Liberty League

The Holy Family softball team pulled off a stunning upset in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division VI playoffs. The Gaels defeated host Calabasas Viewpoint, 4-1, on Friday, advancing to the second round, where they'll face another stiff test in Santa Maria Valley Christian Academy, the Coast Valley League champion. Holy Family (12-5) finished runner-up in the Horizon League to Sierra Madre Alverno, but Raymond Rosas' squad had no problem disposing of Liberty League champion Viewpoint (14-5)

BASEBALL Mascot: Pioneers Enrollment: 556 CIF Division: V League: Liberty Last year: 7-11, 3-9 in league League finish: Fourth THE PLAYERS Justin Nepomuceno Andrew Nelson Eddie Kim Corwin Sanchez Jivan Najarian Andrew Fung Ballard Dane Iovino Richard Antalbian Will Slater Chris Rosales Chris Grosjean Shamus...

LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE ? Wins have not come easy for the Flintridge Prep girls' volleyball team this season but the win it acquired on Saturday afternoon was effortless. The Rebels picked up a victory in their final match of the season, a nonleague affair against visiting Oakwood High, by virtue of a forfeit arising from a scheduling glitch. "There was a miscommunication about the start time that led to the forfeit," said Flintridge Prep Athletic Director Alex Rivera, who confirmed the official victory by forfeit Saturday evening.

Jeff Tully Like most of the other baseball coaches in the city, Providence High's Blaine Anderson has been dealing with a soggy problem the past few weeks. "We have really had a tough time with all the rain that we have been having," Anderson said. "It has really hurt us as far as our practices are concerned, and we have been running around to different fields trying to get practices in. "But we have the use of a batting cage this season, and that should help us."

Nick Rondon is a stat guy. A business major in college, he is a whiz when it comes to numbers. As an assistant girls' basketball coach at Providence High, it was right up his alley when Rondon was put in charge of compiling the Pioneers' statistics this past season. It also seems a natural fit that Rondon ? a Providence graduate ? was named the new Pioneer baseball coach and will be able to put his number experience to use in a sport driven by statistics. "I plan to have everything updated and current with the team," Rondon said.

GIRLS' SOCCER Glendale 0, Hoover 0: The cross-town rivals batted to a scoreless tie Tuesday in a Pacific League match at Hoover. Glendale improved to 2-6-4, 1-4-2 in league, while Hoover is 3-5-2, 0-4-2. "We just couldn't get the ball in the net," Glendale Coach Victor Aquino said. "It took time to get used to their field with all the dirt and that kept us down in the first half. "In the second half, we were on them. We just couldn't score. " Hoover Coach Donal Kennedy said the teams were evenly matched in the first of two regular-season meetings.

grantBasketball: CV girls' team avoids upset against Providence after 10-point run to start final period.BURBANK -- Sprinkled amidst the hubbub of Pacific and Liberty League games, Providence and Crescenta Valley high's girls' basketball teams gathered for a nonleague affair Saturday afternoon. The Pioneers were riding a 10-game winning streak and looking to establish themselves against a bigger school, while the Falcons were hoping for a much-needed up-swing. In the end, Crescenta Valley may have just found the positive momentum it so desperately needed, while Providence Coach Andrew Bencze is still unsure of his team's prospects after its 40-33 nonleague loss to the Falcons at Providence High.

LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE — It didn’t take long to figure out who would be victorious when Flintridge Prep hosted Providence on Wednesday night in a first-round playoff game. Flintridge Prep built a 13-point lead at the end of the first quarter that swelled to a 24-point advantage by first half’s end, leading to a lopsided Rebels triumph against the underdog Pioneers. Junior guard Jonathan Woo collected 18 points, four assists and three steals to help Flintridge Prep record an impressive 71-41 victory in a CIF Southern Section Division V-AA contest.

girls' hoopsGirls: La Cañada, Hoover, Flintridge Prep and Glendale Adventist will open postseason in friendly confines.GLENDALE -- The scenic route isn't always the best, especially when it comes to the postseason. For four of the area's six girls' basketball teams that qualified for the CIF Southern Section playoffs, they'll have that luxury. La Cañada, Flintridge Prep, Hoover and Glendale Adventist will all open the postseason at home, while Crescenta Valley and Holy Family will travel.

Hamlet Nalbandyan The CIF selection committee wasn't exactly kind to the local baseball teams. Crescenta Valley, Glendale, La Canada and Flintridge Prep earned berths when the draws were released Monday, but they will each have to travel -- and far. In CV's case, the Falcons weren't done any favors after splitting the Pacific League title with Arcadia on Friday. Phil Torres' squad -- which goes in as the No. 2 seed because the Apaches won two of three meetings -- will have to travel to Citrus Belt League-champion Redlands East Valley (17-8, 11-4 in league)

GLENDALE - The Providence High boys' volleyball team has enjoyed a successful run in the Liberty League, as well as in the CIF Southern Section playoffs, the past few seasons. Last season, the Pioneers placed second in league and just two years they advanced to the CIF Southern Section quarterfinals. PHOTOS: Providence vs. Glendale Adventist Academy boys' volleyball For Glendale Adventist Academy, its program has struggled in recent years and the Cougars haven't qualified for the postseason since 2007.

