Top 10 Teams of the Year: Dominance was calling card of Flintridge Prep girls’ cross-country
The top 10 high school teams from the 2016-17 season were selected by the Glendale News-Press sports department.
1 Flintridge Prep girls’ cross-country: A strong argument could be made that the Flintridge Prep girls’ cross-country team turned in the school’s most dominant effort across any sport on Nov. 26 at Fresno’s Woodward Park.
Flintridge Prep entered the CIF State Division V Championships having already claimed Prep League and CIF Southern Section Division V titles.
The last leg of the triple crown was the most impressive, as the Rebels rolled Francis Parker, 51-170, for a third straight state title.
In victory, the Rebels rewrote the record books as the team time of 95 minutes, 16 seconds established a division record. The margin of victory was also the largest in any girls’ state division championship race ever.
Junior Sophie Gitlin, an All-Area selection, led the way in 10th place in the final race for the combo of Flintridge Prep co-coaches Mike Roffina and Jill Riehl. Gitlin was joined on the All-Area team by Prep League individual champion Sasha Codiga and Natalie O’Brien.
Roffina stepped down shortly after the season concluded, but not before winning All-Area Coach of the Year honors with Riehl, who will take over the program.
“It’s been magical,” Roffina said. “This season has been a totally awesome ride and we’ve had a blast doing it. All of the credit goes to all the amazing girls we have on our team and the work they’ve put in to make this happen. We are profoundly and humbly grateful to have accomplished this incredible goal.”
2 Flintridge Prep girls’ soccer: The greatest season in Flintridge Prep girls’ soccer history included a run of dominance, a long playoff drive and plenty of action.
The Rebels ended the season with a 23-5-3 mark, which included an 8-1-1 record and an undisputed Prep League title. The outright crown was the first the program didn’t share with archrival Pasadena Poly since 2012.
During its run to a league crown, Flintridge Prep embarked on an incredible path of dominance that included eight straight shutout victories.
The final three of those triumphs took place in the first, second and third rounds of the CIF Southern Section Division III playoffs.
Flintridge Prep’s brilliant drive was ended via a 5-2 loss to powerhouse South Torrance on Feb. 28 in the semifinals. Flintridge Prep’s advancement to the semifinals was the first for the program in 15 years.
“I told the girls that they were getting a taste of what they do to other teams,” Flintridge Prep Coach Esteban Chavez said. “[South Torrance] broke us down and they’re outstanding. They have a lot of good individuals, but I have to give it to them, they’re actually a pretty good team.”
The Rebels’ season was far from over, however, as the squad earned a berth to the CIF Southern California Regional Division III playoffs.
Flintridge Prep took advantage of its first-ever state playoff appearance with a 2-1 victory at Tulare Mission Oak in the first round.
Unfortunately for Flintridge Prep, it again ran into South Torrance and was again topped, 3-1, on March 9 in the state semifinals.
Flintridge Prep tallied a whopping 18 shutouts and set a school record of 113 goals scored.
Sophomore midfielder Helen Schaefer was named the All-Area Player of the Year, while Esteban Chavez was selected the All-Area Coach of the Year.
In addition, it boasted All-Area Girls’ Soccer Player of the Year Helen Schaefer, the 2016 All-Area Girls’ Soccer Player of the Year Julia Gonzalez, who was a first-team pick this past season, and BLANK other All-Area selections: Jillian Brady, Mika Celeste, Mona Cesario and Lindsey Uteda.
3 Hoover boys’ water polo: Hoover enjoyed one of its most successful seasons in program history, culminating with the Tornadoes winning the Pacific League championship for the first time since 1989.
Hoover finished 22-6, 8-0 in league and reached the CIF Southern Section Division II quarterfinals.
Hoover ended its title drought when it clinched the outright league title with a 17-8 win against Burroughs in the league’s championship match. The lopsided win proved all the more impressive considering Burroughs went on to win a Division V championship.
