Hoover gives Bulldogs a fight early

PASADENA — Coming within a point of a tie late in the opening half, the Hoover High football team appeared ready to perhaps seize its first win of the season, or at least come close to it, against host Pasadena.

But the inspired play by the Tornadoes seemingly jolted the Bulldogs, who then answered with four consecutive touchdowns to take a 49-19 Pacific League victory Thursday night.

Hoover (0-8, 0-5) remained winless, while Pasadena (5-3, 4-1) won its fourth straight game.

“We competed today,” Tornadoes Coach Andrew Policky said. “I thought we played well. But in the end, we let the score get uglier than what it actually was.”

After Pasadena quarterback Brandon Cox connected on a pair of scoring passes with wide receiver Marcus Green, for five and 12 yards, Hoover quarterback Alex Rangel scored on a three-yard run and 48-yard strike to Luke Tabayoyong to make it 14-13 with 4:35 left in the half.

But, the Bulldogs countered with three players scoring the next four touchdowns to go ahead, 42-13, with 5:25 to play.

“This team — they’re not quitting,” Pasadena Coach Randy Horton said. “They’re going to play all the way to the end. I just think at times they have a letdown — they relax. And they usually play down to the level of their opponents at times. No disrespect to Hoover; we should have played much better than we did.

“I’m pleased with the effort that we came out with in the second half, but we should have had that from the beginning of the game. The way we finished this is the way we need to start it next week.”

Next week meaning a Nov. 4 date at Arcadia, which is 5-2 overall and 3-1 in league heading into tonight’s game at Glendale.

On Thursday, Cox helped spark the comeback with a 50-yard scoring pass to Keith Law to give the Bulldogs a 20-13 lead at the break.

Cleo Bates (99 rushing yards in seven carries) scored the next two touchdowns on runs of 17 and nine yards and then senior linebacker and running back Emmanuel Harris returned a fumble for a 42-yard touchdown.

Charles Collins capped the scoring splurge with a 48-yard run with eight seconds to play.

Cox finished with 134 passing yards, completing 10 of 13 attempts.

Hoover was led by Rangel, who completed 10 of 18 passes for 147 yards and two sores. He also mustered 26 rushing yards on 16 carries and a three-yard scoring run.

Tabayoyong carried the rushing load for the Tornadoes, with 107 yards on 26 carries.