By Brandon HENSLEY

Historic seasons for Crescenta Valley basketball, swimming, softball and football highlight a successful year

January

It was announced that CVHS would debut its boys’ lacrosse program this spring. The team is composed of mostly freshmen, along with two sophomores, and is hoping to compete in the JV level of CIF – California Interscholastic Federation – competition. Coach Nikalous Soforenko was offered the job over this past summer and was hired in early October. “I sat down [at CVHS] and, within two minutes, I knew I made the right decision,” said Soforenko. “The athletic department is run well.”

The community mourned the loss of Noah Domingo, a 2018 CVHS graduate. Domingo played football and basketball, and in January, the basketball team honored him by wearing warmup shirts with his number 14 and “Falcon Forever” on the front. Junior guard Tyler Carlson made eight three-pointers in the game, as CV beat Hoover 77-59. “Tyler was close with [Noah] and was really affected. I think his performance tonight came from within and he did it for a special reason,” said Coach Shawn Zargarian.

February

The CV boys soccer team was shutout by Brea Olinda 3-0 in the first round of the CIF Division III playoffs. The Falcons went 9-2-3 in the Pacific League, second to Burroughs. For the girls, they lost to Serrano in double overtime 1-0 in their playoff matchup. CV went 11-2-1, also finishing second to Burroughs.

A great, maybe even surprising, season for the Crescenta Valley High boys’ basketball team ended on a Saturday night at Colony High School when the Falcons lost to the Titans in the CIF Division II-A semifinals, 74-54. The Falcons jumped out to a dominating record, racking up wins against non-Pacific League teams in December and after an initial slow start in league – a bad loss at home to Burbank had them at 2-2 – they rebounded and finished second in league, 23-5 overall and 11-3 in league. Led by senior guards Andreyas Boghossian and Alex Zohouralen, senior forward Harout Tahanian, juniors center Chuck Meyer and junior guard Tyler Carlson, the Falcons put together the best season for the program since 2013.

The CV girls’ basketball team had its season end at home when it lost to Huntington Beach in the CIF Division II-AA playoffs 35-34. Senior Georgina Kregorian scored a team-high 16 points, but missed the final shot with a second left that would have won the game. CV finished with an 18-11 record overall and was second in the Pacific League. The team will say goodbye to seniors Kregorian, Caity Bouchard, Ndemoh Sesay, Mari Lee, Lauren Lundeen, Alin Mazmanian and Lizzy Peterson.

March

The longest playoff run in Crescenta Valley High boys’ basketball history came to an end Tuesday night, and this one will surely be remembered for a long time. Not the game itself. That was kind of a dud. The Falcons couldn’t make shots and, for the most part, couldn’t stop the other team, La Jolla Country Day, as the Torreys ran away from the Falcons in a 71-43 win in the CIF State Division III Southern Section Regional final. The loss, though, won’t dampen an otherwise great season for Coach Shawn Zargarian, his coaching staff, and his players. The Falcons went 29-6, tied the school record for most wins, advanced to the semifinals in CIF Southern Section Division II-A playoffs, and then won three games in state, falling a game short of playing for the Division III state championship.CV can add another plaque to its trophy case. After the game, Zargarian accepted the regional runner-up trophy, sharing a hug with school principal Linda Junge.

The Crescenta Valley High School baseball team remained undefeated in the Pacific League with a 6-0 win over Pasadena. Pitcher Will Grimm threw a shutout, allowing seven hits.On offense, Grimm led the offense with two hits and an RBI. Vincent Parrott, Brian Ghattas, Isaac Sung and Colby Rees all had scoring hits.

April

After dominating the Pacific League for the first six games, the Crescenta Valley Falcons dropped one to Burbank High School 3-2 on Tuesday night, April 2 at Burbank. CV had previously had its way with Pasadena, Glendale and Hoover, including scoring over 10 runs three times. April 2 was a tough one, as CV lost in extra innings. The loss brought CV to a tie for first place with Arcadia with a league record of 6-1 (12-6) overall.

CV softball was in fine form after beating Glendale at home. The Falcons’ lead grew to 15, triggering the mercy rule and effectively ending the game. It was an all-around solid performance from the Falcons’ offense, with eight different players recording at least one run batted in. The Falcons had averaged 15.6 runs per game in Pacific League play, and the win was just another example of how dominant this squad can be at the plate. On the mound, the Falcons’ ace DeeDee Hernandez was masterful. She has been gaining exposure throughout the season for potential postseason awards, and Tuesday was just another start she can add to her resumé. The sophomore was fooling Glendale hitters all afternoon, and showed once again why she is the best pitcher the Pacific League has to offer. For good measure, Hernandez also hit a pitch into the street while on offense.

