Crescenta Valley football creates separation, defeats Pasadena
GLENDALE — An explosive second quarter was enough to propel the Crescenta Valley High football team to a relatively easy 47-28 Pacific League victory over visiting Pasadena on Friday evening at Moyse Field.
With the win, the Falcons improved to 5-0 and 2-0 in league, while extending their winning streak against Pasadena (3-2, 1-1) to seven straight victories.
“We were sloppy in the back end of the game with some of our reserves, but I felt overall it was a good team win,” Crescenta Valley coach Paul Schilling said. “We scored quite a few points, kept possession and played good defense early on.”
Crescenta Valley quarterback Cole Doyle led the charge in becoming his school’s No. 2 winningest quarterback in program history, while finishing with six total touchdowns.
Doyle connected on 21 of 33 passes for 250 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, while rushed 18 times for 204 yards and three scores.
The victory was No. 22, which breaks a tie at 21 with offensive coordinator Hudson Gossard and puts the senior within striking distance of Brian Gadsby (26).
“Cole is an exceptional player and now he’s broken the tie with Goss,” Schilling said. “I think he has the most starts for us in program history, so he’s setting records.”
Four of Doyle’s six touchdowns came in a huge second quarter the Falcons won, 30-6, as they took a 37-6 advantage into the half.
Doyle turned in the second of two monster runs when he broke containment at the line of scrimmage and burst for a 71-yard touchdown run at 10:57 in the second quarter to give the Falcons a 14-0 lead.
Previously, Doyle opened the game with a 69-yard scamper that was followed by a five-yard scoring keeper that gave Crescenta Valley a 7-0 lead in the first quarter.
Doyle continued the offensive onslaught with a four-yard touchdown run along with scoring passes of 29 and 17 yards to receiver Colby Rees (four catches for 61 yards and two scores). The Falcons defense even got into the act with an 11-yard sack for a safety by Tom Lee as Crescenta Valley raced to a 37-0 lead with under a minute left in the first half.
Pasadena foreshadowed its never-die attitude when the Bulldogs answered with a 47-yard touchdown pass from Andreas Solling (11 of 24 for 251 yards and three touchdowns with one interception) to Mekhi Fox right before the half to trail, 37-6, at the break.
Crescenta Valley added a 32-yard touchdown pass from Doyle to Chase Center and a 28-yard field goal from Kevin McCollum to cap its second-half scoring.
Down big, Pasadena continued to fight with touchdown passes from Solling of 41 yards and 52 yards to Mekhi Fox and Jeremiah Hutchins, respectively. The Bulldogs also received an 80-yard punt return for a score from Fox.
Daniel Cho carried eight times for 54 yards, while Vincent Parrott hauled in five catches for 53 yards for the Falcons.
Crescenta Valley received an interception from Zeal Shumate, while Pasadena’s Nicholas Benson picked off Doyle and the Bulldogs also recovered a fumble.
