El Rancho

LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE — Recently tabbed the No. 1 team in the CIF Southern Section Western Division, St. Francis High’s football team certainly showcased its talents and flexed its might on Thursday night. Led by three rushing scores from senior running back Dietrich Riley, St. Francis overwhelmed visiting El Rancho, 42-7, at Friedman Field in a nonleague contest. “We’re 5-0, it sounds good to say that,” said Riley, who ran for 109 yards in 13 carries and had touchdown runs of 10, two and five yards in keeping his team undefeated.

Deitrich Riley stood on the sidelines, wearing street clothes and a smile. While St. Francis? opponents would generally welcome that sight on a Friday evening, the Golden Knights believe they have enough weapons to win when the junior running back is not even in uniform. After the Golden Knights (5-0) defeated El Rancho (2-3), 45-7, in Pico Rivera on Friday, the Dons are certainly believers, too. ?There?s been a lot said that all this team has is Deitrich Riley,? St. Francis head coach Jim Bonds said.

DOWNEY - With exactly half of the Crescenta Valley High boys' soccer team's 26 matches this season prior to Friday ending in shutouts staged by its defense, blanking opponents is just as often the norm for CV as anything else. There was nothing run of the mill or ordinary, of course, about the Falcons' opponent Friday night - undefeated, nationally ranked powerhouse El Rancho - nor the CIF championship stage on which the teams met. The Falcons just made it seem that way. A defensive effort that was nothing short of spectacular made first-half goals by Alex Berger and Eric Keshishian seem like a mountain of a lead, which the Dons spent the second half of the CIF Southern Section Division IV title game scrambling to scale only to be knocked down for good by Pavle Atanackovic's dagger in the 75th minute that accounted for the 3-0 final score.

Boys' varsity basketball - Friday, Dec. 10 - Saugus High at home at 7:30 p.m.; Wednesday-Friday, Dec. 15-17 - Oak Park High Tournament there. . . Boys' varsity soccer - Friday/Saturday and Monday, Dec. 10-11 and 13 - Burroughs High Tournament there; Tuesday - Friday, Dec. 14-17 - La Cañada High Tournament there. . . Girls' varsity basketball - Friday, Dec. 10 - Canyon at home at 6 p.m.; Friday/Saturday and Tuesday-Thursday, Dec, 17/18 and 21-23, Simi Valley High Tournament there.

The Crescenta Valley girls' varsity water polo team upped its overall record to 8-2 with an 11-4 victory over visiting Burbank on Jan. 5. The Falcons were led by Kristin McLaughlin who scored a match-high four goals and also had two assists. Teammate Minah Kim added three goals and two assists and Ashley Maters contributed two goals. In the final preseason Top 10 poll conducted by the CIF-Southern Section Girls' Water Polo Advisory Committee, Crescenta Valley tied for fourth place along with El Rancho in Division III. In the same division, La Cañada was picked 10th.

TODAY BOYS' BASKETBALL Hoover vs. Gabrielino in Alhambra Tournament, 3 p.m. La Salle at La Canada, 7 p.m. GIRLS' BASKETBALL Holy Family at Granada Hills Hillcrest Christian, 3:15 p.m. Scott Academy at Glendale Adventist, 4 p.m. La Canada at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, 7 p.m. BOYS' SOCCER Crescenta Valley vs. Lancaster in La Canada Holiday Classic at La Canada High, 4:30 p.m. ...

PICO RIVERA — At the halfway point of the season, there is no need to complain. For starters, the St. Francis High football team has already eclipsed its win total from a year ago. Even better for the Golden Knights, they remain undefeated. St. Francis received a pair of touchdown receptions from wide receiver Malik Speed on Friday to pick up a 45-7 nonleague victory against El Rancho. The Golden Knights (5-0) led throughout the contest against a tattered El Rancho team that dropped to 2-3. St. Francis, ranked fifth in the CIF Southern Section Western Division, scored on all four of its first-quarter possessions.

The members of the Crescenta Valley High boys' soccer team understand what it takes to beat a top seed. The Falcons accomplished the feat when they defeated top-seeded El Rancho to win the CIF Southern Section Division IV championship - a team that was also ranked among the top five in the nation by ESPN High School. Crescenta Valley will get another crack at a No. 1 team when it meets Long Beach Millikan in a Southern California Regional Division I semifinal road match at 4 p.m. today.

Hamlet Nalbandyan Contrary to what many might have thought, the La Canada High boys' water polo team is doing just fine. It didn't appear that way after a humiliating and humbling setback in the regular-season finale, but as the first two rounds of the CIF Southern Section Division III playoffs have indicated, Larry Naeve's squad is still a force to be reckoned with. La Canada easily advanced to the semifinals after Saturday's 15-10 quarterfinal victory against visiting El Rancho at Pasadena City College, setting up another showdown with the division's No. 3 seed Mira Costa -- a team the No. 2-seeded Spartans defeated, 5-4, earlier this season -- on Wednesday.