The Falcons track and field team forged a strong attack against the very solid Arcadia team on April 11 on Arcadia’s all-weather track. This was the final dual meet of the League season; the Pacific League prelims (April 17) were also held at Arcadia as are today’s (Thursday, April 25) finals. At the April 11 competition, the Falcon boys scored three golds and the girl’s captured four of the 16 events of the day. The distance team led the way, as they have all year long, continuing to score necessary points for the Falcons. Manan Vats won the 1600m running 4:32.7, Dylan Wilbur hit his personal best in the 800m with a mark of 1:55.64, and Grant Lauterback ran a sensational 3200m in 9:47.28 to bring five points each to the final score.

May

The CVHS girls’ lacrosse team went 14-4, a successful year by any measure, but the team lost to Glendale High 14-9 in the Los Angeles Lacrosse Foundation Division I second-round match. Glendale had already posted a Pacific League win against the Falcons in the regular season, and the Nitros received eight goals from Rachel Fong to help close the match out.

History was made for Crescenta Valley High School. Its varsity softball team won the Division 3 CIF championship against West Ranch, 3-0. And for so many reasons, with so many storylines, this team was one of the best in CVHS history. First, there is the sheer magnitude of winning a title and the team it took to do so. All season, the Falcons had only 11 players on their roster, something that head coach Amanda Peek was proud of. On Championship Saturday, no player made more of an impact than DeeDee Hernandez, the sophomore phenom. She was already named the All Pacific League Player of the Year, and on Saturday, on the biggest stage of her softball career, she more than delivered. In fact, she pitched the best game of her career. Hernandez struck out 11 West Ranch batters, and flirted with perfection deep into the game, but a walk in the fifth inning ended those hopes. Nevertheless, Hernandez accomplished every pitcher’s dream in throwing a no-hitter. After the game, the moment still hadn’t completely caught up to her. “Winning something like this is just like a dream,” Hernandez said. “It’s just such an amazing feeling. It feels like it didn’t really happen and I’m really not in the moment of it yet.”

The Crescenta Valley High School Athletic Hall of Fame inducted eight athletes to the Class of 2019. Held at the Oakmont Country Club on Saturday, May 4, the event celebrated the success of accomplished athletes in a variety of sports. This year’s inductees were Megan Winchell Bonfield, Jeanine Demo, Dustin Emmons, Jason Hogan, Pat Kennelly, Leilani Artis Soifua and Zack Torres.

Falcon champion runner Dylan Wilbur’s mark of 4:12.31 in the 1600m at the Southern Section Division 1 track and field finals on May 11, which earned him the win, no doubt boosted his spirits greatly. At the Masters Meet later that month at Buchanon High School, Wilbur clinched fourth place in the 1600m with a time of 4:12.78.

June

For the first time in the history of Crescenta Valley High School, both the boys’ and girls’ swimming and diving teams are champions. Both teams won the Division III finals earlier in the spring, and both teams were recognized by Glendale Unified School District for their historic seasons. The boys’ swimming team won in down-to-the-wire fashion, narrowly edging out Ventura High School in the finals. The CVHS boys finished with a final tally of 233 points, only five more than Ventura’s final score. The girls were a little more decisive with their victory. Finishing with 271.5 points for their efforts, they beat Sunny Hills High School by nearly 20 points.

For the first time in its history, Crescenta Valley United Softball qualified two teams for the USA Softball Southern California State Championship. The 12U All-Star team, managed by Charles Choe, and the 8U All-Star team, managed by Naveen Reddy, placed second and fourth, respectively, in the USA Softball Western District Championship held from June 14 to June 16 in Oxnard. CV United is the only organization in the Crescenta Valley and Glendale dedicated solely to girls’ fast pitch softball. The league has been on a steady upward trajectory since its formation three years ago. After reaching its first state championship in 2017, the 2018 10U squad took the USA Softball Regional Championship in a magical run through the All-Star season. This year’s qualifiers are hoping to match last summer’s lofty benchmark.

