Weekly Football Previews: Hoover vs. Burbank; Crescenta Valley vs. Muir; Saugus vs. St. Francis; Glendale vs. Pasadena
HOOVER AT BURBANK
WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday
WHERE: Burbank High
RECORDS: The Tornadoes and Bulldogs are both 1-2
LAST WEEK: Hoover had a bye: Burbank lost to Hart, 49-28.
OUTLOOK: Hoover begins Pacific League play against Burbank, which won the league championship last season for the first time since 2009 and advanced to the CIF Southern Section Division VII semifinals. The Tornadoes hope the bye will help put them in their attempt to snap a two-game losing streak following defeats against Laguna Beach, 42-14, and Campbell Hall, 41-0. Hoover quarterback Mattis Richards completed just five of 22 passes for 52 yards and had two interceptions versus Campbell Hall on Aug. 31. Jayden Williams had two first-half sacks for the Tornadoes, who got a second-half fumble recovery from Albert Luna. Burbank dropped its second straight game after falling at home against Hart. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, but couldn’t generate any additional momentum. Burbank’s Brandon Pena returned the opening kick off 95 yards for a touchdown and quarterback Matthew Porras tossed an 11-yard touchdown pass to Chadz Vang. Porras, a reigning All-Area pick, completed 10 of 24 for 122 yards and rushed 13 times for 50 yards.
SOMETHING INTERESTING: The.Tornadoes, who are in the middle of a four-game road swing, haven’t defeated Burbank since the Bulldogs joined the Pacific League in 2006.
SAUGUS AT ST. FRANCIS
WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday
WHERE: St. Francis High
RECORDS: The Golden Knights are 1-2; the Centurions are 4-0
LAST WEEK: St. Francis lost to Westlake, 35-21; Saugus defeated Thousand Oaks, 42-6
OUTLOOK: The Golden Knights will face another stiff test in Saugus in a nonleague game after struggling on special teams against Westlake. St. Francis, which reached the CIF Southern Section Division III championship game last season, yielded a punt return for a touchdown, a kick off return for a touchdown and had a punt blocked that was returned for a touchdown by Westlake. St. Francis coach Jim Bonds and the Golden Knights will look to reverse that trend against the Centurions. St. Francis quarterback Darius Perrantes, the reigning All-Area Football Player of the Year, completed 19 of 40 passes for 225 yards. He had touchdown passes to Bryson Reeves and Doyle Kane in the second half, but had two interceptions in the fourth quarter. Saugus remained undefeated following a nonleague home win. Quarterback Cole Gallagher completed 12 of 17 passes for more than 150 yards and one touchdown. Gallagher also proved agile by rushing for four touchdowns. He’s rushed for nine touchdowns on the season. Saugus will look to disrupt St. Francis’ passing attack by turning to Robert Ferialdi and Gaetano Ferrera. The duo combined for three sacks.
SOMETHING INTERESTING: St. Francis and Saugus will meet for the second straight season. The Golden Knights posted a 49-20 win in 2017.
CRESCENTA VALLEY AT MUIR
WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday
WHERE: Muir High
RECORDS: The Falcons and Mustangs are both 3-0
LAST WEEK: Crescenta Valley had a bye; Muir defeated Rancho Christian, 55-13
OUTLOOK: Crescenta Valley will start Pacific League action fresh off a bye after notching wins against Redondo Union, 28-7, Sante Fe, 27-7, and Montebello, 44-26. The Falcons have been led by senior quarterback Cole Doyle, who received All-Area recognition last season. Doyle improved to 20-6 as a starter after he completed 21 of 25 passes for 325 yards and two touchdowns and ran 18 times for 143 yards and four scores against Montebello on Aug. 31. However, Doyle fumbled twice, which led to two touchdowns. Doyle has completed 50 of 78 passes for 687 yards with three touchdowns and one interception on the season. He’s rushed 54 times for 401 yards and 10 touchdowns and has had 100-plus yards in each game. Daniel Cho and Colby Rees each scored a touchdown for the Falcons. Muir stayed unbeaten following a nonleague home win versus Rancho Christian. The teams were tied at 13 after the first quarter before Muir scored 21 points in the second and third quarter to pull away. Muir quarterback Brian Love completed 12 of 15 passes for more than 250 yards and three touchdowns. Receiver Aryonis Harrison had four receptions for more than 100 yards. Running back Tyron Clark had two rushing touchdowns in five carries.
SOMETHING INTERESTING: Doyle has accounted for 13 of Crescenta Valley’s 15 touchdowns this season.
PASADENA AT GLENDALE
WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday
WHERE: Glendale High
RECORDS: The Nitros are 1-2; the Bulldogs are 2-1
LAST WEEK: Glendale defeated Ribet Academy, 33-24, Pasadena had a bye
OUTLOOK: Glendale ended a nine-game losing streak and enter sPacific League competition with some momentum following the home win against Ribet. The Nitros received three rushing touchdowns from All-Area honoree Chris Ibarra. Ibarra, who rushed for 94 yards in nine carries, scored on runs of one, five and 28 yards to give coach Cary Harris his first win. The Nitros rolled up 21 first downs and gave up six. The Nitros have dropped 21 consecutive league games with their last league victory coming against Hoover in 2014. Pasadena last competed Aug. 31, when it registered a 30-28 road win against Pioneer. Running back Mekhi Fox ran for more than 100 yards and had nearly 100 yards receiving versus Pioneer. Quarterback Andreas Solling had two touchdowns for the Bulldogs, who matched their win total from a season ago.
SOMETHING INTERESTING: Glendale’s last victory against Pasadena came in 2013, when it posted a 23-20 win.
FLINTRIDGE PREP ON BYE WEEK
The Rebels (2-0) defeated host Mammoth, 85-30, in a nonleague contest Saturday. Flintridge Prep will resume action at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 21 against visiting Villanova Prep in a nonleague game.
Twitter: @TCNCharlesRich
