The Hoover High football team fell to the Pasadena Bulldogs on Friday night in a tough 66–8 Pacific League loss.
The energy was high as the teams took the field, but Pasadena struck first when Synncere Pitts scored a touchdown early in the first quarter, putting the Bulldogs ahead 7–0.
As the Bulldogs’ offense found its rhythm, their fans grew louder while Hoover supporters looked on anxiously.
The second quarter saw Pasadena widen the gap. Kyle Robertson added another touchdown, followed by a field goal to make it 21-0. Pasadena also had scores from Damari Pitts and Daniel Freeman, pushing the lead to 35-0 midway through the quarter. By halftime, the Bulldogs had pulled ahead, leading 56–0.
“It’s tough seeing the emotion on the kids’ faces,” said Hoover Coach Jordan Ward. “We warn them during the week — you’ve got to focus, you’ve got to go to class on time. When we don’t take care of those little things, it’s hard to expect big results on the field.”
In the third quarter, Pasadena’s Xavion Flournoy added to the score with another touchdown. Later in the quarter, Hoover’s Dveen Aghanian suffered an injury, briefly halting play.
“Yeah, I’ll be back next week, hopefully,” Aghanian said. “Over the weekend, I’ll just rest and massage it, but I’ll be ready.”
Despite the scoreboard, Hoover continued to fight. Late in the game, Gabriel Garcia scored a touchdown for the Tornadoes, igniting celebration on the Hoover sideline..
“I mean, obviously it wasn’t our best showing, but we’ll bounce back,” Garcia said. “We didn’t quit — we just need to do better as a team.”
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