The Tornadoes were led by senior attacker Harout Ashkharian, who finished with 74 goals, 58 assists and 55 steals en route to being named the All-Area Boys’ Water Polo Player of the Year.
Ashkharian was joined by senior goalkeeper Jonathan Salandi (312 saves, 45 assists and 26 steals), senior attacker Aren Sukissyan (76 goals, 54 assists and 58 steals), sophomore attacker David Ashkharian (85 goals and 43 steals) and senior utility Levon Haik Gukasyan (56 goals and 43 steals). The quartet received All-Area accolades.
“Our team had a great season and our boys worked very hard, they should be celebrated for that and what they’ve accomplished together,” Hoover coach Kevin Witt said. “Our senior class had tremendous success and despite [losing in the quarterfinals] they all should be happy with their career at Hoover.”
4 Glendale girls’ basketball: Magic had a home during the winter sports season and it resided at Glendale High.
The Nitros finished the year 19-12 and 7-5 in the Pacific League to place fourth. During the regular season, Glendale picked up its share of big victories.
Glendale defeated area stalwart La Cañada, 42-38, in the Arroyo Tournament en route to the tournament title.
Glendale swept Pacific League champion Crescenta Valley, while also beating longtime league powerhouse Burroughs.
Placed in the Division II-A playoffs, Glendale saved its most impressive effort for the postseason.
Glendale defeated Whittier and Notre Academy in the first two rounds of the playoffs.
On Feb. 22, Glendale upset No. 2-seed Aliso Niguel, 50-49, to advance to the program’s first semifinal. The Nitros became only the school’s second girls’ team to advance to the semifinals, joining the 2007 water polo squad.
“It’s unbelievable [man], it’s unbelievable,” Glendale coach Tadeh Mardirosian said. “The girls started believing in themselves late in the season after we beat Pasadena. We just kept the wins going.”
Glendale’s Sylvia Vartazarian, an All-Area selection, sank a free throw with 2.6 seconds left to seal the triumph against Aliso Niguel.
Though Glendale, which also boasted All-Area pick Jillian Yanai, fell, 55-46, in the semifinals to visiting Leuzinger on Feb. 25, the loss did not take away from a deep run.
5 Crescenta Valley baseball: With plenty of depth across the diamond, Crescenta Valley registered a superb season. The Falcons won 23 straight contests at one point and finished 25-3, 13-1 in the Pacific League for an outright league crown. It was Crescenta Valley’s best league record since 2007. Crescenta Valley lost in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division II playoffs to bring an otherwise terrific season to an abrupt.
Leading the charge for Crescenta Valley was standout junior pitcher Trevor Beer. Beer, who finished 9-1 with a miniscule 0.76 earned-run average. He struck out 101 and walked just 16, while picking up two saves, in 73 innings.
Beer was named the league’s pitcher of the year and All-Area Baseball Player of the Year.
A large contingent of Falcons also turned in excellent campaigns, including senior catcher Kewin Ledesma (.432 batting average), senior infielder Scott Vinceri (team-high 18 RBI), senior outfielder Anthony Russo (.519 on-base percentage), senior infielder Nico Arredondo (team-high 10 stolen bases) senior pitcher Seth Atherton (6-1, 2.76 ERA) and junior pitcher Will Smiley (5-0, 1.63 ERA). All picked up All-Area recognition.
6 Crescenta Valley softball: There were plenty of contributors who helped the Falcons win their first Pacific League championship since 2011. Crescenta Valley went 21-8-1, 12-2 in league to share the league championship with Burroughs.
Crescenta Valley won its final four league contests to split the league crown with Burroughs and then went to the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division III playoffs. Crescenta Valley ended Burroughs’ 22-game league winning streak and posted its first playoff victory since 2014.
Crescenta Valley advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2009 and the Falcons were the last local team to be eliminated.
Senior outfielder Jessica Yzaguirre paved the way for Crescenta Valley, batting .800 with 23 runs and 17 runs batted in and struck out just once in league. Yzaguirre was named the league’s co-player of the year and earned All-CIF and All-Area honors.
