positive happening

It’s been 39 years since Hoover High in Glendale last made the Southern Section football playoffs.

The Tornadoes can gain an automatic playoff spot with a win over rival Glendale on Friday.

Leading the way has been senior running back Dveen Aghanian, who has rushed for 1,798 yards and 23 touchdowns.

There should be lots of running against Glendale, which has its own top running back in Arman Papazyan, who has rushed for nearly 1,500 yards.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.

Senior running back Gatsbee Gumban of Nogales is closing in on 1,600 yards rushing after contributing 325 yards and two touchdowns on Thursday night in a 38-17 win over Don Lugo.

Nogales is 9-0 and clinched the Gano League championship.

“He breaks off huge runs,” coach Kevin Encinas said.

Gumban had touchdown runs of 96 and 28 yards, giving him 19 touchdowns and 1,595 yards rushing. He also caught a 60-yard touchdown pass.

Nogales can go for an unbeaten regular seasonnext week against Rowland.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.

Give Talon Spencer a football or a baseball and he’ll do magical things.

The two-sport standout at Capistrano Valley High has helped lead the football team to a 7-1 record as quarterback.

He has completed 69% of his passes for 1,361 yards and 14 touchdowns with only two interceptions. He also has rushed for 708 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Athleticism has helped him be a dual-threat quarterback and also succeed in baseball.

Capistrano Valley upset unbeaten Corona del Mar last week and takes on 7-1 Villa Park, which lost to Corona del Mar, in a Bravo League game on Friday.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.

Vicky Lagos, the City Section commissioner, was watching last week’s King/Drew-Crenshaw football game on the sideline when she noticed problems with the chain crew.

She proceeded to become part of it, holding the down marker and helping educate the inexperienced students.

It was another example of her versatility and ability to improvise and intervene when needed.

She became the City Section’s seventh commissioner in 2019 after being an assistant commissioner.

It’s a job that requires the ability to accept criticism, keep your cool and find solutions frequently on a daily basis.

Taking over on a chain crew to help is not on any commissioner’s to-do list.

“It was a teachable moment,” Lagos said.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.