Falcons

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.

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.

LA CRESCENTA - For the first time, the Crescenta Valley High Varsity Boys' Volleyball Tournament expanded to include 20 teams in its 12th year. The Falcons will have to wait to at least one more year to add another first to their tournament - their first championship after going 1-2 in pool play Friday, the first day of the annual tournament. “We've never won this tournament - never,” Crescenta Valley Coach John Nelson said. “It kills me, but that's because we always have good teams here; it's just competitive.” Teams from as nearby as La Cañada and far away as San Diego came to Crescenta Valley for the tournament, which was bumped up from 16 to 20 squads this year.

GLENDALE - It was an opportune inning for one team as it was grueling for the other. One team's patience at the plate was the other's pitching hardships. The inning was the first of six in a shortened Pacific League ballgame between Crescenta Valley High and Hoover - a frame in which the Falcons loaded the bases three times and scored four runs all on a single hit. The Falcons capitalized on six walks and sustained the tone throughout the contest to defeat the Tornadoes, 11-1, Friday evening at Stengel Field.

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 - Its first game against Hoover High this season was a close contest. Too close for the Crescenta Valley High softball team. The Falcons needed a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning to break a tie and defeat the Tornadoes in March. PHOTOS: Crescenta Valley vs. Hoover girls' softball Less than a month later, the Falcons made sure to jump ahead early instead of allowing the Tornadoes to take a lead like they did the first time. Crescenta Valley scored three runs in the third inning, but it was still close, as the Falcons withstood Tornadoes threats in the fourth and seventh innings en route to a 4-1 victory Thursday at Hoover.

ARCADIA - Each year the Crescenta Valley High swim teams look forward to their dual meet with Pacific League rival Arcadia. While the Falcons can usually count on the Apaches giving them their stiffest competition in league, it's not to say it's dramatic. Crescenta Valley dominated on both sides in its league dual meet finale Tuesday at Arcadia, as the Falcons boys and girls posted 114-56 and 119-51 victories, respectively. “There's that ongoing rivalry, Arcadia is still a quality team,” Crescenta Valley boys' Coach Jan Sakonju said.

Elissa Arnold, Junior, Crescenta Valley Scored 80 goals, while adding 72 steals and 38 assists during Falcons' title run en route to earning first-team All-Pacific League and All-CIF honors. Katie Benson, Senior, Crescenta Valley Phenomenal defender grabbed 93 steals and was a first-teamer on All-Pacific and All-CIF squads. Also had 55 goals and 42 assists. Ahsha Earwood, Senior, Burroughs First-team All-Pacific League pick kept Indians in every match and led them to second-place league finish and first-round playoff appearance in which she had 21 saves.

Roughly five years ago, Gabriel Isacson decided she would give water polo a shot. Five years later, on a team rife with talent, the unassuming Isacson, perhaps overlooked throughout much of this past season, stepped up and shined on the biggest stage that the Crescenta Valley High girls' water polo program has ever been upon. For a program that began under the guise of Peter Kim and Pete Loporchio in the 1996-97 season, Falcons girls' water polo built a tradition of Pacific League titles and lengthy CIF Southern Section postseason runs.

GLENDALE - It was a night of missed chances for the Crescenta Valley High baseball team Friday night. Trailing Arcadia by a run heading into their final at-bats, the Falcons put the tying and winning run on base but ground into a game-ending, 6-4-3 double play. It allowed the Apaches to walk away with a 3-2 Pacific League win. “We gave ourselves chances in the last two innings, you know,” Crescenta Valley Coach Phil Torres said, “and [we] hit it right on the nose to end the game, but hit it right where the shortstop was standing.