HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL : Speed Kills Hoover in 25-3 Loss to Muir

GLENDALE — Four touchdowns by four speedy players led Muir High to a 25-3 victory over Hoover in a Pacific League opener Thursday night at Glendale High.

Michael Graham led the Mustangs (3-2-1) with 182 yards rushing and a touchdown in 13 carries.

Graham, last year’s Division IV player of the year at Covina Charter Oak, ran 14 yards for a touchdown midway through the second quarter to give Muir a 6-3 lead.

Hoover (3-2-1), which took a 3-0 lead on a 39-yard field goal by Marco Mesrobian early in the second quarter, spent most of the game trying to keep up.

“You can’t shut Muir down,” Hoover Coach Dennis Hughes said. “They’re just too good. They have defensive speed too. That concerned me going in. They were getting into our backfield before we could run the plays.”

Quarterback Michael Hughes’ two-yard sneak in the third quarter gave Muir a 13-3 lead.

In the fourth quarter, a 32-yard interception return by Steven Morse for a touchdown gave the Mustangs a 19-3 lead. Two minutes later, Sultan McCullough ran seven yards for the final touchdown.

Emre Ozgur had 85 yards rushing in 19 carries for Hoover.

Wesler Maltez and Jason Bryant were a combined four of nine passing for 40 yards and two interceptions. Maltez rushed for 35 yards in seven carries and Bryant added 21 yards in four carries.