Rebels

LA CRESCENTA - For a while, it appeared as though the St. Francis High and Flintridge Prep boys' basketball teams would be locked into a tight contest. Then, that scenario quickly vanished thanks to a huge offensive display put on by the Golden Knights. Zack Gardea finished with 30 points and Emerson Castaneda added 19 on Tuesday afternoon to spark St. Francis to a 68-42 pool-play victory against neighbor Flintridge Prep in a pool-play game of the Falcon Classic at Crescenta Valley High.

LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE — At the pace Flintridge Prep pitcher Denise van der Goot began Tuesday's nonleague softball game against visiting Glendale, she seemed intent on getting through the afternoon without letting the Nitros put a ball in play. But, with her pitch count rising after striking out the side in the first three innings, van der Goot began to rely on her defense over the latter half of the Rebels' 4-0 win that saw Prep strike for two runs in the first inning and two more in the sixth.

BURBANK — With Prep League play set to begin next month, Flintridge Prep girls' basketball Coach Todd Frost is looking for continued development until then. Frost saw some progress made Tuesday afternoon, but a last-second shot sank the Rebels and left him with mixed emotions. "It's December and we are still learning stuff," Frost said after Flintridge Prep suffered a 37-36 loss to Pilibos in a consolation quarterfinal game of the 15th annual Pioneer Shootout at Providence High.

BURBANK - Some coaches in the same league aren't proponents of playing against each other before league begins. Count Flintridge Prep girls' Coach Todd Frost and Mayfield's Kevin Yamamoto in that group. Be that as it may, the Flintridge Prep and Mayfield girls' basketball teams, who are members of the Prep League, found themselves pitted against each other Wednesday in a consolation game of the 15th annual Pioneer Shootout at Providence High. Behind some clutch fourth-quarter shooting from Erika Lin, Mayfield posted a 36-30 victory against Flintridge Prep.

It took only one season for the Flintridge Prep boys' cross-country team to reclaim its spot atop the Prep League and continue on for its traditional trip into the top-five echelon of the CIF-State Division V hierarchy. After a 16-year Prep League title run ended for the Rebels in 2009, the 2010 Rebels reclaimed their top spot and moved on to finish fourth in the state championships. While longtime Prep Coach Ingrid Herskind graduated four of her top seven runners, the Rebels hardly seem ready to do anything less than continue their glowing tradition.

CHINO HILLS — Even with a complete roster, the Flintridge Prep girls' soccer team would have had its work cut out trying to outplay No. 1-seed Ayala for 80 minutes, but the fact that the full-strength Rebels came 60 seconds away from going into halftime with a lead showed they at least had a chance. Without the services of star forward Brook Elby for the final 44 minutes of Thursday's match at Ayala, that chance essentially disappeared. The Bulldogs rallied for three straight goals within a 19-minute span following Elby's hip injury and subsequent departure via ambulance near the end of the first half and ended the Rebels' landmark season with a 3-1 loss in the quarterfinal round of the CIF Southern Section Division III playoffs.

LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE - With a team filled with six freshmen and four sophomores, games like Tuesday's Prep League contest against Rio Hondo Prep are bound to happen to the Flintridge Prep softball team. The Rebels struggled on the field and at the plate, committing nine errors and stranding five runners in a 9-2 home setback that kept Prep winless on the season at 0-11, 0-4 in league. "There are definitely some things we need to work on," Prep Coach Julie Jamie said. "It comes with time and experience.

One sign of a complete player is consistently getting it done on both ends of the court. In the case of the Flintridge Prep boys' basketball team, it's got that type of playmaker in senior forward Jared Norsworthy. Norsworthy, a senior forward, will gladly accept any assignment given to him by Flintridge Prep Coach Garrett Ohara. Norsworthy has provided the Rebels with an added dimension in their quest to win the program's first CIF championship. He's been a steady force throughout the postseason for the top-seeded Rebels, who will meet third-seeded Muir in the CIF Southern Section Division V-AA championship game at 6 p.m. today at Mater Dei High's Meruelo Athletic Center.

NORTHEAST GLENDALE — Recording a hat trick wasn't something Cole Rademacher had expected to happen. Thus, it's something the Flintridge Prep boys' soccer player won't soon forget. It might also serve as a barometer toward future success for him and the Rebels. Rademacher recorded his first career had trick Tuesday afternoon to help spark Flintridge Prep to a 7-1 Prep League victory against Rio Hondo Prep at the Glendale Sports Complex. Flintridge Prep (4-6-2, 1-1 in league)

GLENDALE — As the No. 1 seed in the CIF Southern Section Division 5-AA playoffs, the Flintridge Prep boys' basketball team could be widely considered to be the favorite going up against Muir in the division championship game today at 6 p.m. at Mater Dei High. With the division's most dominant big man in Kenyatta Smith leading the charge, the Rebels haven't come close to losing a game over their current postseason run, which has the program on the threshold of its first-ever CIF title.