Rebels

LOS ANGELES - A long season filled with excitement and wild success for the Flintridge Prep boys' volleyball team contained none of those elements Saturday evening. The visiting Rebels were simply overmatched versus powerful and clinical Los Angeles Cathedral, as the reigning CIF Southern Section Division IV champions defeated Flintridge Prep, 25-10, 25-14, 25-14 in the divisional quarterfinals. With the win, the top-seeded Phantoms (26-9) move onto next Wednesday's divisional semifinals.

LA CAÑADA - A second-round playoff match is not supposed to be easy, especially after a five-game first-round match. Yet it was for the Flintridge Prep boys' volleyball team on Thursday night. The Rebels didn't face much of a challenge from visiting Salesian, needing just 66 minutes to eliminate the Mustangs with a 25-17, 25-14, 25-18 win in the CIF Southern Section Division IV playoffs. Prep (19-7) will next play top-seeded Cathedral or Katella in Saturday's quarterfinals.

BASEBALL Flintridge Prep wins share of Prep League title: Though Flintridge Prep closed out the regular season with a 10-2 win over Rio Hondo Prep on Wednesday, the Rebels won themselves a share of the Prep League title on Friday afternoon. On the strength of Pasadena Poly defeating Webb Schools, 10-3, on Friday for the second time in as many days, the Panthers forced a three-way tie atop the standings, bestowing the Rebels with a share of their first league title in more than 15 years.

While the Crescenta Valley High boys' swimming team goes into the two-day CIF Southern Section Division II championship meet as the reigning champion, Falcons Coach Jan Sakonju sees his team in a much different light this year. Last season, CV just held off Damien, 301-293, to capture the Division II championship and waiting not much further behind was Los Osos (203). “I don't think [Los Osos is] the main contender, they're the favorite for sure,” said Sakonju, whose team has placed in the top three in Division II the last three years.

LA CAÑADA - Whether it has been playoff basketball or postseason volleyball, the fanatic students at Flintridge Prep have seen their share of memorable contests. They saw another thrilling match Tuesday night when the Prep boys' volleyball team took on Cerritos Whitney in a first-round contest of the CIF Southern Section Division IV playoffs. PHOTOS: Flintridge Prep vs. Whitney CIF Southern Section Division IV playoffs The Rebels took an exciting first game and dropped the next two games by a combined five points before winning the fourth game by three points, setting up a winner-take-all fifth game.

BOYS' TENNIS Walnut 11, Flintridge Prep 7: A small 5-4 edge in singles play was not enough to carry the day for the visiting Rebels, who fell in the wild-card round of the CIF Southern Section Division II playoffs Tuesday afternoon. “We probably should have won two more sets, but I think we still would have lost on games,” Flintridge Prep first-year Coach Hratchia Sargsyan said. “You have to give Walnut credit. They were a deep team.” The loss caps an 8-8 season for the Rebels, who finished third in the Prep League.

Madison Witt couldn't help but look up to Annika Lenz, but by the end of the CIF Southern Section Division III Diving Finals Tuesday their roles were reversed. A year after just being edged by Pasadena Poly's Lenz in her freshman season, Flintridge Prep's Witt came back and kept the standout Panther from ending her high school career with a fourth CIF championship. Witt jumped out to a slim lead after the sixth round and didn't give up any ground en route to capturing the Division III crown with 538 points, while Olivia Rosendahl of Immaculate Heart finished runner-up with 523.85 at Riverside City College.

For a second season in a row, the Hoover High boys' tennis team finds itself in the CIF Southern Section playoffs and the Tornadoes find themselves with a daunting task. Hoover is set to face Harvard-Westlake, the third seed in the CIF Southern Section Division I playoffs, in the first round on Wednesday at 3 p.m. Elsewhere in Division I, Crescenta Valley will host Redondo Union in Tuesday's wild-card round, while Flintridge Prep, in Division II, will travel to face Walnut in a Division II wild-card matchup.

There was no clean sweep in local boys' volleyball when the CIF Southern Section released its playoff pairings Saturday morning. Reigning Prep League champion Flintridge Prep will carry the torch as the lone postseason entry when the CIF Southern Section Division IV playoffs begin Tuesday evening. Flintridge Prep (17-7) will host Cerritos Whitney (14-5), the Academy League third-place entry, in the first round on Tuesday at 7 p.m. Even though the Rebels are no stranger to the postseason, there are still several unknowns.