Hoover football runs away with ‘Victory Bell’

Glendale — The “Victory Bell” is coming back to Hoover High.

The six consecutive losses to Glendale. The four-game scoreless stretch. And the three-year losing streak in league.

All of the glaring streaks that the Hoover football team had been carrying finally ended on Friday night in the 87th rendition of the “Battle for the Victory Bell.”

PHOTOS: Hoover High reclaims Victory Bell in win over Glendale

For the first time since 2009, the Tornadoes defeated their cross-town rival Nitros, ending seasons of heartbreak with a 41-14 Pacific League victory at Moyse Field.

“This feels phenomenal,” said Hoover senior running back Jessie Martinez, whose three rushing scores helped his team snap a 23-game league losing streak dating back to Oct. 12, 2012 when the Tornadoes secured a win against Pasadena. “This is a great way to end the season.”

The last time the Tornadoes (2-8, 1-6 in league) defeated Glendale (1-9, 0-7), all but eight of their players were in elementary school. Hoover defeated Glendale, 15-7, on Nov. 13, 2009, but then lost six straight, including a season-opening loss in 2011.

Hoover put an end to that streak with an impressive offensive showing that featured 467 yards of total offense and a defense that limited the Nitros to 187 total yards, 75 of which came on a late touchdown run by Carlos Ramos.

Hoover quarterback Quinton Smith accounted for 294 of his team’s yards, 227 on the ground in 26 carries and 67 through the air. His rushing yards were the most in school history for a Tornado in the rivalry game against Glendale.

“I have to give all the credit to the line,” Smith said. “Everyone was hyped for this game. The line, the running backs, everybody.”

The Tornadoes, who had not scored since Oct. 1 against Burroughs and had not had a touchdown since the third week of the season, were eager to bring the “Victory Bell” back to Hoover after promising victories but coming short each of the past five years.

They had to solve their scoring issues in order to end their season with a win and it didn’t take long for the Tornadoes to put points on the scoreboard.

Moments after recovering a fumble on the opening kickoff, Hoover’s Larenz Garcia-Joseph took a handoff on the first play from scrimmage and scored on a 25-yard run just eight seconds into the opening quarter.

“We were flat out outplayed,” said Glendale Coach George Maiale, who received 106 yards in six carries on the ground from Ramos and a one-yard touchdown run by Arjuna Ruiz in the first quarter. “They wanted it more than we did.”

The Nitros’ seniors didn’t want to be the graduating class to send the “Victory Bell” back to Hoover, especially considering the recent history of the game, which featured the Nitros notching three victories by a margin of more than 30 points and a 19-0 win last year.

This year’s game featured a Hoover scoring onslaught in the first half that paved the way for the win. In addition to the opening touchdown, Martinez, who had 38 yards in eight carries, and Maurice Herrera each had rushing touchdowns as Hoover — which had scored 19 combined points in its previous three meetings against the Nitros — took a 21-6 lead into the half.

Hoover, which will try to win consecutive games in the rivalry next year for the first time since 1983-84, sent the Nitros to their ninth consecutive loss thanks to a relentless rushing attack that averaged 8.9 yards per carry. Herrera averaged 14.3 yards per rush while finishing with 100 yards on the ground in just seven carries. Diego Escalante also added a five-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter for the Tornadoes.

“They worked their butt off,” Hoover Coach Matt Andersen said. “It’s hard to keep fighting with the losses we had, but they kept at it. I’m proud of them.”