Crescenta Valley

PASADENA - Crescenta Valley High Coach Jan Sakonju said his team's top priority in Tuesday's Pacific League opener against Burroughs was to make sure to keep the game close by answering the Indians' first goal with one of their own. That strategy never really came into play, as its significance was lost in the fact that Burroughs' first score didn't come until the Falcons had put up six of their own. Crescenta Valley, ranked fifth in CIF Southern...

ARCADIA - Crescenta Valley High's boys' basketball team got a huge Pacific League win over defending champion Pasadena on Wednesday to sit alone atop the league standings, but that victory would deflate in a hurry if the Falcons could not win their next game on the road against rival Arcadia to solidify that standing. “We told our guys that this game was bigger than Wednesday night's game, “ Falcons Coach Shawn Zargarian said. “I know it sounds weird, but Wednesday doesn't mean anything unless you come here tonight and get a win.” Crescenta Valley did just that, going on the road Friday night to defeat their rivals, 66-58.

GIRLS' WATER POLO Crescenta Valley 7, Harvard-Westlake 3: Elissa Arnold and Shannon Hovanesian each scored three goals to lead the Falcons to a win in the championship game of the Mistletoe Classic on Saturday. Crescenta Valley, ranked fifth in CIF Southern Section Division 5, also got six saves from Gabriel Isacson and lockdown defense against the Division 3 top-ranked Wolverines' two-meter player from Ashley Taylor. Earlier Saturday the Falcons bested Westlake in the semifinals, 9-8, behind four goals from Hovanesian and three goals and three assists from Breanna Lawton.

BURBANK - Pablo Sotillo didn't mind the brief wait while several players battled for a loose ball inside the goal box. The way things have been going of late for the Crescenta Valley boys' soccer player, he figured a scoring opportunity would come if he could corral the ball. Sotillo guessed right and scored the game-winning goal with seven minutes left to give visiting Crescenta Valley a 2-1 Pacific League road victory against Burroughs on Friday afternoon at chilly Memorial Field.

LA CRESCENTA -- Loyola High got the better of the Crescenta Valley boys' soccer team on Tuesday, but it didn't exactly get the Falcons' best. The battle of two highly-ranked CIF Southern Section heavyweights looked appetizing on paper, but lacked substance in the flesh - weary flesh in the case of the Falcons, who didn't seem to have much in the tank for their 10th match in less than two weeks and fifth in the last six days. "I think so," Crescenta Valley Coach Grant Clark said when asked if the grind had finally caught up with his players, who lost to the Cubs, 2-0, on Tuesday.

BOYS' SOCCER Arcadia 1, Crescenta Valley 0 : Crescenta Valley saw its 36-match unbeaten streak come to an end Friday on the road. Crescenta Valley, which has won three straight league championships, surrendered a goal in the 64th minute and saw its unbeaten streak end at 28-0-8. Crescenta Valley last lost a league match on Feb. 5 against Glendale. St. Francis 4, Chaminade 1 : Frankie Veiga notched two goals Friday to lead the visiting Golden Knights to a Mission League win. St. Francis (5-6-5, 3-2-1 in league)

BOYS' BASKETBALL Crescenta Valley 52, Torrance 40 : Nick Springer finished with 18 points and Eric Patten added 10 points and 10 rebounds Thursday to lead the Falcons (8-3) in a MaxPreps Holiday Tournament game at Cathedral City High. Cole Currie contributed 14 points for the Falcons, who got 12 rebounds from Elliot Wilson. Crescenta Valley began the tournament Wednesday with a 61-41 win against Diamond Bar. Patten finished with 20 points and nine rebounds. Currie contributed 14 points for the Falcons, who got 10 from Wilson.

NORTHEAST GLENDALE — Behind a stellar offensive performance from its No. 3 hitter, Crescenta Valley Tile finds itself back in the hunt for the La Crescenta Babe Ruth Division 13-15 championship. When Crescenta Valley needed its slugger to come through, Jimmy Smiled delivered with power. Smiley finished with two hits, including a two-run home run, to spark Tile to a 5-1 victory against Trotta on Monday night at Stengel Field. Crescenta Valley (16-7-1) and Trotta (19-2) will meet in the tournament's if-necessary championship contest at 6:30 p.m. today at Stengel Field.

GLENDALE - Jash Francisco strolled into a quiet Hoover High gymnasium about three hours before game time and spent 45 minutes honing his shooting skills. Several hours later, backed by a sterling three-point shooting effort, the Hoover boys' basketball player turned the venue into a noisy one. “Just to get prepared, I wanted to come in and shoot by myself for a while,” said Francisco, who finished with a game-high 23 points, including seven three-pointers, to lead Hoover to a 64-53 Pacific League upset victory against Crescenta Valley on Wednesday.