Crescenta Valley

BURBANK - Young Tae Seo couldn't have left the Pacific League any better. The dominant force on the Crescenta Valley High boys' swimming team the last four years wanted to leave a lasting impact on the league and he did just that, having a hand in setting three new league records - two individual and one relay - at league finals Thursday at Burbank High. PHOTOS: Pacific League Swim finals In his curtain call to the league, Seo left his name in the record books seven of the 11 league events when he swam the leadoff leg of the 400-yard freestyle relay, the final race of the tournament.

BURBANK - In the span of 14 innings and less than 24 hours, the Crescenta Valley High baseball team has created quite a stir atop the Pacific League standings. Not yet a full day removed from displacing Burbank from its spot alone in first and creating a four-way tie, the Falcons took on host Burroughs on Wednesday afternoon and delivered the Indians a 4-2 loss that left three teams standing at the top of the Pacific League. PHOTOS: Crescenta Valley vs. Burroughs boys' baseball “Coming into this week, our coach told us we had to win these two games,” said Falcons senior Ted Boeke.

BURBANK - While waiting for the official scores of the Pacific League's Individual Tournament to be tallied, Paul Park leaned forward in a chair Wednesday on the deck at De Bell Golf Club eagerly awaiting word as to whether his latest result would extend his season. The Crescenta Valley High boys' golfer figured the odds were with him despite playing in a 16-player field that was dominated mostly by powerful Arcadia. When Park received confirmation he qualified for the CIF Southern Section Individual Tournament, he immediately felt relief.

ARCADIA - It was a must-win situation for the Crescenta Valley High boys' volleyball team Tuesday evening, but Falcons Coach John Nelson wasn't quite sure why they didn't play like it. The Falcons needed to win their regular season finale against host Arcadia to finish in fourth place in the Pacific League standings and, in turn, earn an automatic playoff berth. Arcadia needed the win just as badly, as both teams went into the match at 5-6 in league play. Ultimately, the Falcons were flat and succumbed to a more energized team that played up to the high stakes and were swept, 25-23, 25-16, 25-17.

GLENDALE - To have a realistic chance to win the Pacific League championship, the Crescenta Valley High baseball team had to defeat Burbank on Tuesday at Stengel Field. Fortunately for the Falcons, they had Brian Gadsby on the mound, the same pitcher who baffled the Bulldogs with a shutout earlier this season. Gadsby was not as dominant in his second outing against Burbank, but he was surely effective, tossing another complete game and receiving timely hitting from Austin Brines to notch a 4-1 victory that created a four-way tie for first place in league.

PASADENA - It's right back to the semifinals of the Pacific League boys' tennis tournament for Emile Ohanyan. Drenched in sweat while playing through the escalating temperatures Monday, the Hoover High standout faced a stiff test during the second of two tournament rounds at Pasadena High. PHOTOS: Pacific League boys' tennis The fourth-seeded Ohanyan survived, posting a 6-4, 2-6 (10-2) second-round win against fifth-seeded Arin Meserkhani of Glendale. "The second round was really tough," said Ohanyan, who opened with a 6-0, 6-0 first-round victory against Young Peak of Crescenta Valley and will make his second straight appearance in the semifinals.

LA CRESCENTA - Ryan Muir let out a yell for all of the athletes at the CV CAN Games to hear. Muir had just finished a throw in the shot put competition at the Special Olympics qualifying event and was as thrilled as any other athlete, no matter where his shot put landed. He had reason to celebrate. He walked away with an award, as did all of the other athletes competing at the games Saturday at Crescenta Valley High. “You have to realize that 40 years ago, these guys never left the house,” said Sherry Netherland, Muir's shot put coach from Westside.

LA CRESCENTA - What could have very well been a lost weekend for the Crescenta Valley High boys' volleyball team may turn out to be the opposite. Tired, twice-beaten and relegated to the seventh-place game in the silver division, the Falcons showed resiliency in rallying to defeat Woodland Hills Taft High's “B” team 17-25, 26-24, 15-10 in the final game of 12th annual Crescenta Valley Tournament on Saturday afternoon. “This weekend wasn't just about having fun, it was about getting ready for next week and hopefully the playoffs,” Crescenta Valley High senior Freedom Tripp said.

While eight schools will at least send one representative to next week's Pacific League track and field finals at Arcadia High, at least locally, the biggest contingent will hail from Crescenta Valley High. That's because the Falcons qualified 30 of the total 44 local competitors out of Friday's preliminaries held at Arcadia High. Overall, 16 qualifying positions were taken by Crescenta Valley girls, including five entrants in two events. Sophomore Megan Melnyk may represent the Falcons' best chance at taking home two events as the long-distance runner advanced in both the 1,600-meter run (second, 5 minutes 22.82 seconds)