The Crescenta Valley boys’ varsity basketball team won a Tuesday night summer league game against Buckley 56-38 at Heritage Christian High School, improving its summer record to 9-6. Wins and losses at this time of year are mostly inconsequential, but Falcons Head Coach Shawn Zargarian still noted how important it is for his team to stay competitive. That might not be a concern this summer. “Because we have so many guys coming back, playing off of six losses last year, I think they’re all ultra-competitive,” Zargarian said. “They’re not used to losing.” Zargarian is currently hoping 2019’s experience carries over into the new year.

July

During the week of July 27 through Aug. 2, the local Foothill Knights Baseball Academy sent a team of 12-year-old ballplayers to Cooperstown, New York to participate in a nationwide baseball tournament of 104 teams. Cooperstown is home to the iconic National Baseball Hall of Fame. The Foothill Knights earned a 30th overall rank after pool play and came close to advancing to the Sweet 16 by nearly ousting the No. 3 seed from Florida. Many players share a special highlight of cheering on their teammate, Luke Wyatt, as he battled to represent the Academy as a finalist in the Home-Run Derby known as the “King of Swat.” Luke was one home run away from being the crowning champion of over 100 competing ballplayers. The mantra at Cooperstown Dreams Park is “Live the Dream.” Noah Godson, the lone 10-year-old on the team, said, “It’s baseball heaven. I can’t wait to go back.”

Dodger Stadium is going to look different in 2020. The club announced that a $100-million renovation would begin once the season ended. Per ballparkdigest.com, “A new center field plaza will feature food and beverage areas, along with a children’s play area, and space for live entertainment. Fans will access the plaza through a new outfield entryway, where a relocated Jackie Robinson statue–which will move from its current location in the left-field reserve plaza–will be on prominent display … Elevators and escalators will allow fans in all parts of Dodger Stadium to access the new plaza, while bridges will be incorporated to connect new outfield standing room areas to the rest of the ballpark.” Dodger Stadium will host the 2020 All Star Game in July.

August

Kevin Lacey, president of the La Cañada Gladiators youth football team, sent out a memo in late July to the parents of the community informing them the team had withdrawn from the San Gabriel Valley Jr. All American Conference, and would not participate this season. The main reason has to do with the growing trend of youth sports have of becoming “feeder” programs for high school sports, something Lacey is adamantly opposed to. He cited several steps the conference is taking that do not provide an environment that is in the best interests of most players. “At a time when the impact of collisions on children at a young age is under close study and scrutiny, we believe the decision to expand tackle to include even younger children to be highly questionable if not downright irresponsible,” Lacey wrote.

For the first time in a decade, the Crescenta Valley High School football team stepped onto its summer practice field without Paul Schilling as head coach. After 69 wins, a pair of Pacific League titles and a historical undefeated 2014 season capped off by a CIF championship, Schilling handed off the reins to Hudson Gossard. But while the head coaching staff has changed, not much else had. The team chose Chase Center to replace outgoing quarterback Cole Doyle, and rely on familiar faces from 2018.

September

The Falcons performed well on Thursday against Camarillo and Santee at their first season non-scoring competitive meet at Crescenta Valley Park. After a successful summer running program, capped off with a week at Mammoth running in high altitude, the Falcons were well prepared for the season as strong contenders for the league, and both the boys and girls took the win.

When asked to think about a football player, an image of a big, burly, and intimidating man comes to mind. However, in the case of José Brewer, the image changes to a kind and warm young man with a beaming smile. Brewer, a 15-year-old freshman at CV High, joined the football team this year with about 35 other boys.  But there is one big difference between him and his teammates; Jose has Down Syndrome. The Brewer family approached CV freshman football coach Paul Schilling last spring and asked if the team would be willing to bring on Jose as a player.  He had never played football before, and yet their question was met with an enthusiastic “YES”. “It brings me to tears,” said José’s mother, Krista Brewer. “It makes me feel so honored that they said yes and that he’s just one of the guys.”

October

The Los Angeles Dodgers once again came up short in the playoffs, losing to the Washington Nationals 7-3 in the deciding Game 5 of their first-round playoff series. The Dodgers won a franchise record 106 games and seemed on track for their third straight World Series appearance, but the never-say-die Nats had different plans. Led by great pitching in Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg, LA could never quite put away the Nationals all series, including Game 5 (they led 3-0 early on), and former Dodger Howie Kendrick’s grand slam in extra innings sealed it. The only saving grace, maybe? Washington went on to win it all.

