Contests

BURBANK - For the past four years, the Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy basketball team has enjoyed a renaissance by qualifying for the postseason. Ty Buxman had a hand in that achievement by grooming multiple players at the junior varsity level as a coach and preparing them for the transition to the varsity stage. Buxman will now be in charge of the varsity team for the first time after he succeeded Gino Pacella, who resigned following last season. "We built a program over the last four years and we are going to try to keep making progress," said Buxman, whose team suffered a pair of pool-play losses Friday, including a 59-17 defeat against Country Day La Jolla, at the Summer Slam Tournament at Burroughs High.

The competition for top high school speaker really heated up at the Valley Regional Lions Clubs Annual Speech Contest Monday night in the conference room at Verdugo Hills Hospital. The competition featured the winners from earlier Lions Clubs Valley speech contests. Sam Whitefield from La Cañada High School, who had won the local area contest, competed against Dikran Nalbandian , a junior at Providence High School, and Michael Harris , a senior at North Hollywood High School.

The following are previews of today's CIF Southern Section division playoff games involving local teams. GIRLS' SOCCER Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy at Capistrano Valley, 3 p.m.: The Tologs (13-4-3) will begin their quest to repeat as CIF Southern Section Division I champions by entering their opening-round match riding a five-match unbeaten streak. Flintridge Sacred Heart, which finished second in the Mission League behind Harvard-Westlake, is the lone second-place finisher out of eight in the division to take part in a road contest.

The Pasadena Senior Center, 85 E. Holly St. in Pasadena, will celebrate the Fourth of July with  a tropical Hawaiian luau. The holiday celebration, scheduled from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., will include a buffet, live entertainment and contests. The Hawaiian buffet, catered by Burger Continental, will be served from noon to 1 p.m. The buffet will feature barbeque ribs and chicken, fresh fruits, vegetables and more. Luau entertainment will be provided by the Gypsy Ensemble who will perform authentic Hawaiian dances.

Alecia Foster NORTHEAST GLENDALE -- The Glendale Host Lions Club has been recognized for its contributions to the Glendale Unified School District. The club was awarded the Burtis E. Taylor Community Education Award Tuesday at the district's Board of Education meeting. The annual award, named after the district's first superintendent, recognizes individuals and community organizations for their involvement or sponsorship of education programs. The Lions Club has sponsored the Middle and High School Poetry contests, the High School Journalism Contest and the Middle School Instrumental Music Concert, among other things.

Judy Seckler TOLL MIDDLE SCHOOL -- For the art students in Judith Bakly's art classes at Toll Middle School, 26 turned out to be a lucky number. That was the number of Toll student art pieces honored at the Los Angeles County Fair from contest submissions made in June. Emotions from students ranged from shock to amazement. "Usually my art doesn't get picked that much," said first-place winner Stephanie Williams, 14, now a freshman at Hoover High.

Robert Chacon Workers were busy Friday setting up carnival rides for the Oktoberfest celebration today in Montrose. Workers from El Monte-based Games and Creations set up three carnival rides, inflatable slides and a rock wall. This is the first year the company is providing rides, games, tables and chairs for the event. The rides include the Swinger, Moon Buggies and Raiders. A Ferris Wheel will also be featured. Tickets for the rides and other attractions are $1 to $4. The event will take place on the 2300 and 2400 blocks of Honolulu Avenue, and will feature a beer garden, authentic German dinners, and a host of contests that will commemorate the 1810 marriage of Bavaria's Prince Ludwig to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen.

Erik Boal For a pair of former local high school baseball standouts, Friday showcased the highs and lows of postseason competition. Tito Cruz -- a 2002 Hoover High graduate -- and R.J. Brown, who graduated from St. Francis in 2001, represented Long Beach State and University of California, Irvine, respectively, in opening-round regional contests in the 2004 NCAA Championship. Cruz -- who hit .271 in 22 regular-season games, but didn't play -- witnessed a dramatic victory, as Long Beach State prevailed, 4-3, against St. John's at Sunken Diamond in Palo Alto.

Charles Rich It's become quite a road act for the Crescenta Valley High boys' basketball team. The Falcons have won five consecutive Pacific League road games, with the latest chapter being a 51-48 victory against Pasadena on Friday night. CV (17-7, 5-3 in league) remained deadlocked with Hoover and Muir for second place in league behind only Pasadena (9-13, 6-2). The Falcons, winners of two consecutive contests, converted on three-pointers in their first two possessions in the extra session.

NORTHEAST GLENDALE ? Many of the area's spring sports teams haven't been able to catch a break with the unpredictable weather since February. Many coaches have put their cell phones to good use to get information about weather and to communicate with opposing coaches to see if their respective contests will be held. Glendale Community College men's tennis Coach Bob MacKay has had plenty of experience handling these situations. The Vaqueros can't seem to escape the bad weather since their season was scheduled to begin Jan. 30 with a nonconference home match against Occidental College through a key Western State Conference contest against visiting Santa Barbara City College on Tuesday.

