Polo

GLENDALE — The Glendale High girls' water polo team is the last area team standing. And as upsets continue to pile up, the Nitros find themselves headed into unchartered waters. Glendale will look for its next upset when it meets Rio Mesa in a CIF Southern Section Division IV quarterfinal match at 5 p.m. today at Burbank High. The Nitros (15-13) are the lone team from the Pacific League left in the playoffs, something that didn't figure to be the case during the regular season.

The Falcons of Crescenta Valley High School traveled to Flintridge Prep for a Mid-Valley Summer League Division I water polo match-up on July 26, against their rival, Glendale High School Nitros. Glendale beat Crescenta Valley 9-7, a week after the two schools met in Burbank. In a game that saw limited offense from the get-go, Glendale scored the only two goals in the first quarter, and both teams scored seven goals apiece the rest of the way to round out the final score. During a lackluster first quarter, Crescenta Valley was unable to get any looks on goal due to ineffective passing.

BURBANK — Following a one-year hiatus from the top of the Pacific League, the Crescenta Valley High boys’ water polo team found its way back to its accustomed spot. Little clicked for the Falcons last year, who took third in league following four first-place finishes in a row. With added depth, maturity and a reliable scoring attack, things changed in a hurry this season for the Falcons. Nelson White scored a match-high six goals and Alan Dearman added four on Thursday night to carry top-seeded Crescenta Valley to a 14-8 victory against second-seeded Glendale in the league’s championship match at Burbank.

Glendale-CV girls' water polo.Water polo: Falcon girls top Glendale, 11-4, to win third consecutive Pacific League championship.ARCADIA -- A check of the final statistics revealed that the Crescenta Valley High girls' water polo team recorded 31 steals. That didn't surprise senior driver Kristin McLaughlin, who had nine to carry the Falcons in an 11-4 victory against Glendale in the championship match of the Pacific League Tournament at Arcadia High on Thursday. "We are our own support system," said McLaughlin, who also finished with five goals to help Crescenta Valley win its third consecutive league crown and seventh since the program formed in 1997.

Jessica Trimis, a graduate of Crescenta Valley High, is one of 10 Bucknell College women water polo players to achieve academic recognition. The 10 players were named to the Collegiate Water Polo Association All-Academic Team for earning cumulative grade point averages of at least 3.20. In addition, Trimis was among six of the players who were named to the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches All-Academic Team. As a team, the Bison were honored by both organizations for its 3.18 GPA. Trimis, who is in her junior year, was among four players in the "Superior Achievement" category as she was recognized for the second straight year.

The Crescenta Valley boys' varsity water polo team, which trying to win its third consecutive Pacific League title, held off fourth-seeded Pasadena, 13-10, in the league preliminaries at Arcadia High on Tuesday. The first-seeded Falcons, who have a 6-0 mark in league and are 16-7 overall, played second-seeded Arcadia in the league finals on Wednesday at Arcadia High. Results were not available at press time. The Apaches beat third-seeded Hoover, 13-9, in the preliminaries on Tuesday.

Crescenta Valley boys? water polo rebounded from a frustrating second quarter, as they defeated Burbank in a varsity league match-up in La Crescenta on Tuesday. The Falcons scored 10 consecutive goals in the second half to finish off the Bulldogs, 15-6. After a quick 4-0 start, the Falcons hit icy waters as they failed to score a goal in the final eight minutes of the first half. The Falcons were timid and frustrated after Mason Takidin was ejected after scoring a goal in the first quarter.

The Crescenta Valley boys' varsity water polo team, which is ranked first in Division VI in the CIF Southern Section coaches' polls, defeated Anaheim Loara, 14-5, at Burbank High on Tuesday in the first round of the CIF playoffs. The Falcons, who improved to 19-9, will next play Anaheim Western, which won the Orange League, tomorrow (Saturday) in second round action. CV's Jin Kim led all scores with five goals. Teammate Mason Hawthorne was next with three goals. Andrew Martinez finished with two goals and adding one each were Joe Park and goalie Sam Blum who also had 15 saves.

Santa Monica edged the Crescenta Valley boys' varsity water polo team, 9-8, last Saturday for fifth place in the two-day South Bay Tournament at Mira Costa High. Earlier in the tournament, the Falcons had defeated a Peninsula "B" team, 13-0, and lost to Palos Verdes, 13-8. CV hosted Hoover in a Pacific League match on Wednesday, but no results were available at press time. The Falcons will participate in the North Orange County Tournament on Monday and next Friday while traveling to Glendale for a league match in between on Wednesday.

The Crescenta Valley boys' varsity water polo team outlasted Thousand Oaks, 11-10, earlier this month to finish in third place in the Conejo Valley Tournament. In the first game of the tournament, the Falcons beat Newbury Park, 10-5. CV continued its winning ways with a 13-10 victory over Oxnard. Crescenta Valley next pounded Cabrillo, 11-3, but lost its following game to Moorpark, 10-6, before playing Thousand Oaks in the third place matchup In a later contest, CV was defeated by Whittier, 18-16, in a nonleague shootout on Sept.