GLENDALE - Flintridge Prep baseball team welcomed fellow CIF-Southern Section Division VI member Providence to the Glendale Sports Complex for a final nonleague matchup Friday afternoon. The older, more experienced Rebels played strong baseball at the plate and in the field to hold off the younger, greener Pioneers and come away with a convincing 10-1 victory. “I had five starting freshman,” third-year Providence Coach Steve Knez said, “so, I'd say, playing against a squad like that we're moving in the right direction.” Flintridge Prep (6-2)

GLENDALE - After watching the Providence High boys' basketball team shoot, run the floor and defend, Glendale Adventist Academy Coach Marc Gupilan understood why the Pioneers are the top-rated team in CIF Southern Section Division V-A. "They are really disciplined with how they do things and they don't showboat," Gupilan said after Providence recorded a 73-24 Liberty League road win against Glendale Adventist on Thursday night. "They run their plays well and they take a lot of good shots.

NORTHEAST GLENDALE - Throughout most of Thursday's 80-minute Liberty League girls' soccer match between Glendale Adventist Academy and Providence High, Providence enjoyed a major territorial advantage. It also had a significant edge in scoring opportunities. However, the Pioneers couldn't reap the benefit and saw the Cougars take advantage of one of their few chances. Daniece Poblete scored on a rebound off a corner kick in the first half and goalkeeper Victoria Osby made 12 saves to propel Glendale Adventist to a 1-0 victory against Providence at the Glendale Sports Complex.

BURBANK — The Glendale Adventist Academy boys' volleyball team is finding the going a little rough since joining the Liberty League this season. With two losses to start the league campaign, the Cougars faced another tough task in the form of Providence on Tuesday. The Pioneers not only finished second in league last season, but they are also perennial playoff qualifiers and are ranked among the top five in their division. Although Glendale Adventist gave Providence a valiant battle in the first game, the Pioneers stepped up their game after a slow start and were able to earn a 25-19, 25-15, 25-8 victory at home.

NORTHEAST GLENDALE — Literally and figuratively, it was a game that the Providence High girls' soccer team just couldn't lose. Saturday morning's Liberty League opponent Oakwood was short-handed, fielding only seven players, presenting a golden opportunity for Providence to pick up some valuable league points and get closer to realizing its playoff aspirations. The Pioneers took care of business, defeating the Gorillas, 2-0, at the Glendale Sports Complex. "We needed the points to get into playoffs," Providence Coach Kordo Doski said.

GIRLS' SOCCER Glendale 0, Hoover 0: The cross-town rivals batted to a scoreless tie Tuesday in a Pacific League match at Hoover. Glendale improved to 2-6-4, 1-4-2 in league, while Hoover is 3-5-2, 0-4-2. "We just couldn't get the ball in the net," Glendale Coach Victor Aquino said. "It took time to get used to their field with all the dirt and that kept us down in the first half. "In the second half, we were on them. We just couldn't score. " Hoover Coach Donal Kennedy said the teams were evenly matched in the first of two regular-season meetings.

NORTHEAST GLENDALE — During the first month of the season, the members of the Glendale Adventist Academy girls' basketball team have been a reliable second-half team. That wasn't the case Thursday night, when the Cougars couldn't generate any momentum in a Liberty League home game against Providence. Glendale Adventist mustered only 12 second-half points in a 58-28 defeat. Providence (14-5, 3-0 in league) used a man-to-man defensive coverage to blanket the Cougars (3-3, 0-2)

NORTHEAST GLENDALE — Glendale Adventist Academy first-year boys' basketball Coach Sheldon Franklin hadn't heard of Patrick Gonzalez until Thursday night. After watching Gonzalez make an assortment of shots from around the floor, Franklin seemed impressed with the Providence High shooting wiz who came into Thursday's contest averaging 36.6 points per game. "He's deadly from the outside," Sheldon said of Gonzalez, who finished with 43 points to spark visiting Providence to an 85-54 Liberty League road win against Glendale Adventist.

LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE — It didn’t take long to figure out who would be victorious when Flintridge Prep hosted Providence on Wednesday night in a first-round playoff game. Flintridge Prep built a 13-point lead at the end of the first quarter that swelled to a 24-point advantage by first half’s end, leading to a lopsided Rebels triumph against the underdog Pioneers. Junior guard Jonathan Woo collected 18 points, four assists and three steals to help Flintridge Prep record an impressive 71-41 victory in a CIF Southern Section Division V-AA contest.