Mirjam Swanson
GLENDALE --o7 The following are the top five games -- head-to-head-
competitions only -- of the 200-2001 high school sports season, as voted
on by the News-Press sports department.
Games 10 through six were showcased Tuesday, and the remainder are as
follows:f7
5. Crescenta Valley vs. Muir boys' track and field, Pacific League
dual meet, April 5, 2001: What played out on the Muir High track in
Pasadena midway through track and field season was genuine,
down-to-the-wire drama -- incorporating, at the end, a huge dose of
history.
For the first time in Crescenta Valley boys' track and field history,
the Falcons were able to say they dusted the Mustangs.
OK, so it wasn't the most emphatic of dustings.
The final difference was 64-63.
And it took a brilliant anchor leg by Jason Hogan in the meet's final
event, the 1,600-meter relay -- not to mention a key stumble by Muir's
front-runner in the 300 high hurdles, a surprising second-place finish by
100-meter run by Hratch DeMirjian, and the rest of the team living up to
each and every expectation -- to seal CV's first win in program history
against former powerhouse Muir.
4. Glendale vs. La Canada boys' water polo, CIF Southern Section
Division III playoff quarterfinals, Nov. 14 2000: When one of the players
involved gets out of the pool and proclaims the match "the upset of the
century," you know something momentous just went down.
It was Glendale driver Zareh Galstyan who made the bold post-match
statement, doing so mere moments after he made an even bolder in-match
statement.
The senior scored a match-high five goals en route to the Nitros
remarkable 14-11 upset No.1-ranked and two-time defending CIF champion La
Canada in the CIF Southern Section Division III quarterfinal match at
Pasadena City College.
Galstyan got help from goalkeeper Sasoon Haghverdi, who finished with
six crucial saves and got some help, himself, from an ultra-supportive
crowd which worked itself up with chants of "Sas-oon! Sas-oon! Sas-oon!"
The Spartans surprised no one when they grabbed an early 6-4 lead with
5:15 left in the first half.
But then ejections began to stir some trouble for La Canada. Nine
ejections led to six Nitro goals.
It wasn't quite the recipe for success for the Spartans against a team
with something as much to prove as Glendale -- which didn't get past
Upland in the semifinal round.
Nonetheless, the way the match ended left everyone, including those on
Glendale's side, stunned.
Nitro Coach Pat Lancaster: "I can't believe it."
