First published in the Sept. 25 print issue of the Glendale News Press.
Hoover High School’s varsity football team extended its winning streak to five games — its best since 1953 — with a nonleague victory over host Los Angeles Maya Angelou Community, 14-0, last Friday.
Sophomore quarterback Ethan Davis had another fine performance with nine completions for 195 yards and two passing touchdowns. He also had five carries for 12 yards, earning a team-high 207 total yards. Sophomore backup quarterback Giovanni Vartanyan completed four passes for 16 yards.
Sophomore Joseph Dizon was Hoover’s top receiver, catching six passes for a team-high 104 yards, including running in one touchdown. Junior Daniel Rangel (one touchdown), junior Jiro Danetaras and senior Adam Rivera each added two receptions for 49, 44 and 12 yards, respectively.
Junior Cedric Lynum had seven carries for 19 yards while junior Vaghinak Sakanyan had eight carries for 14 yards. Vartanyan (three carries) and Dizon (one carry) rushed for four and nine yards, respectively. Dizon, Rivera and sophomore Daniel Baneham each added one interception.
Hoover’s defense was outstanding, as Sakanyan registered a team-high 11 total tackles (nine solo, two assists). Sophomore Isaac Perez was sturdy with seven total tackles (five solo, two assists) while Rangel, sophomore Roberto Zegarra and senior Gabriel De La O each added six total tackles. Senior Kevin Amiri added five to Hoover’s defensive line. Rivera, junior Noah Jauregui, junior James Phanthumchinda and Baneham each added two total tackles, while Dizon, Danetaras, junior Jesus Barraza, sophomore Samvel Mamalashvili and junior Matthew Madadian tallied one, rounding out the Tornados’ 54 total tackles.
Additionally, the Tornados had four sacks — two from Perez, and one from both Amiri and Rangel.
“We were down 10 starters against Maya, and our coaches did a fantastic job preparing our backups to go out and get the win,” said Azad Herabidian, Hoover’s head coach. “This season, we haven’t had a single week where we’ve had the same 11 guys on either side of the ball. Our kids’ ability to adapt and fill roles they don’t normally play has been impressive.”
Hoover (5-0 overall record) will look to tie the football program’s best win streak in seven decades at home against visiting Castaic in a nonleague game on Friday, Oct. 1, at 5 p.m.
GLENDALE HIGH
Glendale’s varsity football team earned its first win of the season and snapped its four-game winning streak by defeating host South El Monte, 32-20, in a nonleague game on Friday, Sept. 17.
Both of Glendale’s quarterbacks had solid performances, as senior Keirson Florita had six completions for 117 yards with three rushing touchdowns, and sophomore Jonathan Anaya had five completions for 207 yards.
Florita had a fine rushing game with 13 carries for 145 yards. He also had one reception for 34 yards. Seniors Dennis Perez (five carries) and Anthony Lopez (four carries) rushed for 13 and seven yards, respectively, while sophomore Joseph Caballero added one carry for two yards.
Senior Dino Villalobos (six receptions) and junior Jayden Wilia (four receptions) carried the offense load with 134 and 156 yards, respectively, with one touchdown each.
The Nitros’ defense was sturdy, as senior Dennis Perez led the line with 11 total tackles. Sophomore Moises Zermeno and junior Andrew Usher had identical performances as each recorded five tackles, three for loss. Senior Bryant Marte also added three tackles for loss.
Glendale’s nonleague game against visiting Arroyo on Sept. 24 ended past the News-Press’ deadline. The Nitros (1-4 overall record) will look to keep the momentum going when they host Azusa in a nonleague game on Friday, Oct. 1, at 7 p.m.
