GLENDALE YMCA QUARTERBACK CLUB:
SOUTHEAST GLENDALE — The Glendale YMCA Quarterback Club, in its 67th year, meets Tuesday’s at The Elk’s Lodge. The following are odds and ends from the sixth meeting of the year.
EBERHART, ZARRILLO REFLECT ON CONTEST
Now that the much-ballyhooed Pacific League game between rivals Glendale High and Crescenta Valley is over with, first-year Glendale Coach Alan Eberhart and his counterpart, Tony Zarrillo, summed up Crescenta Valley’s 56-14 victory Friday at Moyse Field.
“Last week, I said I would tell you what it’s like to play Crescenta Valley and I can now tell you it wasn’t fun,” said Eberhart, who previously coached parts of 14 seasons at Crescenta Valley. “They come at you in a lot of different directions, and I think their band scored on us twice.
“I felt like I was ate by the monster that I helped create. Those guys can play. They blitzed us and we didn’t have any answers. We got beat by a team that we want to model ourselves after. We want to be like them.”
Zarrillo, in his third year at Crescenta Valley, said the Crescenta Valley coaching staff challenged their players prior to the Glendale game to rebound from a loss against Burbank the previous week. Glendale proved to be a good test, Zarrillo said.
“We challenged them to get back to doing the things we needed to do to be successful and win,” Zarrillo said. “Whether, it was on offense, defense or special teams, they did that.
“Glendale played us well. They are moving in the right direction.”
GOING FROM ONE RIVAL TO ANOTHER IN NO TIME
For the members of the Crescenta Valley High football team, there’s little time to rejoice in their win against Glendale. The Falcons, ranked No. 8 in the latest CIF Southern Section Southeast Division poll, will next face Hoover at 7 p.m. Friday at Glendale High in a Pacific League contest.
The Falcons are 3-2 and 1-1 in league, while the Tornadoes are 1-4 and 0-2.
“Any time you play CV, you know that Coach Zarrillo and his coaching staff are going to do an excellent job,” Hoover second-year Coach Chris Long said. “Everybody knows about [running back] Harry Pessy, but I’m impressed with [quarterback] Kyle Cota because he’s got a nice arm.
“He puts the ball on the money every time. It’s going to be a grudge match for us.”
Zarrillo, a Hoover graduate and a former assistant coach with the Tornadoes, said he expects a good test from the Tornadoes.
“Hoover is really improving,” Zarrillo said.
USC SENIOR ASSOCIATE AD SPEAKS
Whenever long-time rivals USC and Notre Dame get set to meet in South Bend, Ind., or Los Angeles for a nonconference contest, there’s more attention than other scheduled games. USC, ranked sixth in the latest Associated Press poll, and Notre Dame, ranked 25th, will meet Saturday at Notre Dame after both teams enjoyed bye weeks last Saturday.
Count Mark Jackson, the senior associate athletic director at USC, as among those who is heavily anticipating the two rivals taking the field.
“It’s going to be a great matchup,” said Jackson, who was the guest speaker at Tuesday’s meeting. “Notre Dame, to us, is playing their best ball in the last few years.
“Physically, Notre Dame compares the best to us and they are putting it together. They’ve won some close games and they are aggressive on defense, so it’s going to be a big challenge ahead for us.”
Jackson is in his second stint with the Trojans. The Boston native was previously USC’s director of football administration during Coach Pete Carroll’s first four years (2001-04) at USC, in addition to being the assistant athletic director in 2003.
Jackson also was the executive senior associate athletic director at Syracuse University in 2005 and worked in the front office with the New England Patriots and Oakland Raiders.
He also assisted on special teams and worked with the running backs at New England when Carroll coached there.
“I’ve always had that passion for football,” Jackson said. “I got to intern with the Patriots under Coach Bill Parcells, and I was the low man on the totem pole. That led to my years with Coach Carroll and Bill Belichick. You learn a lot.”
