Glendale YMCA Quarterback Club: Undefeated St. Francis looks to stay in rhythm
The Glendale YMCA Quarterback Club, in its 75th year, meets Tuesdays at the Elk’s Lodge. The following are odds and ends from the eighth meeting of the year.
GOLDEN KNIGHTS CONTINUE DOMINANCE
With two weeks remaining in the regular season, things are looking good for St. Francis High.
The Golden Knights remain the only undefeated area team and are ranked fifth in CIF Southern Section Division III following a 69-0 Angelus League win at Salesian on Friday.
St. Francis (8-0, 3-0 in league) finds itself with one less day to prepare for its next opponent. St. Francis will play host against Harvard-Westlake (7-1, 2-1) at 7 p.m. Thursday at Friedman Field. The Wolverines are No. 8 in Division V.
“Playing in a shortened week can get you out of your rhythm,” St. Francis coach Jim Bonds said. “Harvard-Westlake’s coaching staff has done a great job and I expect it to be a barn burner.”
St. Francis yielded just one first down against Salesian, in addition to flourishing on special teams.
Bonds highlighted a group of players, including Bobby Gazmarian, who took the second-half kickoff 75 yards for a touchdown and then made a tackle on the ensuing kickoff at the Salesian 10-yard line.
FALCONS TAKES POSITIVES FROM DEFEAT
Crescenta Valley coach Paul Schilling documented some of the struggles the Falcons encountered during Friday’s 37-20 Pacific League loss against Burbank.
Crescenta Valley (7-1, 4-1) fell behind early in a game that might determine who wins the league championship. The Falcons trailed, 27-0, at halftime before mounting a comeback that took away some of the sting in the loss.
“We got it down to 27-14 and you could feel a little tension out there,” Schilling said. “We had some penalties in the first half and we dug ourselves a big hole.
“It’s a real bummer to lose, but I liked the way we stayed with it and made it a game.”
Crescenta Valley, ranked second in Division VI behind Bishop Diego, got a career-high 23 tackles from linebacker Brian Erickson and an interception and fumble recovery from linebacker Chase Center.
NO SIGNS OF QUITTING
It’s been some time since Glendale and Hoover have won a game. Neither team has won a Pacific League contest with two remaining.
Still, the Nitros (2-6, 0-5) and Tornadoes (1-7, 0-5) don’t plan to yield to their opponents.
“We lost, 35-0, to Arcadia last week and I came away happy,” Glendale coach George Maiale said. “We did a lot of good things and we’re giving the players an opportunity to grow.
“I thought we played a pretty physical game and we got a good effort from [quarterback] Van Haslett.”
Hoover first-year coach Terrance Jones, whose team suffered a 68-6 league loss to Pasadena, also gave many of his underclassmen a chance to start.
Sophomore quarterback Mattis Richards made his first start for Hoover, completing 17 of 41 passes for 159 yards and one touchdown.
“I’m not upset with the loss,” Jones said. “I like the fact our kids don’t look defeated. We have a good group of sophomores and we’ll continue to get them playing time.”
Twitter: @TCNCharlesRich
