Arcadia

LA CRESCENTA - Although it entered play Tuesday afternoon with a one-match advantage over Pasadena in the Pacific League standings, it was the Bulldogs that really seemed to enjoy the inside track to the league's final automatic CIF playoff berth. In order to clinch fourth place, the Falcons would have to beat archrival and perennial league power Arcadia in their regular-season finale, whereas a CV loss to the Apaches, combined with an all-but-assured Pasadena victory over winless Muir, would create a tie for fourth.

ARCADIA - While it ultimately took care of business on Wednesday, the Crescenta Valley High boys' water polo team hardly rose to the occasion in its regular-season Pacific League finale at archrival Arcadia. Rather the Falcons seemed a bit too content to sink to the level of their competition, as they failed to get much separation against a league-winless Apaches team that was almost completely inactive offensively through most of the first half and played Arcadia virtually even in the second half for a 10-4 win. The victory clinched a second-place tie in league with Burbank, which defeated Burroughs, 13-12, on Wednesday and the Falcons (12-13, 4-2 in league)

After nearly two months of competing against each other in Pacific League matches, the Crescenta Valley High and La Cañada girls' golf teams are ready to take their talent to the next level - the playoffs. The lineups presented by Falcons and Spartans in each match showed plenty of promise. Crescenta Valley finished tied for first in league with Arcadia and La Cañada took third. The Falcons and Spartans will next participate in the CIF Southern Section Central Team Divisional, which will be held at 8 a.m. Monday at Los Serranos Country Club's North Course in Chino Hills.

It's been nine years since the Glendale High football team defeated rival Crescenta Valley in a Pacific League game. But both teams are currently struggling in league play this time around. Crescenta Valley Coach Paul Schilling said the Falcons (3-4, 1-3 in league) don't plan to take the Nitros (1-6, 0-4) lightly when the teams meet at 7 p.m. Friday at Moyse Field. “We've been pushing that to our players since our last game,” said Schilling, whose team has lost two games in a row, including a 38-21 defeat against Burbank on Friday.

PASADENA - This time, Jocelyn Chia avoided all suspense. The Crescenta Valley High girls' golfer won her second consecutive Pacific League individual championship Wednesday afternoon at Brookside Golf Course No. 1 rather comfortably by six strokes after taking the title last season in a card-off. Chia maintained her six-stroke lead entering Wednesday's round, as she shot a two-over-par 77 to finish with a total of 255 to best Burbank's Irene Maemura by six strokes. “Last year when I found out I won, it was like wow,” said Chia, the reigning All-Area Girls' Golfer of the Year.

BOYS' WATER POLO Flintridge Prep 9, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 3: The Rebels (12-7) picked up a nonleague victory at Van Nuys/Sherman Oaks Park on Tuesday behind two-goal performances from Diego Delgado, John Treinin and Ethan Vandeventer. Delgado and Vandeventer also finished with four and five steals, respectively, while Brian Khin had six blocks in the cage for Prep. Burroughs 10, Hoover 6: Hakop Baghumyan scored three goals to lead the Tornadoes (11-7, 2-3) in a Pacific League home loss on Tuesday.

ARCADIA - The cross-country runners from the Pacific League had to wait an additional four days to finally contest the second league meet of the season. The event at Arcadia Park was originally scheduled for Thursday, but had to be postponed because of rain, hail and lighting that pelted the area. The runners experienced a complete turnaround in weather conditions in the make-up meet Monday, as the athletes were greeted with bright sunshine and temperatures in the 90s. Despite the extra time off, runners and teams turned in some impressive performances on the fast, flat  course.

ARCADIA - On four different occasions in the first half, the Glendale High football team had Arcadia running backs slip through its would-be tacklers for long touchdown runs. The Nitros saw a chance at their first Pacific League victory slip through their hands as a result, as the Apaches cruised to a 49-7 rout, building a five-touchdown cushion by halftime. “Our tackling was not very good tonight compared to the last two weeks,” first-year Glendale Coach John Tuttle said.

SOUTHEAST GLENDALE - - The Glendale YMCA Quarterback Club, in its 70th year, meets Tuesdays at the Elk's Lodge. The following are odds and ends from the fifth meeting of the year. APACHES GIVE NO QUARTER TO ALUM It was with great anticipation that Andrew Policky approached Friday's Pacific League game at Arcadia, as the second-year Hoover coach graduated from Arcadia, where he was formerly a player and assistant coach. "It was their homecoming and my alma mater, so I guess it was kind of my homecoming, too," said Policky, who was also taking on former colleague and Apaches Coach Chris Long , whom Policky replaced at Hoover when Long went back to Arcadia last season.

LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE - Shortly after darkness fell Monday night, the last group in the Pacific League girls' golf prelims found themselves still competing at La Cañada Country Club. The quartet aimed their putts toward the hole, but because of the lack of light, none of the shots came close to going in. That left Crescenta Valley High Coach Lee Pope and Arcadia Coach Robbie Greep to reach an agreement - have Crescenta Valley and Arcadia share the league championship. “It was so dark and the players were trying to locate their balls,” Pope said.