Crescenta Valley

LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE - Nearly two weeks into the season, the Crescenta Valley High boys' soccer team has mastered the art of winning one-goal matches. While the Falcons would like to post a lopsided victory, they aren't complaining about constantly being involved in close matches. They proved it again Friday night by creating their own break. Erick Trejo scored late in the first half on a shot that skipped along the slick surface and in off the hands of Taft goalkeeper Rob Ramirez to give Crescenta Valley a 1-0 win in a quarterfinal contest of the Ralph Brandt Tournament at St. Francis High's Friedman Field.

ARCADIA - Though they had already been eliminated from playoff contention, the Crescenta Valley High football team had plenty of things to play for when it met rival Arcadia in its season finale Friday night. The Falcons looked to finish .500 and looked to the future with quarterback Brian Gadsby leading the charge. The Falcons accomplished both feats, as Gadsby completed 21 of 36 passes for 204 yards and scored a rushing touchdown to lead visiting Crescenta Valley to a 23-7 Pacific League win. Crescenta Valley finished 5-5, 3-4 in league.

PASADENA - For the second day in a row, the Crescenta Valley High boys' water polo team got out to a fast start, but the Falcons got a much different result Wednesday when they faced Cerritos. The CIF Southern Section Division IV No. 1-ranked Dons - particularly their standout Ikko Saito - were simply too much for the Falcons to handle. Crescenta Valley, which is ranked fifth in Division V, scored the first two goals of the match, but Cerritos had no trouble overcoming them for a dominating 14-6 victory at Pasadena City College.

BURBANK - A fast start allowed the Crescenta Valley High boys' water polo team to coast to the finish on Thursday afternoon in the third-place game of the Pacific League championship tournament at Burbank High. The Falcons allowed just one goal over the first 10 minutes 58 seconds of the match and had an eight-goal cushion going into the fourth, which softened the blow of a run that saw the Indians score the final five goals of the match and six of the last seven, mostly against Crescenta Valley's reserves, in a 14-10 win. “I wanted to get the seniors in there ... and we had a big cushion,” said Crescenta Valley Coach Jan Sakonju, who got five goals from Brian Dertli and three apiece from Griffin Harting and Nate Fernandez.

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.

LA CRESCENTA - The Crescenta Valley High girls' basketball team appeared on the verge of pulling out another close victory. On the doorstep of advancing to the semifinals of the Falcon Classic, Crescenta Valley yielded a buzzer-beating game-tying shot in regulation before sputtering in overtime in a 39-34 pool-play game against West Ranch on Thursday night. “We thought we were in good position to win, but it came down to inexperience,” said Crescenta Valley Coach Jason Perez, whose team will meet Granada Hills in a consolation game at 4:45 p.m. today.

Though the Crescenta Valley High and Hoover football teams are stuck at the bottom of the Pacific League with identical records of 3-5, 1-4 in league, there still figures to be at least a story line or two when the teams battle at 7 p.m. Friday at Glendale High's Moyse Field. For starters, it might figure to be a quick game, as the Falcons and Tornadoes have been more inclined to run the ball this season. The contest will also pit two of the top running backs in the league.

NORTHWEST GLENDALE - Fueled by smothering defense, the Crescenta Valley High girls' basketball team ended a two-game skid in league play and handed another defeat to a Hoover High squad that hasn't won a league game since the 2008-2009 season. The Falcons didn't allow a point in the first quarter of Monday evening's tilt at Hoover High and cruised to a 44-24 victory. Juniors Jacqueline Wilson and Emily Beglarian scored nine of the team's 15 first-quarter points. They each finished with eight points to complement a balanced scoring attack led by Tanisha Minassian's nine on four for 13 shooting.

LA CRESCENTA - What was a confidence builder, the Crescenta Valley High boys' basketball team hopes will become a springboard. The Falcons got back on track in Thursday evening's season finale with a 78-47 hammering of visiting rival Arcadia. With the victory, the CIF Southern Section Division I-A sixth-ranked Falcons (20-7 overall, 11-3 in league) will enter the postseason as the Pacific League's No. 2 seed. Perhaps, they'll also head in with momentum. “It was good to see our guys really get out there tonight and battle.

Over the last four seasons, the Crescenta Valley High girls' soccer team has shown its dominance in the Pacific League. The Falcons have won or shared the last league title in that stretch. The way Crescenta Valley Coach Jorden Schulz sees it, there's no reason for the Falcons to let their guard down in their quest to remain at the top. “I think there's no doubt we can be in the mix,” said Schulz, whose team will kick off league with a home match against Muir at 3:15 p.m. Friday.