I had a non-football related story I was working on Monday afternoon at Pasadena High School. Upon my arrival I saw a good crowd there, watching PHS football practice. Regardless of wins and losses, football (practice or otherwise) is an event at both Muir and PHS. That was the case Monday as the team prepared for their final week of practice before dead period and returning Aug. 8. Pasadena coach Randy Horton said discipline was lacking, and it was the difference between winning and losing. Horton, a former strength and conditioning coach at UCLA, put a strong emphasis on weight training. He said most kids couldn’t bench press more than 180 pounds when he got there. He says everybody on the team can now bench press at least 260 pounds. He’s raving a lot about junior quarterback Brandon Cox, the former Temple City QB before transferring to Pasadena. Horton said Cox can power clean 230 pounds, and that his training has paid dividends in the form of fielding strong interest from Pac-12 schools, including Washington, Utah, UCLA and USC. From the few minutes I caught at practice, Pasadena definitely looks more disciplined and practice was structured. Is this the year Pasadena finally beats Muir? The Bulldogs were one win away from making the playoffs last year. It’ll be interesting to see how Pasadena fares out. It’s time for Pasadena football to get back on the map.