.
Glendale’s Daniel Jung and Ricky Herrera, two playmakers whose 2012 team beat Crescenta Valley, 20-17, deserved better. The same can be said for Hoover’s Jessie and Geraldy Martinez, who played fantastically on a 32-man roster in 2015 and for Tornadoes all-everything Chris White, a part of the 2016 team that went 3-0 in the preseason and finished 4-6.
Every Hoover and Glendale football player over the last decade has deserved better. I’ve seen the disappointment and frustration summer and fall on repeat.
When Glendale and Hoover line up, there will be plenty of supporters out. They’ll holler and cheer all night and never think about another football game until the next match-up in 2018.
That’s considered success for Glendale and Hoover, graded on a Victory Bell curve.