SANTA ANA - Good-bye hugs were exchanged in right field before a few tears and plenty of beads of sweat were wiped away by many of the members of the Glendale Community College baseball team. It came shortly after the Vaqueros saw their season wrap up Saturday with a 4-3 defeat against El Camino Compton in an elimination contest of the Southern California Fullerton Super Regional at Santa Ana College. “It's a special group of guys,” said Glendale college Coach Chris Cicuto, whose team finished 27-13.

Times Community Newspapers received major accolades in this year's California Newspaper Publisher Association contest, including 17 first-place awards and six second-place nods. Winners were announced Saturday at the statewide awards at the Sheraton Universal in Universal City. "It always feels good to be honored by your peers, and getting honored in so many different categories makes it that much more gratifying," Editor Dan Evans said. "Every single aspect of the paper, from design to sports, photography to investigative reporting, entertainment to online, received recognition.

A man accused of striking and killing a 61-year-old Glendale doctor with his car pleaded no contest on Wednesday to a charge of intoxicated driving, officials said. Edmond Grigoryan, 30, initially faced a more serious felony count of driving under the influence of a controlled substance and causing serious injuries, but that was reduced Wednesday to a misdemeanor DUI count, according to Los Angeles County Superior Court officials. Grigoryan's vehicle struck Jacob Orphali on Oct. 12 in the 1100 block of Western Avenue, according to Glendale police.

BURBANK - The last time the Burbank High and Crescenta Valley boys' volleyball teams played in a Pacific League contest, the Falcons struggled and the Bulldogs were able to come away with a relatively easy three-game sweep. Although Crescenta Valley played better in the early going in Wednesday's second meeting between the teams, Burbank captured the first two games and another sweep looked like a definite possibility. PHOTOS: Burbank vs. Crescenta Valley boys' volleyball But the Falcons didn't wilt under the pressure, coming back to win the third game and were one point away from forcing a winner-take-all fifth game after taking control in the fourth.

GLENDALE - It had been nearly two weeks since the Flintridge Prep baseball team had taken the field. Might there be a cause for concern about physical rust or mental distractions impeding the team's progress? "That was a big worry for me," said Flintridge Coach Guillermo Gonzalez. "We didn't practice during spring break. They came out ready to play today. " After 13 days away from the diamond because of spring break and a canceled game, the Rebels dominated Rio Hondo Prep, 12-2, in a Prep League game Thursday at the Glendale Sports Complex.

BURBANK - With four double plays, three home runs and more than 30 runs scored, Tuesday's nonleague softball game between Holy Family and Providence provided its share of wild moments. However, the most thrilling moments of the contest came in the later innings, as well as in extra innings, as the Gaels and Pioneers tried to settle things in the game at Olive Park. While both teams saw their pitchers struggle, it was finally Holy Family that was able to take advantage of its opportunities down the stretch, as the Gaels scored nine runs in the eighth inning to walk away with a 22-14 victory.

Times Community News - which includes the Glendale News-Press, Burbank Leader, La Cañada Valley Sun and Pasadena Sun - received a record 23 finalist nominations in this year's California Newspaper Publishers Assn. contest. Every section of the newspapers - from news, to photography to design, to sports, to entertainment - received a nomination. Among the nominations, the Pasadena Sun received a general excellence nod. The finalist nominations mean the newspapers will receive either first or second place in those categories, with the winners announced on April 24. Pasadena Sun General Excellence (Staff)

The following are updates on local athletes at the collegiate level. Chris Stroh (Glendale Community College, 2012) junior outfielder, Westmont College baseball: After serving as a consummate lead-off hitter and base-stealing threat for Glendale college, it appears Stroh has set the tone for Westmont's lineup during the first part of the season. Stroh has provided a shot in the arm for the Warriors, having recorded three stolen bases and nine doubles through March 2. Stroh, a Crescenta Valley High graduate, is batting .304 (28 for 92)

After making a spirited run to reach the semifinals of the CIF Southern Section Division V-AA playoffs, the members of the Flintridge Prep girls' basketball team were rewarded with an invitation to the CIF State Championships. In doing so, the sixth-seeded Rebels needed to travel nearly four hours by bus to nearby Fresno to participate in a Division V first-round game against 11th-seeded Reedley Immanuel on Wednesday night. Flintridge Prep saw its late comeback bid fall short in a 53-46 loss.

In reaching the CIF Southern Section Division I-A semifinal game for the second straight season, Crescenta Valley High boys' basketball Coach Shawn Zargarian reflected on his team's latest accomplishment. Having lost 80% of last season's starting lineup, it appeared to be a tall order for the Falcons to make another deep playoff run. “I was telling the players that I couldn't be more proud in terms of how far they have come,” Zargarian said. “We lost a lot of solid players, but there's just something special about this team and what they've been able to get done this year.