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A terrific turnaround season for the Falcons boys’ soccer team saw them come from the depths of the Pacific league last year to a spot in the CIF Southern Section Division III playoffs. The overachieving Falcons (10-5-6) won their first playoff game of the year, a road game at Hawthorne, 2-0, on Friday, Feb. 21, but faced a much stiffer competition against Sierra Vista (20-2-2) on Wednesday. Though they played their hearts out, defensive holes were their undoing and Sierra Vista beat Crescenta Valley at CV in the second round, 3-2. “We had two problems that happened out there,” said second-year Crescenta Valley Coach Tino Morfin.

Mirjam Swanson GLENDALE -- Definitely two different stories going on at the always intense swim meet between Southern California swimming powers Crescenta Valley and Hart highs. Same score: 99-71. But different results for the hosting Falcons boys' and girls' swim teams in their nonleague meet Friday. The CV girls (5-0) said they entered the meet feeling good about themselves, and they left feeling even better, with a convincing win in tow. Their counterparts on the boys' team (4-1)

With a berth in the Section 2 Major Baseball All-Stars championship on the line and revenge to be had, Crescenta Valley faced off with Quartz Hill on Sunday evening. “They were excited to get them in a rematch,” Crescenta Valley Coach Mike Vinceri said. “They played really, calm solid ball.” At the plate, Scott Vinceri belted a second-inning grand slam that paved the way for CV's 9-4 win over Quartz Hill on Sunday evening at El Dorado Little League. “Scott's grand slam was huge in the sense that it was against their ace pitcher,” Mike Vinceri said.

Erik Boal Peter Lee said following the Pacific League boys' swim final that every meet is a surprise for him and his Crescenta Valley teammates. But when it came to the results of the team competition Friday at Pasadena City College, there were no surprises. After a technical error by Arcadia helped the Falcons capture their 10th straight league championship last year, CV made No. 11 look all too easy, winning nine of 11 events -- including all three relays -- to cruise to a 402.5-322 victory against the Apaches.

LA CRESCENTA - Having played catch-up all afternoon to visiting Hoover High on Wednesday, the Crescenta Valley softball team didn't think twice when the opportunity to take a lead finally presented itself in the bottom of the eighth inning. It would call for some quick thinking, aggressive baserunning and was a bit of a gamble, but the Falcons' guile paid off in an 8-7 Pacific League victory on Hannah Cookson's daring attempt to score from second base on a bases-loaded infield single and subsequent errant throw to the plate.

LA CRESCENTA - All smiles and walking to the team bus, Glendale High softball player Esmeralda Winland looked at teammates Meghan Spencer and Janette Avina and rhetorically asked, "Did we just beat CV?" They absolutely did. For the first time since March 31, 2005, Glendale defeated Crescenta Valley, handily upending their Pacific League rival, 6-0, on Friday at CV. "I feel like I could conquer the world," Winland told her teammates. Her teammates, one with her armed taped with ice and the other still in disbelief, were the leaders of a team that stunned the Falcons and all but knocked CV out of the race for the league championship.

LA CRESCENTA - It's going to take more than just a bad start to slow down the Crescenta Valley boys' basketball team this season. The Falcons proved that in a Falcon Classic pool-play game against Simi Valley Wednesday night. CV turned the ball over on four of its first five possessions and was in a hole early, but climbed out of it without much trouble en route to a 75-53 victory. "I think it just took a little while for us to wake up," said the Falcons' senior power forward Christian Misi, who finished with a game-high 24 points and 11 rebounds.

LA CRESCENTA - The members of the Crescenta Valley High boys' volleyball team looked for a quick start when they faced Glendale in the first of two head-to-head meetings this season. The Falcons got precisely that en route to a dominant 25-12, 25-9, 25-21 Pacific League home win Wednesday afternoon. Crescenta Valley (10-5, 4-2 in league) wasted no time getting started against Glendale (1-7, 1-5). The Falcons raced to an 8-0 lead in the first game and the Nitros didn't hold their first lead until early in the third game.

GLENDALE - There was clearly a difference between both teams when the Crescenta Valley and Hoover high boys' volleyball teams squared off in a Pacific League match Thursday. The senior-laden Falcons are looking to climb the league standings after a fourth-place finish last season, one in which the Tornadoes - who carry a majority of first-year players - did not field a team. CV's experience won out in a three-game sweep, 25-7, 25-12, 25-20, over Hoover, which committed 35 unforced errors in the match.

NORTHEAST GLENDALE - Technically speaking, Crescenta Valley High's baseball team assured itself a share of its first Pacific League title since 2008 on Tuesday afternoon with a lopsided win over last-place Muir. But Friday night was truly the Falcons' night. After a league-title drought and a seven-game losing streak against archrival Arcadia, Friday was most assuredly still circled on the Falcons' calendar, having clinched a share of league or not. And thanks to seven brilliant innings from Kyle Murray, plenty of timely hitting and a cavalcade of CV momentum, the Falcons wrapped up the league crown all for themselves with a resounding 7-0 win over the Apaches at Stengel Field.