This season’s head cross-country coach Christopher Davis is a teacher at Clark Magnet School who has volunteered his time and efforts in promoting a solid cross-country program at Rosemont Middle School. Successfully attracting large numbers to his cross-country program, the experience has been valuable to the runners. Already having 27 runners in the middle school first divisional race at the Staub-Barnes meet in September, the numbers keep increasing. On a weekend in October, the Rosemont team attended the Mt. Sac Invitational Middle School Cross-Country division with 36 runners participating. Many had their first performances on a very hilly up-and-down course.

In his inaugural season as head coach, Hudson Gossard led the CVHS Falcons varsity football team to a Pacific League title. The 2019 season has been one of the strongest for the Falcons in team history, and that was proven in October. In the biggest game of the season, the Falcons beat Muir High School by a final score of 28-14. The Falcons were dominant in every aspect of the game and clinched its share of the Pacific League title by being so. On offense, the usual suspects led the way. Chase Center combined for 122 yards and a touchdown through the air while also running for 102 yards. Maximus Grant added on 69 yards of rushing, as well as a score.

November

The Crescenta Valley football team finished 14-0 in the regular season, a feat done only once before, in 2014. Those star players five years ago were Brian Gadsby, Connor Van Ginkle, Chase Walker and Jordan LoBianco, guys who racked up big yardage and set the scoreboard on fire. This year’s team, with Chase Center, Brendan Pehar, Max Grant, Colby Rees and Sebastian DeLeon, were a but more methodical in their approach. They did it with game management on offense, and a stout defense – at least, that’s how the playoffs went, as CV defeated Peninsula, Eisenhower and Katella High School on their way to the CIF Division X championship game.

With football fever gripping the Falcon community this season, it might have been easy to overlook the unofficial start to basketball season last week. The annual alumni game between former Falcon greats and the current varsity squad went head-to-head on Nov. 27 inside the main gym at Crescenta Valley High and, as usual, the older guys pulled out a win, this time 67-46. The varsity wasn’t at full strength as guard Tyler Carlson and center Chuck Meyer were both in street clothes on the bench (Meyer sports a cast around his right wrist). Then again, it seemed the alumni roster was also a bit sparse. It didn’t matter for the alumni. The varsity raced out to 9-0 lead, but then that always seems to happen. The alumni closed the gap to 14-12 after the first quarter, and led 31-24 at halftime en route to a comfortable victory.

River-side City Cross-Country Course hosted the CIF championship finals for Divisions 1-5 for the boys and girls three-mile run, and the CVHS Falcons’ boys placed second with 145 points behind Great Oak (96). Falcon senior Dylan Wilbur quickly claimed his place among the top runners. At the first loop he positioned himself in front with only two runners ahead of him. Though some athletes will run like a rabbit out of its hole to push the pace to exhaust the pack leaders, Wilbur instead maintained a steady speed with the goal of gaining a good time and place at the finish. It was disappointing to see CV senior Eric Faeustle, usually a dependable point grabber, drop back on the second loop. Luckily Falcon junior Max Burton, who has been a keen point man, and sophomore Rowan FitzGerald moved up to pick up the slack.

December

Throughout the 2019 Falcon football season, the team has relied on phenomenal defensive play and a dominant rushing attack on offense. That got it to the CIF championship game on Friday night where it was business as usual for Crescenta Valley. The Falcons defeated Simi Valley 19-16 in late November to claim the CIF Division X championship, it’s third ever title and second in five years. In Hudson Gossard’s first year as head coach of the Falcons, it appears he has already reached the peak. This title concludes what many said has been the most dominant decade in CVHS football history, and Gossard will lead this team into the next 10 years hoping to continue building on the historically strong first year success he found.

At the first home game of the regular basketball season, the St. Francis Golden Knights drew a crowd when they hosted their neighbor down the street, the La Cañada High School Spartans, and the Golden Knights came away with the 62-41 win. “In this atmosphere it is easy to get caught up with the emotions so I just took a couple of breaths and talked to my team,” said St. Francis guard Andre Henry. “I told them to look at the scoreboard, look at the time and we’d be fine.”

The CV boys’ basketball team got off to a rough start in the Pacific League when Pasadena beat the Falcons 68-51, but the boys recovered to win the next two against Burroughs and Burbank, before heading into the winter break, when it participated in a tournament.

  Brandon Hensley