Weekly Football Previews: Hoover High shoots for first 3-0 start since 1958
Hoover High’s football team has waited more than five decades to win three straight games to open a season.
So, in its latest attempt, waiting through a bye week for another chance at 3-0 pales in comparison.
Off to one of its most impressive starts in some team, the Tornadoes are ready to get back to work with an eye on beginning a season with three consecutive wins for the first time since 1958.
Hoover will look to end that 58-year drought when it meets Glenn (1-2) in a nonleague game at 7 p.m. Friday at Excelsior High in Norwalk.
“ It’s always good to have a bye and be able to take care of some of the bumps and bruises,” said fourh-year Hoover Coach Matt Andersen, whose team began the season with wins against Hacienda Heights Wilson and Sotomayor. “Now we get another chance to take of business, but we don’t want our heads to get too big getting off to a good start.
“We’ve done a good job getting to where we are, but we expect Glenn to be a very good test.”
The Tornadoes are 2-0 for the first time since 2013, but that included a forfeit win. Previous to that, Hoover was 2-0 the year prior. Now, winners of three straight games dating back to last season, Hoover is looking to begin the season at 3-0 for the seventh time in history. Hoover did begin the 1985 season 6-0 en route to an 8-2 mark, but had to forfeit all of its wins due to an ineligible player.
Hoover last played Sept. 1, when it registered a 55-0 win against Sotomayor. The Tornadoes scored on eight of their nine possessions.
Senior running back Quinton Smith had eight carries for 131yards and three touchdowns and also had a touchdown reception. Maurice Herrera caught three passes for 101 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for one score. Quarterback Andrew Rangel completed all five of his attempts for 112 yards and three touchdowns.
“We’ve been running a basic offense,” Andersen said. “We’re trying to build our offense some more and we’ll look to be a little more creative this week.”
Glenn suffered a 35-18 nonleague road loss against Mountain View on Friday. The Eagles have lost two straight games.
Should Hoover win, it would be the first time the Tornadoes have won three games in a season since 2012 and the first time Andersen has claimed three victories in a season.
Vasquez at Glendale, 7 p.m. Thursday: Times were tough last season for the Nitros and those tough times have seemingly spilled into 2016, as they have now lost 11 consecutive games.
Nonetheless, Glendale (0-2) has been competitive in both of its games so far - a 21-13 loss to Cantwell-Sacred Heart in week zero and a 35-13 loss to La Cañada in week two.
With Pacific League play on the horizon, Glendale has its final nonleague tilt against Vasquez (2-0), which defeated Rosamond, 27-14, on Friday following a 55-20 victory over McAuliffe to start the season.
Glendale is likely to have to contain the run game if it’s to collect its first win as Vasquez has rushed for 544 yards in 73 carries (7.5 yards per carry) with nine players getting carries and seven players combining for eight rushing touchdowns.
Hillcrest Christian at Flintridge Prep, 3 p.m. Friday: The return to eight-man football and the era of Russell White as coach began in phenomenal fashion when the Rebels won at Fulton, 53-6.
But then came an unscheduled bye when Westmark dropped out of a game slated for Sept. 2, so the Rebels (1-0) have had two weeks off after their first game in week zero.
Hillcrest Christian is also coming off a bye week preceeded by a pair of one-sided wins as it opened the year on Aug. 26 with a 74-0 win against Cornerstone Christian and then a 74-48 victory at Desert Chapel on Sept. 2.
With a win, Flintridge Prep would be off to a 2-0 start for the first time since 2007.
Crescenta Valley vs. La Cañada at Glendale High, 7 p.m. Friday: Ten years have now passed since the last time the Spartans defeated the Falcons.
Crescenta Valley has won nine straight in the rivarly, with a 35-3 win over La Cañada last season. The last five Falcons wins in the rivarly have come via a minimum of 21 points.
Alas, Crescenta Valley (1-1) is coming off a 21-7 loss at Golden Valley, while La Cañada (2-1) is coming off a 35-13 victory over Glendale.
St. Francis vs. La Serna at California High, 7 p.m. Friday: St. Francis and La Serna are certainly no strangers to one another, as the teams have met in the playoffs each of the past two seasons.
La Serna came away with victories in both meetings, including a 24-10 win in a CIF Southern Section Southeast Division semifinal contest at St. Francis last season.
“We’ll try to figure it out this time,” said St. Francis Coach Jim Bonds, whose team earned a 35-0 nonleague home win against Pasadena on Thursday. “We know we’ll be going up against a good program who is in our division and this game could have playoff implications.
“It’s going to be a good test for our offense We know their defense will be good and their offense can be tricky. They put a lot of pressure on us last year. We know we’ll have to be able to execute on both sides of the ball to have a chance.”
La Serna (2-1) rallied for a 32-28 nonleague road win versus Mira Costa on Friday. The Lancers scored the final 19 points of the game to complete the comeback.
La Serna started the season with a loss against Carlsbad La Costa Canyon before regrouping to turn back Lakewood.