Weekly Football Previews: Crescenta Valley, Hoover geared up for key Pacific League showdown

Through the first month of the season, the Crescenta Valley High and Hoover football teams have the same record at 3-1.

However, the Falcons own a one-game lead over the Tornadoes following the first week of Pacific League play.

Crescenta Valley and Hoover will look to turn the tide in their favor when they meet at 7 p.m. Friday at Moyse Field.

Crescenta Valley began league action Friday with a 52-0 win against Glendale in the “Battle for the Gong.” Hoover, which kicked off a season with three straight victories for the first time since 1958, suffered a 55-21 home defeat against Burroughs on Thursday.

The Falcons and Tornadoes will have plenty of skill players on display.

“Hoover has quite a few good athletes, like Quinton Smith, Maurice Herrera, Andrew Rangel and others,” said Crescenta Valley Coach Paul Schilling, whose team has won two straight games and is ranked seventh in CIF Southern Section Division VI. “We’re going to have to play hard against a Hoover team that gave Burroughs a good run. I think Hoover just ran out of gas.”

Hoover Coach Matt Andersen and the Tornadoes will look to get back on track after seeing Burroughs standout running back Chance Bell score six touchdowns and rush for 332 yards in 21 carries.

“We have a lot of respect for their team and coach Schilling,” Andersen said. “They have a good offense and a solid defense.

“We probably just saw the best running back in our league and one of the top offensive lines, but we still ran the ball and did some things well. We learned a lot of things from the film and we need to cut down on the penalties after having 13 [against Burroughs].”

Against Glendale, Crescenta Valley quarterback Cole Doyle completed 10 of 14 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns. Crescenta Valley receiver Tyler Lobianco caught three passes for 105 yards and one touchdown. It marked the first shutout of the season for the Falcons.

“It’s a huge win to start out league,” Schilling said. “We’ll do everything we can to try to run the table because there are a lot of good teams in league. I liked the way we kept our composure against Glendale and we had seven guys score a touchdown.”

Hoover saw Smith, a running back, register 18 carries for 72 yards and two touchdowns. Hoover held a 7-0 lead following a two-yard score by Smith in the first quarter.

Rangel had 16 carries for 105 yards and a touchdown and completed six passes for 93 yards.

Crescenta Valley notched a 49-0 win against Hoover last season.

Buena Park at St. Francis, 7 p.m. Friday: In their first four games of the season, Buena Park and St. Francis have proven to be juggernauts. The Coyotes and Golden Knights are each 4-0 and ranked fourth and seventh, respectively, in CIF Southern Section Division III.

The teams will look to remain perfect entering their nonleague contest at Friedman Field.

St. Francis, which was included in the Division III rankings for the first time this season this week, posted a 34-28 intersectional home win against Dorsey on Friday. The Golden Knights held a 28-7 halftime advantage before Dorsey stormed back to tie it at 28.

Elijah Washington scored the winning touchdown in the fourth quarter to lift St. Francis. Washington finished with two total touchdowns.

St. Francis quarterback Michael Bonds completed 13 for 18 for 222 yards and three touchdowns, including one to Daniel Scott. Running back Jace Harrick of St. Francis had a two-yard run in the first half. Overall, he finished with 12 carries for 66 yards.

On the season, Bonds has completed 51 of 82 passes for 814 yards and 11 touchdowns. Harrick has rushed for 246 yards in 41 carries and two touchdowns.

Buena Park has been stingy on defense, allowing six points in four games. The Coyotes have blanked their last three opponents, including a 67-0 win against Pioneer on Sept. 16. They had a bye last week.

Buena Park quarterback Deshaun Harvey has completed 65 of 99 passes for 1,191 yards and 16 touchdowns. Receiver Victor Bates has caught 12 passes for 383 yards and six touchdowns.

“They like to spread the field and they remind me a lot of [Angelus League opponents] Salesian and Cathedral,” St. Francis Coach Jim Bonds said. “They can run the ball well and they are not adverse to throwing the ball downfield.

“They also have a very good defense and we have an offense that’s been clicking.”

St. Francis and Buena Park have a common opponent in Pasadena. Buena Park opened the season with a 63-6 win against Pasadena on Aug. 26 and St. Francis registered a 35-0 victory Sept. 8.

Burbank at Glendale, 7 p.m. Thursday: Since Burbank joined the Pacific League in 2006, Glendale has defeated the Bulldogs just once, which happened in 2008.

Breaking the Bulldogs’ seven-game winning streak in the rivalry appears to be a tall task for Glendale (1-3), which opened up Pacific League play against Crescenta Valley with a 52-0 defeat.

Burbank (2-2, 1-0), considered by many as the frontrunner to win the Pacific League, opened league play with a win at Muir, 39-14.

As has been the story in recent seasons, Burbank has been led by its defense, which is allowing 15.5 points per game. It’s not a good forecast for the Nitros, who are averaging only 15.25 points per game.

Last year, Glendale lost to Burbank, 61-7.

Flintridge Prep at Sherman Oaks Center of Enriched Studies, 7 p.m. Friday: Ranked second in the CIF Southern Section Eight-Man Division I poll, Flintridge Prep (3-0) heads on the road for a battle of undefeateds against Sherman Oaks Center of Enriched Studies (4-0).

SOCES is coming off a 50-38 victory against Los Angeles Milken Community, keyed by running back Ezequiel Estrada’s 205 yards and a touchdown on 33 carries. Estrada’s rushed for 533 yards in 62 carries with six touchdowns. The run-heavy Wildcats have run for 872 yards as a team.

The Rebels, meanwhile, have annihilated all three of their foes so far, with a 53-6 win at Fulton, a 78-12 rout of Hillcrest Christian and a 71-8 victory over Bellarmine-Jefferson.

Prep quarterback John Lytle has thrown for 13 touchdowns, but the Rebels’ biggest strength has been its defense, which scored two touchdowns and forced four turnovers against Bell-Jeff.