Weekly Football Previews: Pacific League play kicks off Friday
Pacific League play kicks off this week and in a rare circumstance with so many squads sharing home fields – Crescenta Valley High, Glendale and Hoover at Moyse Field and Burbank and Burroughs at Memorial Field – all four games will be on Friday night.
That anomaly exists as Burbank is playing a rare home game on campus, in which it will host Glendale.
Originally scheduled for Thursday, the Bulldogs-Nitros showdown is on Friday at 7 p.m., while Pasadena will travel to Memorial Field to take on Burroughs, Muir will host Arcadia, in what is likely the league’s marquee matchup, and Hoover will host league favorite Crescenta Valley in a local battle of Moyse Field hosts.
Hoover (1-2) will be the host team against Crescenta Valley (3-0), the No. 2 team in CIF Southern Section Division VI, at 7 on Friday night.
Beginning their quest for a second straight league championship and a third in four seasons, Crescenta Valley boasts an eight-game league winning streak as it plays a Hoover team that has not experienced a win over the Falcons since 1994.
As the undefeated Falcons go for their 24th consecutive victory over the Tornadoes, Crescenta Valley running back Joe Suh has led the way with 331 yards in 52 carries for five touchdowns. Because the Falcons’ 59-20 victory over La Cañada was so lopsided, Suh only had three carries for 18 yards.
It was quarterback Cole Doyle’s time to shine last weekend as he completed 13 of 17 passes for 151 yards and four touchdowns and added 95 yards rushing with and two more scores on seven carries.
Hoover, meanwhile, has had a tumultuous start to the season, which began with a 25-12 loss at Campbell Hall in the zero week. Thereafter, Hoover didn’t play again until Friday’s 33-20 loss at home to Glenn.
In between, Hoover got its victory via forfeit over Sotomayor, which in a most puzzling manner notified the Tornadoes the week of the game that Sotomayor would not have any available administrators due to the school taking a four-day Labor Day Weekend and therefore the game would not take place.
In the loss to Glenn, Hoover’s Maurice Herrera had 10 carries for 115 yards and a touchdown and Quran Boldin had 128 yards rushing.
A year ago, Crescenta Valley pummeled Hoover, 45-7.
Glendale at Burbank, 7 p.m., Friday: The Nitros are riding high with a two-game winning streak, their first since 2013, but will be facing a Burbank team that advanced to the CIF Southern Section Division VIII championship game. And Burbank will likely to be plenty hyped up as it’s stinging from two straight losses and motivated by its first on-campus home game since 2008.
Glendale quarterback Van Haslett has six touchdown passes on the season, four of them coming in a 32-27 win over Vasquez on Friday. Haslett’s No. 1 target has been Anthony Luna, who has four touchdown catches, with three against Vasquez. Luna proved most dynamic against Vasquez in a play that was actually a called-back touchdown. Luna, also the punter, took a bad snap and outran a huge rush to the right side, juked and weaved and broke tackles down the right sideline on his way to a 96-yard score that was nullified by a block in the back.
Against Burbank, though, which has defeated Glendale on eight straight occasions all via 20 or more points, things are almost certainly going to be more difficult for the Nitros.
Burbank has offered a balanced yet struggling offense, which is led by running back Darnell Williams (50 carries for 215 yards) and quarterback Matthew Porras (44 for 78 for 414 yards and three touchdowns).
Last season, Burbank thumped Glendale, 63-7.
Bellarmine-Jefferson at Flintridge Prep, 7 p.m., Friday: Last season, Flintridge Prep defeated Bell-Jeff by a whopping 71-8 score. But judging the Rebels’ exploits last year against this campaign hasn’t proved accurate, as Prep has lost a good deal of talent and is young and learning.
Evidence of this came Saturday when it lost to Cate, 70-20, a season removed from losing to Cate, 55-48.
However, Bell-Jeff (0-2) is also struggling mightily, having lost all its top players last season to graduation or transfer, so more than likely Flintridge Prep (2-2), which is 2-0 at home this season, will bounce back mightily on Friday night.
Look for quarterback John Lytle, a returning All-Area selection, and receiver Nick Davis, a legit and big target, to be among those Rebels who have big nights.
Bell-Jeff is coming off a defeat at Discovery Prep, 36-6.
St. Francis vs. Saugus at College of the Canyons, 7:30 p.m., Friday: In what is no doubt the area’s most high-profile matchup of the week, the Golden Knights (3-0), the fifth-ranked team in CIF Southern Section Division III, will travel to face Saugus, the No. 8 team in Division VI.
The teams haven’t locked horns since 2007 in a game won handily by Saugus to culminate a four-season run between the teams that was split 2-2.
It will also be a return to College of the Canyons for St. Francis coach Jim Bonds, who still lives in the Santa Clarita Valley and once thrilled crowds at COC when he was an All-CIF quarterback for Hart High, throwing for more than 3,000 yards as a senior in 1986 when he led the Indians to a CIF title.
St. Francis is rolling right along for all intents and purposes with wide-margin wins over Mira Costa (48-21), Pasadena (42-0) and La Serna (49-20).
Quarterback Darrius Perrantes has thrown for 787 yards and nine touchdowns, but has yet to finish a game with all of them ending in blowouts. Running backs Kevin Armstead and Elijah Washington have four rushing scores each and standout receiver Greg Dulcich has 323 yards receiving in three games with three scores and is averaging 29.4 yards per catch on his 11 grabs.
Saugus, which has traditionally run an option under coach Jason Bornn, is coming off a 51-27 loss at Ventura. Running back Quinn Sheaffer has rushed for 526 yards while quarterback Nathan Eldridge has passed for six scores and 453 yards and rushed for 111 yards and three touchdowns. However, Eldridge was injured against Ventura.
Twitter: @TCNGrantGordon
