Fraisse's force felt in biggest games

Kim Fraisse's final high school water polo match ended in a loss for her Crescenta Valley High Falcons, but it illustrated as clearly as any in her stellar career just what made her a consummate winner in three years as a varsity standout.

With 278 goals over that span, which included a 74-19 record for the Falcons with two league titles and three trips to the CIF Southern Section quarterfinals or better, Fraisse had already established herself as a player who could take over the biggest games and put the team on her back. In a valiantly played 10-9 loss to No. 2 seed Temsecal Canyon in the CIF Division V semifinals on Feb. 23, she solidified that legacy.

"I used a couple of terms to describe her at our banquet — 'the presence,' or the 'difference maker," Falcons Coach Pete Loporchio says. "When the chips are down in the higher intensity games, she made a huge difference. There was a presence about her when she was in a game and she could literally take over a game. I think there are players who can do that at certain levels. I'm not sure there were many in our division that could do it at the level she did it, whether it was league finals or CIF semifinals or quarterfinals."

In the semifinals, Fraisse led a Falcons surge that turned what was in danger of becoming a humbling flameout into a near come-from-behind upset, scoring five of her six goals in the second half to help Crescenta Valley close a five-goal deficit down to one against a dynamic defensive squad in the waning moments. It was one transcendent moment of dominance that encapsulated a career defined by rising to the occasion, whether it was in Pacific League title games, tournament championships or the CIF playoffs.

"I felt like I always push as hard as I can, but then, when the time comes, it's kind of like an adrenaline rush where I just want to do that much better," said Fraisse, who scored 71 goals this season along with 25 assists and 45 steals.

This season, Fraisse led the way to a 28-4 season, which tied for the highest win total in program history, an undefeated Pacific League title and the threshold of a CIF championship game.

"It was that she was all-around good at defense, an incredible offensive shooter and she was just good at being optimistic and keeping our team together," Falcons senior driver Christine Cho says when asked to describe Fraisse's role on the team.