Mustangs

Hamlet Nalbandyan LOS ANGELES -- The Village Christian School girls' volleyball team had some demons to exorcise Tuesday against Marlborough School in a nonleague match on the road. The Mustangs had knocked the Crusaders out of the last two postseasons, but Schnobrich's squad would have none of that this time. Village Christian started slowly but made the right adjustments to roll by Marlborough, 13-15, 15-11, 15-8, 15-9. Senior outside hitter Maria Abaca led the way for Village Christian with 15 kills, 23 digs and three aces.

SOUTHEAST GLENDALE — Some speed on both sides of the ball would have been a great help. If the Hoover High football team had anything similar to the speed of Muir, then Thursday night’s Pacific League matchup might have been a closer contest. Instead, Muir used its speed to sprint to a 48-0 win against Hoover at Glendale High’s Moyse Field. “They have fast guys, and a lotof them,” said Hoover Coach Dennis Hughes, whose team suffered its first shutout this season.

PASADENA ? It hasn?t happened often this season, and perhaps only a handful of times over the past several years. In three straight runs to the final of the CIF playoffs, the Renaissance Academy basketball team has rarely faced an opponent and seen a bigger, better, more poised team staring back. But, that?s what happened on Friday when the Wildcats faced Hemet West Valley High in the Southern Section Division III-A semifinals at Blair, and at this point in the season, it only takes one such encounter to send a once-promising title run to a premature demise.

Mirjam Swanson MOYSE FIELD -- Glendale High football Coach Loi Phan worked out a game plan with his players before their 54-3 loss to Muir Friday night at Moyse Field. "Our game plan was to hold the ball for as long as possible, to run time off the clock," Phan said. "And we did a good job of that, especially in the beginning." His Nitros (0-6, 0-1 in Pacific League) did execute the hold-the-ball part of the plan well, starting the game with a 16-play drive and running 18 more offensive plays than the Mustangs' 47 offensive snaps.

What was supposed to be a hard count, turned out to be an awfully hard way to lose for the Newport Harbor High football team Friday night. But the Sailors didn't go down without first finding a miraculous way to push visiting Mira Costa into overtime as the Mustangs came away with a 23-20 nonleague triumph. Newport Harbor went 84 yards on 12 plays after falling behind, 20-12, with 3:05 left to tie the game in dramatic fashion. Tom Jackson's pass went into and out of the hands of Mira Costa defender Kevin Romero at the Mustangs' 5-yard line, and Jarrett Daniel hauled it in and ran into the end zone.

While significant tests await the next two weeks against Troy High and Back Bay rival Newport Harbor, the Corona del Mar football team enjoyed a virtual free period Friday night against visiting Costa Mesa at Newport Harbor High. After two punts in their first three possessions, the Sea Kings scored on their next five possessions on their way to a 37-7 nonleague triumph over a depleted Mustangs squad. Costa Mesa played without senior quarterback Ryan French, who is sidelined indefinitely by a shoulder injury sustained in a 30-0 season-opening loss to Brea Olinda.

Improving to 3-0 in league and evening their overall record at 4-4, CV has two games remaining in the regular season, Hoover at home tonight (Friday) at 7 and at Arcadia next Friday night. A victory in either one of the games should get them into the CIF playoffs and winning both games could also earn them at least a tie for the league championship. The win was the Falcons' first at Muir in program history, and it could not have come at a better time. CV head coach Alan Eberhart had a smile after the game that explained how big the win was. "We won this game and it feels really good.

GLENDALE ? From the season?s beginning, the Wildcats of Renaissance Academy have never hesitated to state that winning an all-too elusive CIF title was, indeed, their year?s goal. Now, they find themselves only two victories away from accomplishing it. Tonight, Renaissance hosts visiting West Valley at 7:30 at Blair High in a CIF Southern Section Division III-A semifinal. The only hiccup thus far for the top-seeded Wildcats in the postseason has been they?re not playing who they thought they?

B.P. Perez GLENDALE HIGH -- It was a good day for Glendale's starting pitchers to take the day off, especially since No. 3 pitcher Kevin (Happy) Hickcox filled in nicely and pitched his first no-hitter as the Nitros rolled over Muir High, 10-0, in a Pacific League baseball game. In only his second appearance on the mound, Hickcox completed five solid innings, walking only two batters and striking out three. "We look for a third guy to fill in for our No. 1 starter when he's hurt," said Nitro Coach Jay Chadwick.