Edgar Melik-Stepanyan
Editor's Note: The following is a look back at the top 10 sports
stories of the past year, as voted on by the writers and editors of
the Glendale News-Press and Foothill Leader:
10 Welcome to the big show: Sara Sun emerged on the area scene in
2004, and became a contender for the 500-yard freestyle title in CIF
Southern Section Division I.
But the Crescenta Valley freshman's bid for the division
championship was denied by Glendora's Courtney Eads, as Sun finished
second, 4 minutes 49.21 seconds to 4:55.94.
Sun entered the division final with the fastest nationally
reported time for a high school freshman following her 4:52.19 mark
in the preliminaries. That mark was also the fifth best in the state
and 21st in the nation, according to the National Interscholastic
Swimming Coaches Assn.
9 State of euphoria: Early in the 2004 boys' cross-country season,
Flintridge Prep was upstaged by Woodcrest Christian at the Mount San
Antonio College Invitational.
With the spotlight on the Rebels and Woodcrest Christian in the
CIF Southern Section Division V final and CIF-State Championships,
Flintridge Prep shined brightest.
The Rebels took home their fourth CIF title in the past 10 years,
and traveled to Fresno's Woodward Park to win their fourth state
crown since 1998.
Flintridge Prep, led by senior Tom McLean, crushed all its
competition with a deep cast that included Tom Adams, Matt McCluggage
and Tony Myint.
8 Knights to remember: The St. Francis High football team wasn't
expected to get past the first round of the Division III playoffs,
let alone reach the semifinals.
The Golden Knights' improbable run to the final four started on a
cool night in Palmdale. St. Francis was given little chance against
fourth-seeded Palmdale, but it came up with key defensive plays in a
19-10 triumph.
Next up was Redondo at Friedman Field, where the Golden Knights
pulled off a thrilling 17-16 victory after Matt Abbey connected with
Scott Stephens on a 45-yard scoring strike with 39 seconds left.
St. Francis' magic ran out in the semifinals, as eventual-champion
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame handed the Golden Knights a 49-14 defeat.
7 Breaking out in a big way: Flintridge Prep's Lindsay Fletcher
admitted it would have been sweeter to win a CIF track and field
title facing her ultimate head-to-head competition, but, in the end
"that's what fate decided."
With favorite Elizabeth Olear of Louisville scratched out of the
200-meter Division IV final because of a pulled left hamstring,
