Crescenta Valley

ARCADIA - It appeared hope for capturing the Pacific League baseball title and avenging a previous loss against its rival was running low for the Crescenta Valley High baseball team Friday night. Down two runs headed into the bottom of the seventh inning, the Falcons appeared to be down to their final out after consecutive strikeouts. The second, however, came on a wild pitch to CV's Joe Torres that rolled to the fence. Torres beat the throw to first, representing the tying the run and bringing the potential winning run to the plate.

After seeing their attempts to lead their respective boys' golf teams past the CIF Southern Section team divisionals fall short, six area athletes will strive to achieve individual success. The group will migrate north to Oxnard to participate in the 18-hole CIF Southern Section Northern Individual Regional, which will be held at 8 a.m. Monday at River Ridge Golf Club's Vineyard Course. Among those expected to participate will be Paul Park of Crescenta Valley High, Vince De Pinto and Mike Mozilo of St. Francis and La Cañada's Collin Morikawa, Robby Stehlin and Joshua Suh. The top 30 plus ties from the Northern and Southern regionals will advance to the CIF Southern Section Individual Championship Tournament, which will be held at 9 a.m. May 20 at La Purisima Golf Course in Lompoc.

RIVERSIDE - There's little the Crescenta Valley High boys' swimming team was unable to accomplish during the high school careers of Young Tae Seo and Harrison Thai. One thing the Falcons and their two standout seniors couldn't do, however, was go out with a second straight championship on Saturday at the CIF Southern Section Division II meet at Riverside City College. PHOTOS: CIF Southern Section Division II swimming final Try as it might, CV couldn't climb the uphill challenge it was dealt in a deeper Los Osos team that won six events and set three Division II meet records in the process.

BASEBALL Flintridge Prep wins share of Prep League title: Though Flintridge Prep closed out the regular season with a 10-2 win over Rio Hondo Prep on Wednesday, the Rebels won themselves a share of the Prep League title on Friday afternoon. On the strength of Pasadena Poly defeating Webb Schools, 10-3, on Friday for the second time in as many days, the Panthers forced a three-way tie atop the standings, bestowing the Rebels with a share of their first league title in more than 15 years.

LA CRESCENTA - A few minutes after the Crescenta Valley High softball team suffered a 3-1 Pacific League home loss against Arcadia on Thursday, Crescenta Valley Coach Mark Stamford didn't want to know how many runners the Falcons left on base. Seconds later, Samford inquired about the total number of runners stranded - eight. PHOTOS: Crescenta Valley vs. Arcadia softball   "The big stat [is] how many runners we left on base," said Samford, whose team could have locked up sole possession of second place behind Burbank in league with a victory Thursday as Burroughs lost to the first-place Bulldogs.

While the Crescenta Valley High boys' swimming team goes into the two-day CIF Southern Section Division II championship meet as the reigning champion, Falcons Coach Jan Sakonju sees his team in a much different light this year. Last season, CV just held off Damien, 301-293, to capture the Division II championship and waiting not much further behind was Los Osos (203). “I don't think [Los Osos is] the main contender, they're the favorite for sure,” said Sakonju, whose team has placed in the top three in Division II the last three years.

After falling just shy of a Pacific League championship the past three years, one could argue the Crescenta Valley High boys' basketball team would be the early favorite heading into the 2014 season. The league found itself in a wave of change this offseason, as Pasadena - the nine-time reining champion - had its coach of 18 years, Tim Tucker, step down and accept an open position at Maranatha in March. Even without the All-Area Player of the Year in Cole Currie, it appeared the Falcons were in the strongest position to not only take league but make another run in the CIF Southern Section Division I-A playoffs with a trio of key returners.

LA CRESCENTA - With a full squad, the Crescenta Valley High boys' tennis team felt confident it could compete in the CIF Southern Section Division I playoffs. Unfortunately, the Falcons were without one of their top players in Patrick Meserkhani for Tuesday's wild-card matchup with visiting Redondo Union, a Bay League at-large entrant. Crescenta Valley Coach Sam Hyun, who is in his first year at the helm, had to switch players around and saw his unforeseen new lineup affect the team's strategy negatively in a 16-2 season-ending defeat.

Following a rainstorm in the heart of Ventura County, Paul Park heated up. The Crescenta Valley High junior boys' golfer put things together nicely and proceeded to put on one of his best performances of the season. Park shot a two-under-par 70 to finish second overall in the CIF Southern Section Northern Team Divisional at Soule Park Golf Course in Ojai. "Things worked out well for me on the course and I hit a lot of my shots on the greens," said Park, who finished behind Sean Croker of Westlake (67)

For a second season in a row, the Hoover High boys' tennis team finds itself in the CIF Southern Section playoffs and the Tornadoes find themselves with a daunting task. Hoover is set to face Harvard-Westlake, the third seed in the CIF Southern Section Division I playoffs, in the first round on Wednesday at 3 p.m. Elsewhere in Division I, Crescenta Valley will host Redondo Union in Tuesday's wild-card round, while Flintridge Prep, in Division II, will travel to face Walnut in a Division II wild-card matchup.