Mirjam Swanson
GLENDALE -- o7 The fall season was quite a ride.
There was perfection and near-perfection from the Falcons. And a huge
upset authored by the Tologs.
There was continued, if surprising, success from the Rebels. There was
endurance in the best way from a focused team of Spartans.
And there was a cashing in of sorts for a group of resilient Vaqueros.
All of it after a somber start. The events of Sept. 11 shocked and
saddened everyone and temporarily halted athletic contests all over the
world -- including in this area.
'Lest anyone forget, here's a look back at the athletes who stepped up
biggest in their respective athletic arenas during this memorable fall
season.
f7 HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
With a gameplan as effective as anyone's, Coach Alan Eberhart's
Crescenta Valley High football team finished a perfect 10-0 in the
regular season.
Doing so wasn't easy. It took a 24-21 upset of Thousand Oaks in week
one. And in week 10, it took a 35-14 win against Arcadia win the Pacific
League title for the third straight season -- and for the fourth time in
five seasons.
It required the leadership and playmaking of senior quarterback Hudson
Gossard, who steered the Falcons past every opponent -- including the
55-21 first-round triumph against Littlerock -- until they ran into
Valencia in the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division III
playoffs.
Gossard, the News-Press Player of the Year, finished the season with
3,542 passing yards, 32 touchdown passes and completion mark of 68.4%.
He, of course, had help from team most valuable player Josh Bucz, who
snapped things into motion at center, and from wide receiver Dan Moody,
who made 108 catches for 1,134 yards and 11 touchdowns this season.
La Canada and St. Francis both also reached the quarterfinal round of
the postseason.
The Spartans finished the season at 8-4 and in the CIF Southern
Section Division X second round, with a 49-3 loss to a powerful Santa
Monica team. That was made possible thanks to a miraculous win in round
one, when La Canada scored two touchdowns -- courtesy of Tommy McGuinness
and Ryan Young -- in the final minute to beat St. Joseph.
The Golden Knights, who played home games on the attractive and
durable new FieldTurf surface, lost a heartbreaker on the road, 24-21,
against Mira Costa in the quarterfinals. But that didn't much diminish
the efforts of Jim Bonds' young team.
Despite losing 11 starters to grauduation, St. Francis finished 7-5,
