Rucker’s 3 Touchdowns Lift Glendale to 21-14 Win : Prep football: Running back scores winning points with less than two minutes to play, helping Dynamiters improve to 7-0.

Almost from the opening kickoff, Pasadena High running back Jhayson Hall demonstrated that he was going to have an impact in Thursday’s game against Glendale.

Hall rushed for 146 yards in 14 carries and two touchdowns in the first half, but it was his fourth-quarter fumble that set up Glendale’s game-winning touchdown.

Pathon Rucker scored on a five-yard sweep with 1 minute 20 seconds left to lift host Glendale to a 21-14 victory in a Pacific League game. Glendale improved to 7-0, the best start in school history.

Pasadena limited Rucker, who had been averaging 185 yards a game, to a season-low 75 yards, but the junior tailback scored all three Glendale touchdowns.

With the score tied, 14-14, and 6:51 remaining, Alex Nielsen recovered Hall’s fumble at the Pasadena 45-yard line. Glendale--with Rucker carrying eight times for 46 yards--needed 11 plays to convert the Pasadena mistake into a touchdown.

Glendale stopped Pasadena on downs on the next series, took possession with 22 seconds remaining and ran out the clock.

“It was a good win for us,” Glendale Coach Don Shoemaker. “We can’t always expect to run over teams. We needed to learn how to come from behind. It’s going to help us against Muir.”

Glendale, ranked eighth in the Southern Section Division II poll, improved to 2-0 in league play and will meet Muir (4-2, 1-0) a week from today in a game that could decide the league championship.

With Rucker tied up by the Pasadena defense, Glendale quarterback Eric Kiesau picked up the slack and completed eight of 13 passes for 109 yards.

“It’s not just me,” Rucker said. “It was the whole team out there tonight. It was a sweet win.”

Pasadena took a 7-0 lead on a one-yard run by Hall on the game’s opening series and went up, 14-0, on his 87-yard run with 6:51 remaining in the second quarter.

Less than three minutes later, Rucker capped a four-play, 62-yard drive with a five-yard run to cut the deficit to 14-6. On the preceding play, Kiesau connected with fullback Hector Maya on a 41-yard screen pass to set up Rucker’s run.

Pasadena was ruled offside on the point-after attempt and Glendale opted to go for two points. Rucker ran the ball in for the conversion to make it 14-8.

Glendale shut down Pasadena on the ensuing series and Rucker scored on a one-yard plunge with 26 seconds remaining before the half to cap a 10-play drive and tie the score, 14-14.