When it came to the Pacific League, the Crescenta Valley High girls' water polo team was peerless to the point of perfection. While they were tested, the Falcons were never toppled, en route to finishing 8-0 in league and capturing their third straight outright title. The Falcons' overwhelming success in league led to a slew of all-league awards, as voted on by the league's coaches, including Pacific League Player of the Year honors for senior driver Sabrina Hatzer and a coach of the year nod for Pete Loporchio.

Whether in the cage or in the field, the Crescenta Valley High girls' water polo team found strength at just about every position, with its balanced talent delivering the Falcons plenty of victories and a trip to the CIF Southern Section Division V semifinals for the second season in a row. With senior attacker Sabrina Hatzer scoring goals and junior goalkeeper Gabriel Isacson blocking shots, the Falcons went 31-1. Their work didn't go undetected throughout the season and playoffs, as Hatzer and Isacson were bestowed with All-CIF Division V first-team honors Monday after the CIF Southern Section office unveiled the first teams for all seven divisions.

With four All-CIF honorees at the core of a large group of players returning this season, the defending champion Temescal Canyon High girls' water polo team likely didn't shock anyone by once again making it to the final four of the CIF Southern Section Division V finals. What may be slightly more surprising is that for the second year in a row, the second-seeded Titans will be matched up against Crescenta Valley in the semifinals at 6 p.m. tonight at Mount San Antonio College. The Falcons lost their CIF first-team tandem of Kim Fraisse and Adrienne Ingalla, as well as second-teamer Christine Cho, to graduation and yet have arrived at tonight's rematch as the No. 3 seed sporting a perfect 31-0 record.

SOUTH PASADENA - All the Crescenta Valley High girls' water polo team did during the regular season was win. It seemed to come second nature to the Falcons on Wednesday in the first game of their second season - the CIF Southern Section Division V playoffs. An unstoppable array of scorers and an unrelenting defense carried third-seeded Crescenta Valley to a 19-6 win over Fontana in the first round at South Pasadena High, where the Falcons (30-0) got all they needed to hear from Coach Pete Loporchio in an early first-quarter timeout.

Playing under an unrelenting rain and against a physically dominant opponent, the Glendale High's girls' water polo team saw an already arduous task grow even tougher. Facing the No. 2 seed in the CIF Southern Section Division V first round, the Nitros fell behind quickly and never recovered against host and favorite Temescal Canyon, 17-3, on Wednesday evening. "They just got a really quick lead," said Glendale Coach Forest Holbrook, "and made it tough on us by playing a really strong and physical game.

The following are previews of today's playoff contests featuring local teams. GIRLS' WATER POLO Fontana vs. Crescenta Valley, 3 p.m. at South Pasadena High: After winning the Pacific League championship for the third straight season, the unbeaten and third-seeded Falcons (29-0) will begin the CIF Southern Section Division V playoffs with a first-round match against Fontana. Fontana is 15-11 and placed third in the Citrus Valley League. The Falcons, who reached the semifinals last season, are coming off an 8-6 win against Burroughs in the league's tournament championship on Thursday.

BURBANK - If the members of the Crescenta Valley High girls' water polo team expected the Pacific League tournament championship game on Thursday to be another easy win over Burroughs, they were dead wrong. That much was evident by the end of the first quarter, which Burroughs dominated, and by the time the fourth quarter rolled around with Crescenta Valley still trailing by a goal, the Falcons were very much in a fight to keep the Indians' hands off of their league title. "Certainly, being in that position, they came out very inspired to play," Falcons Coach Pete Loporchio said.

BURBANK - The battle for third place in the Pacific League tightened up in the third quarter, when the Glendale High girls' water polo team's offense finally showed up. The Nitros made a game of it with a second-half resurgence, but Pasadena made a fourth-quarter stand to claim a 6-5 win Thursday in the league championship tournament at Burbank High. “We just really emphasized the defense that we still had to run and take our time and use the clock on offense,” said Pasadena Coach Jennie Jacobsen-Huse, whose defense held the Nitros without a goal and to just one shot over the final 2:16 of the game to preserve a one-goal lead.

BURBANK - The battle for third place in the Pacific League tightened up in the third quarter, when the Glendale High girls' water polo team's offense finally showed up. The Nitros made a game of it with a second-half resurgence, but Pasadena made a fourth-quarter stand to claim a 6-5 win Thursday in the league championship tournament at Burbank High. "We just really emphasized the defense that we still had to run and take our time and use the clock on offense," said Pasadena Coach Jennie Jacobsen-Huse, whose defense held the Nitros without a goal and to just one shot over the final 2:16 of the game to preserve a one-goal lead.

BURBANK - Even though the Crescenta Valley High girls' water polo team had beaten Glendale the first time the teams met, Shannon Hovanesian believed the Falcons could improve in a specific facet of their game - passing. Throughout Tuesday night's semifinal match against rival Glendale in the Pacific League Tournament at Burbank High, Hovanesian and the Falcons made plenty of crisp passes that played a role in keeping the team undefeated and clinching them a share of their third league championship in a row. "Our passing was a lot better today then from the first time we played them," said Hovanesian, who scored a match-high four goals to power Crescenta Valley to a 15-2 victory.