San Diego Player of the Week : Roots a Key as Hoover Ends Lincoln Domination

It did not figure that Hoover High School would beat perennial Central League power Lincoln last Friday.

After all, Lincoln was undefeated and had dominated its opponents in its first seven games, outscoring them, 358-35. There was also the matter of history. Lincoln had not lost to Hoover since 1970.

John Roots, a senior at Hoover, was unfazed by Lincoln’s reputation. Roots, The Times’ Player of the Week, caught a pass for a touchdown and intercepted two passes in Hoover’s 21-20 victory.

Roots’ first interception ended Lincoln’s opening drive. He picked off Keith Mitchell’s pass at the one-yard line.

“I was just playing my zone,” Roots said. “When they threw the ball up, it just floated and I got it.”

Midway through the third quarter, with the scored tied, 7-7, Roots caught a pass from Michael Walker for 48 yards and a touchdown to give the Cardinals a lead they would never relinquish.

Roots’ second interception came with only 58 seconds left to seal the victory.

Roots had helped Hoover atone for 15 years of losses by knocking Lincoln out of the top spot in the City Central League and moving the Cardinals into a first-place tie with Crawford. But he said it was just another game.

“We weren’t scared of them,” he said. “We didn’t do anything different.”

Hoover Coach John Johnson seemed to agree with his star player.

“John has done things like this several times before,” Johnson said. “The fact that it was a pressure game for us made it important that way.

“On the field he’s very aggressive, and as the season goes on, one of the strengths that John has had is that he can channel his energies. He’s developed rapidly, he’s a good athlete.”

John Roots

Hoover High School

Position: Wide receiver/defensive back.

Height, Weight, Class: 6-1, 175, Sr.

Last Week: Made 2 receptions for 82 yards, including 48-yard touchdown reception, and had 2 interceptions for 100 yards in Hoover’s 21-20 win over previously unbeaten Lincoln.