BURBANK — Leading into the start of Pacific League play, Crescenta Valley High's girls' water polo team was the prohibitive favorite to defend its league crown with many prognosticating Glendale or Pasadena as the top challenger.
Enter Burroughs, as the upstart Indians surprised many as they set up Thursday afternoon's showdown against the Falcons, which both teams entered undefeated in league.
But as the match came to an anticlimactic finish, the Falcons made an emphatic statement that nobody's yet to challenge them for league supremacy after throttling the host Indians, 16-4.
"I think that was one of our better defensive efforts," said Falcons Coach Pete Loporchio, whose team has all but locked up a third straight league title, needing only a first-round win in the league tournament on Feb. 7 at Burbank High and remains undefeated at 21-0, 6-0 in league. "We made sure ... they understood the significance of this game and what was at stake."