GLENDALE — From an opening week contest at Arcadia to a Mission League and regular season finale on the road against Chaminade, the 2009 St. Francis High football schedule is the same as the season prior with the exception of the annual Mission League-Serra League two-game series. That will all change in 2010, however, when St. Francis, St. Paul and Chaminade bid farewell to Alemany and welcome Serra, Cathedral and Harvard-Westlake into the league schedule. But for the immediate season ahead, everything is very familiar, including the Golden Knights’ onus on finding themselves healthy and ready to contend for a league title when the eighth week of the season roles around.

WRESTLING Hoover in CIF Southern Section Eastern Division Individual Championships : Both Arthur Ghukasyan and Gio Martinez advanced to the second day of the elite tournament Friday at Oak Hills High. “They both wrestled really well. ... It's a first step,” Hoover Coach Mark Bitetti said. “They've got to win two tomorrow to be in medal contention, so they can't really lose their first match tomorrow.” Ghukasyan, a 145-pounder, came out strong in his first two matches.

The following are playoff previews of Friday's events involving local teams. BOYS' SOCCER Crescenta Valley at Placentia Valencia, 5 p.m. : After winning the CIF Southern Section Division IV championship last season, the Falcons will try to win a Division III title. Crescenta Valley is 20-3-7 after taking second in the Pacific League. Valencia, which finished second in the Empire League, is 15-5-5. The winner of the Crescenta Valley-Placentia Valencia match will meet Century or Murrieta Valley in a second-round match Wednesday.

The members of the Crescenta Valley High boys' soccer team understand what it takes to beat a top seed. The Falcons accomplished the feat when they defeated top-seeded El Rancho to win the CIF Southern Section Division IV championship - a team that was also ranked among the top five in the nation by ESPN High School. Crescenta Valley will get another crack at a No. 1 team when it meets Long Beach Millikan in a Southern California Regional Division I semifinal road match at 4 p.m. today.

DOWNEY - With exactly half of the Crescenta Valley High boys' soccer team's 26 matches this season prior to Friday ending in shutouts staged by its defense, blanking opponents is just as often the norm for CV as anything else. There was nothing run of the mill or ordinary, of course, about the Falcons' opponent Friday night - undefeated, nationally ranked powerhouse El Rancho - nor the CIF championship stage on which the teams met. The Falcons just made it seem that way. A defensive effort that was nothing short of spectacular made first-half goals by Alex Berger and Eric Keshishian seem like a mountain of a lead, which the Dons spent the second half of the CIF Southern Section Division IV title game scrambling to scale only to be knocked down for good by Pavle Atanackovic's dagger in the 75th minute that accounted for the 3-0 final score.

LA CRESCENTA — In making its deepest playoff run in program history, the Crescenta Valley High boys' soccer team did so by catching a few breaks. On Friday afternoon, in the middle of a steady downpour, the breaks went against the Falcons. From a slick field to an own goal to a red card that resulted in the Falcons playing more than half of their CIF Southern Section Division IV quarterfinal match shorthanded, their luck ran out. Crescenta Valley saw its season come to a close with a 3-1 loss to second-seeded El Rancho.

“Who hasn’t played yet?” — Joe Monarrez St. Francis assistant during last week’s blowout   With a dominant three-touchdown performance to speak of and the likes of Notre Dame and USC personnel, including Trojans Coach Pete Carroll, there to see him put on a show, St. Francis High standout Dietrich Riley was most excited about the fact that everyone got to play. Riley’s name has likely appeared in newspaper articles more times than some of his teammates have tallied snaps on the field.

LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE — Recently tabbed the No. 1 team in the CIF Southern Section Western Division, St. Francis High’s football team certainly showcased its talents and flexed its might on Thursday night. Led by three rushing scores from senior running back Dietrich Riley, St. Francis overwhelmed visiting El Rancho, 42-7, at Friedman Field in a nonleague contest. “We’re 5-0, it sounds good to say that,” said Riley, who ran for 109 yards in 13 carries and had touchdown runs of 10, two and five yards in keeping his team undefeated.

LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE — Shortly after last season concluded, Justin Posthuma found himself seeking advice. The St. Francis High quarterback often appeared in Coach Jim Bonds’ office ready to soak up any information about the art of signal calling. Posthuma had an inkling that he might be the next starting quarterback for St. Francis. He also knew that Bonds would be a suitable mentor, as Bonds was a former quarterback at Hart High and UCLA. Those visits have paid immediate dividends for Posthuma.

GLENDALE — From an opening week contest at Arcadia to a Mission League and regular season finale on the road against Chaminade, the 2009 St. Francis High football schedule is the same as the season prior with the exception of the annual Mission League-Serra League two-game series. That will all change in 2010, however, when St. Francis, St. Paul and Chaminade bid farewell to Alemany and welcome Serra, Cathedral and Harvard-Westlake into the league schedule. But for the immediate season ahead, everything is very familiar, including the Golden Knights’ onus on finding themselves healthy and ready to contend for a league title when the eighth week of the season roles around.

Deitrich Riley stood on the sidelines, wearing street clothes and a smile. While St. Francis? opponents would generally welcome that sight on a Friday evening, the Golden Knights believe they have enough weapons to win when the junior running back is not even in uniform. After the Golden Knights (5-0) defeated El Rancho (2-3), 45-7, in Pico Rivera on Friday, the Dons are certainly believers, too. ?There?s been a lot said that all this team has is Deitrich Riley,? St. Francis head coach Jim Bonds said.