Scott Hong (Glendale Community College, 2011) Occidental College baseball senior: Hong wrapped up a phenomenal senior campaign at Occidental with a fitting accolade, as the former Vaquero was bestowed an All-Southern California Interscholastic Athletic Conference first-team selection. As a junior, Hong was a second-team All-SCIAC outfielder and also a first-team American Baseball Coaches Assn. All-West Region utility player. This year, he was a first-team all-conference selection as he did a little bit of everything and did it all very well.

Writer Marianne Williamson said, “In every community there is work to be done, in every nation there are wounds to heal, in every heart there is the power to do it.” Last Saturday was a beautiful day on the Crescenta Valley High School athletic track. CV CAN (Crescenta Valley Committed to Athletic Needs) sponsored the fourth Special Olympics Track Meet, which brought a gathering of more than 800 people. We had more than 250 athletes competing at this year's meet, 250 wonderful individuals who inspired us race after race with their dedication and determination in spite of their disabilities.

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 - The Burroughs High boys' volleyball team had a definite motivating factor in its Pacific League match Thursday evening against host Crescenta Valley. With just one loss in league, the Indians hoped to keep within striking distance of first-place Claremont and force a showdown for the league championship against the Wolfpack on Tuesday. For the Falcons, they were looking to keep improving and stay in contention for a playoff spot with just one league match remaining.

GLENDALE - The Hoover High boys' tennis team had already defeated Crescenta Valley once before this season. The Tornadoes were confident that they could beat the Falcons again in Thursday's rematch at Hoover. A relaxed Hoover squad relied on its singles players and its top doubles team to upend the Falcons for the second time, defeating CV, 11-7, in a Pacific League match. Just like they did in their first meeting against the Falcons - a 12-6 victory on Feb. 28 - Oleg Simonyan and Emile Ohanyan, Hoover's top two singles players, each swept their three sets.

It was Cole Currie's ability to provide a bucket seemingly whenever the Crescenta Valley High boys' basketball team needed one that drew the most attention this season. The Falcons guard averaged a team-high 19.6 points in league games en route to guiding Crescenta Valley to second place in the Pacific League. It also helped Currie cement his place as one of the top players in league, as he named the league's co-player of the year with Pasadena High's Andrew Spight. “That's what I was working for all summer and into the fall before the season,” said Currie, who also averaged five assists and 4.5 rebounds a league game, of the award, “but I knew if we didn't accomplish anything as a team we had no chance.

GLENDALE - While the scoreboard reflected the Crescenta Valley High baseball team being the clear winner, there were still positives for the Hoover program to take away Friday. The Falcons were able to pile on 16 hits and jumped out to an early lead in the Pacific League contest at Hoover High, but still played the regulation seven innings in getting the 7-2 win. “We scored some runs but we left a lot of guys on base,” said Crescenta Valley Coach Phil Torres, whose team left 12 runners on base, seven in scoring position, in the win. “We took some bad at bats, too, and that's something we've got to improve on.” Hoover may have suffered its eighth loss of the season, but first-year coach Brian Esquival hopes a small corner was turned.

LA CRESCENTA - The Hoover High coaches and players felt this was the perfect time for the program to finally break a long standing Pacific League stranglehold that Crescenta Valley has possessed for years. And it looked as if the Tornadoes were ready to dispel the ghosts of defeat Thursday in a league game against the host Falcons. PHOTOS: CV vs. Hoover girls' softball Hoover jumped out to a three-run lead to open the game, and even when Crescenta Valley fought back to take the lead, the Tornadoes didn't wilt, but instead did some battling of their own to tie the score.

GLENDALE - One really bad inning brought the Crescenta Valley High baseball team's run in the Babe Herman Tournament to a dubious conclusion on Wednesday at Stengel Field.. Oak Hills scored 10 runs in the fifth en route to defeating tournament host Crescenta Valley, 12-2 “We ran out of pitching, so we got stuck with guys that haven't pitched very much, are inexperienced,” said Falcon coach Phil Torres. “You get into a tournament, you play all these days in a row, there's going to be day you're going to get caught without some pitching.” The top of the fifth was ugly no matter how you slice it. Crescenta Valley sent four different pitchers to the mound, collectively allowing seven hits and three walks.

The Flintridge Prep, Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy and Crescenta Valley High girls' soccer teams all finished second in their respective leagues this season. They had something else in common - multiple players receiving All-CIF Southern Section recognition. After turning in quality seasons, 12 local players were bestowed with All-CIF accolades on Monday. The CIF Southern Section office unveiled the first teams for all seven divisions. Leading the way was Flintridge Prep, which had five players selected.