Field Goal

From Staff Reports Odds and ends from the past week in local high school football: Not getting it done: The Crescenta Valley High football team had several opportunities to score a touchdown -- something the Falcons haven't done in 52 minutes 37 seconds dating back to its season-opening loss to Thousand Oaks -- against St. Francis on Friday night, but weren't able to capitalize. The Falcons (0-2) controlled the ball for 17:47 in the first half, versus the Golden Knights' 6:13, and amassed 240 yards of total offense -- St. Francis had 53 -- but Alan Eberhart's team still trailed, 7-3. CV had nine first downs in the first half, compared to St. Francis' two, but the Golden Knights made the big defensive plays when they had to. Elliot Jones' 78-yard interception return in the second quarter proved to be the difference.

Edgar Melik-Stepanyan NORTHEAST GLENDALE -- Sometimes a coach can only ask for so much. So when the Glendale Community College men's basketball team fell to L.A. Valley, 70-68, on Saturday in a Western State Conference Southern Division game at home, Vaquero Coach Brian Beauchemin wasn't too concerned. The reason being was that the Vaqueros showed a lot of heart, kept their poise in critical situations, and executed a pressing defensive gameplan to near perfection.

Erik Boal SHERMAN OAKS -- St. Francis football Coach Jim Bonds told his players after Friday night's 13-10 loss to host Sherman Oaks Notre Dame that he hoped they had a chance to see their Mission League rival again in the CIF Southern Section Division III playoffs. But for Notre Dame, the division's top-ranked team, even then might be too soon. Bonds' squad outgained its opponent in total offensive yards, 240-191, and moved the ball with consistency and confidence against a defense which had allowed just 43 points in its previous seven games, but fell just short in its upset bid when Nick Folk connected on a 36-yard field goal with 10 seconds remaining.

Edgar Melik-Stepanyan MOYSE FIELD -- Forty eight minutes of hard-hitting, nail-biting and adrenaline-flying action wasn't enough to settle matters between Loyola and Eisenhower highs during Friday's CIF Southern Section Division I semifinal game. Than finally, it all came down to two men. Kicker Nathan Oakes from Loyola and kicker/receiver Michael Hawkins Jr. from Eisenhower. At the end, Oakes held us head up high, while Hawkins Jr. lied down in despair.

Hamlet Nalbandyan When the state's No. 3-and 5-ranked teams face each other, it's almost certain that an epic could be in the making. The 7,000-plus that watched Mater Dei face Loyola at Moyse Field Saturday night witnessed just that. The final score read in the Monarch's favor, 24-21, but the game was much more than just another nonleague affair. It featured CIF Southern Section Division I's No. 2 (Mater Dei) and No-3-ranked teams, two legendary coaches in Mater Dei's Bruce Rollinson and Loyola's Steve Grady, and two possible future Division I standouts in Loyola quarterback Matt Ware (UCLA)

Erik Boal LOS ANGELES -- Verdugo Hills High first-year Coach Darren FitzGerald was right on following his team's 27-7 season-opening loss to L.A. Marshall when he said that his team just didn't have the horses to keep up with its opponent. Marshall ran for 137 yards and passed for 105 more, and held Verdugo Hills to minus-18 yards in 16 carries en route to a convincing win Friday at Boyd Field at L.A. Marshall High. "They're a big, physical team and we just didn't have the depth to keep up with them," FitzGerald said.

Hamlet Nalbandyan PASADENA -- The first-ever CaliFlorida Bowl had everything one would expect of an All-Star football game: Stars, big plays, great performances and an exciting game in front of hoards of screaming fans. And like many All-Star games, it also had turnovers -- lots of them -- penalties, and bad execution thanks to only a week of practice for teams. In the end, California -- which featured Crescenta Valley High's Scott Vossmeyer -- earned the bragging rights for at least a year as it topped Florida, 21-11, in front of 9,200 at the Rose Bowl Saturday night.

Hamlet Nalbandyan o7 Dreams can be made or broken, and legends are born with single moment of brilliance. There are certain instances in sports that are unforgettable for any fan, and the News-Press sports staff was fortunate enough to be a part of the many moments that brightened the 1999-2000 athletic season. Whether it was a game-winning drive during the final seconds, a great second-half comeback or a major upset, the local sports team provided the excitement that filled this paper on a daily basis.