In summer showdown

VALENCIA — Missing what is sure to be an ample amount of hype — along with shoulder pads, helmets and linemen — the Crescenta Valley High and Glendale football teams squared off on a hot Wednesday afternoon for the first time with longtime Falcons Coach Alan Eberhart manning the Nitros sidelines.

What transpired was a spirited back-and-fourth seven-on-seven contest that saw Glendale show plenty of fight — a far cry from an abysmal performance earlier in the day — but still come up short against Crescenta Valley, which rallied from two touchdowns down to win, 38-30, in overtime.

“That Glendale game was huge,” said All-Area running back Harry Pessy, who had two touchdowns in the game. “They were real physical, they put together a real tough game. We just came together.”

Crescenta Valley advanced to the semifinals of the consolation bracket with the win before falling to Centennial, 38-36, on the final day of the 2009 Hart/COC Passing Tournament at College of the Canyons.

While seven-on-seven passing leagues are largely seen as avenues to fine tune the skill game, as well as building chemistry, above wins and losses, Wednesday saw the Falcons in two ultra-competitive games, including a dramatic 32-26 loss to Valencia.

“That’s as competitive as it gets,” said Falcons Coach Tony Zarrillo of his team’s contests with Valencia and Glendale. “I’m definitely pleased, definitely pleased. The one thing we’ve been harping on our kids is effort and being competitive.

“We took a step in the right direction today.”

Both Glendale and Crescenta Valley took part in tournament pool play on Monday, going 1-3 and 2-2, respectively.

On Wednesday, the Falcons steamrolled Hollywood, 28-6, to advance to the quarterfinals of the winner’s bracket before facing off with Valencia.

After the Falcons stopped the Vikings, a perennial power in the well-respected Foothill League, on the game’s first possession, Crescenta Valley quarterback Kyle Cota hit De De McFadden for a score. McFadden scored once again to make it 12-6, as the Falcons used the dynamic McFadden’s speed to create a match-up advantage with short passes.

“I thought De De had a very good day,” said Zarrillo of McFadden, who also played safety for the first time, moving from cornerback.