Harvard Westlake

LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE — Even in Mission League competition, the breaks aren’t going the way the members of the St. Francis High soccer team would like. Factor that in with a lack of offensive production and the Golden Knights find themselves in the unusual position of having a losing record in the second month of the season. St. Francis kicked off the league portion of its schedule Wednesday night with a 2-0 home loss against Harvard-Westlake in the league opener for both teams at Friedman Field.

LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE — Competing against juniors and seniors can sometimes bring out the best in a freshman. Drew Washington, a first-year athlete on the Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy track and field squad, couldn’t have picked a better time to realize that than while competing against one of the top teams in the Mission League. Washington picked up a personal-best time in a running event, helped her team win a relay and took second in a field event in Flintridge Sacred Heart’s 81-46 loss to powerful Harvard-Westlake on Thursday afternoon at St. Francis High’s Friedman Field.

NORTH HOLLYWOOD — While the intimidating confines of the Harvard-Westlake gymnasium have never been a favorite venue of the Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy volleyball team over the years, the youthful Tologs team that challenged the Mission League-champion Wolverines on Tuesday night found the environment particularly unsettling. Sacred Heart had no fear of Harvard-Westlake early, holding a lead late into the first game. But once the Wolverines got comfortable and turned things decisively in their favor midway through the second game it wasn’t long before they were able to lay claim to a 25-21, 25-17, 25-14 victory.

LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE — There would likely be nothing sweeter for the Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy girls’ volleyball team than to exact some revenge on the Harvard-Westlake squad that foiled it at every turn during its championship-or-bust 2007 campaign. With the 2008 Wolverines looking every bit as strong as the version that edged the Tologs for the Mission League and CIF Southern Section Division I-A titles a season ago, that simply may not happen this year. It didn’t come close to happening on Tuesday night, as the Tologs fell to the Wolverines, 25-22, 25-15, 25-20, at Sacred Heart.

SOUTHEAST GLENDALE — There was little for the Glendale High softball team to enjoy about its home doubleheader against Harvard-Westlake on Saturday, which resulted in 10-1 and 8-2 losses for the Nitros and dropped them to 0-3 to begin the season. Second-year Glendale Coach Christine Paknik can only hope that the rough outings, in which the team struck out a combined 31 times, can serve to strengthen her squad going forward. “It was good experience, but a dismal performance,” Paknik said.

NORTH HOLLYWOOD — Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy standout Andrea Kropp hesitated briefly before smiling and simply stating, "It's great." Only 13 years old, Kropp's lifetime and the Harvard-Westlake girls' swimming team's dominance of the Mission League have gone on for just about as long. That changed Thursday afternoon. Junior Tologs swimmer Beth Strub described the afternoon's aftermath as, "very good" and, "cool." Longtime Tologs Coach Garry Appel added, "It's tremendous."

LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE ? It's likely there will be a new team atop the CIF Southern Section Division I-A girls' volleyball rankings next week. The Los Alamitos-based CIF office will have plenty to consider ? especially as to who will be the No. 1 team. Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy made a strong case for itself Wednesday after it turned aside top-ranked Harvard-Westlake, 25-21, 19-25, 25-22, 25-19 in a key Mission League home match. The Tologs, who entered the week ranked third, got splendid efforts from junior outside hitter Katie Condon and junior setter Sam Orlandini.

LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE - There isn't a sense of panic surrounding the Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy volleyball team. Not after splitting its first two Mission League matches. However, Flintridge Sacred Heart first-year Coach Ernest Banaag said there might be some tinkering with the lineup. “Right now, we are inexperienced,” Banaag said after Harvard-Westlake recorded a 25-17, 25-7, 25-13 against host Flintridge Sacred Heart on Tuesday night. “You can sit hear and nitpick, yell and scream, but we will get back at it and make some adjustments.

GLENDALE — A familiar situation faces the St. Francis High football team this week. Just as was the case in the two weeks prior, the Golden Knights find themselves facing a Mission League foe with a victory needed to assure itself an automatic playoff berth. And just as was the case two seasons ago, St. Francis finds itself needing a win over a league-winless opponent to clinch. But two seasons ago, the Golden Knights fell short. And last week, the Golden Knights survived a scare in a 28-21 win over Cathedral.

LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE - In front of a jampacked homecoming faithful, the St. Francis High football team went from disaster to delirium. On the strength of the fortuitous right foot of Billy McCreary, the Golden Knights culminated a 10-point, fourth-quarter comeback to defeat Harvard-Westlake, 23-20, when McCreary booted a 37-yard field goal with two seconds left to lift his team to victory in the Mission League opener for both teams. “We, came away with the victory - and it was amazing,” said McCreary, who also had a game-tying 29-yard kick in the fourth and a 32-yard field goal in the first half before the Wolverines scored 20 straight points to take a 20-10 lead into the fourth quarter.