Sophomore infielders Peyton Hause and Alyssa Hernandez and junior pitcher Emily Mulcahey secured All-Area recognition, as well.
Crescenta Valley’s Amanada Peek was named All-Area Softball Coach of the Year.
7 Crescenta Valley girls’ tennis: Following a third-place finish in the Pacific League, Crescenta Valley received a wild-card draw in the CIF Southern Section Division III playoffs. Being a wild-card entry didn’t seem to phase the Falcons (12-7, 8-4 in league).
Under coach Sam Hyun, Crescenta Valley took off in the playoffs. After opening with a 13-5 wild-card victory against Louisville, Crescenta Valley played the next day and registered one of its biggest victories in recent history with a 10-8 win against No. 1 seed Alhambra. Crescenta Valley won all nine doubles sets.
Things didn’t stop there for the Falcons, who rolled to a 16-2 win against Warren. The victory put Crescenta Valley in the quarterfinals.
Crescenta Valley’s impressive postseason journey ended in heartbreaking fashion following a 9-9 (75-69) defeat against Orcutt Academy. Crescenta Valley was seeking its first trip to the semifinals since 2003.
Crescenta Valley’s Michelle Jung and Rachel Shin were named the All-Area Doubles Tennis Team of the Year after finishing 42-11, 27-5. In addition, the duo won all 12 of its playoff sets.
Crescenta Valley also received superb seasons from the doubles teams of Marie Arutyunyan and Marina Saroyan and Kiran Hamkins and Camille Gibney. Poline Crete anchored the Falcons in singles.
8 Flintridge Prep girls’ tennis: A season prior, the Flintridge Prep girls’ tennis team didn’t even qualify to the postseason.
In 2016, the Rebels just didn’t advance to the playoffs, they embarked on a historic run.
Flintridge Prep finished the season with a 12-9 record and took second in the Prep League behind archrival Pasadena Poly.
As for the postseason, Flintridge Prep began its journey in the wild-card round of the CIF Southern Section Division IV playoffs.
From there, Flintridge Prep opened with a pair of big victories, knocking off Lancaster, 17-1, followed by a 15-3 first-round triumph over host Webb School.
After the road win, Flintridge Prep defeated visiting JW North, 10-8, on Nov. 4 in the second round to qualify to the quarterfinals versus No. 2 seed La Serna, which boasted a 17-0 record.
Despite trailing throughout, the Rebels rallied late to upset La Serna, 9-9 (79-67), on Nov. 8 to punch their ticket to the program’s first semifinal visit ever.
Flintridge Prep’s run ended on Nov. 9 in Ojai when the unseeded upstart Rebels fell to host Thacher, 11-7.
9 Crescenta Valley boys’ volleyball: Crescenta Valley had one of its most sensational seasons since the program formed in 1990. Backed by a wealth of senior leadership, the Falcons won at least 20 matches for the fourth time in the program’s history under coach John Nelson.
Crescenta Valley finished 21-6, 8-2 in the Pacific League for second place behind Burroughs. The Falcons also reached the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division II playoffs after beating Camarillo in a thrilling five-set match.
Crescenta Valley had plenty of talent in its lineup, beginning with senior middle blocker Anders Johnson. Johnson finished with 262 kills and 94 blocks en route to being named the league’s co-most valuable player. Johnson also received All-Area recognition.
Jonathan Lee and Ben Allen also stood out for the Falcons. Lee and Allen were bestowed with All-Area accolades.
10 Crescenta Valley football: It was another strong season for Crescenta Valley, which finished 9-2 with an undefeated 7-0 run through the Pacific League for a second crown in three seasons.
After a 1-1 start to the season for the Falcons, who fell at Santa Clarita Golden Valley, 21-7, on Sept. 9 in their second game of the season, Crescenta Valley responded with a run.
The Falcons won eight straight games to close the regular season and run roughshod through the Pacific League.
Though Arcadia boasted a few play-making transfers and Burbank was confident behind a bruising defense, the Falcons made short work of both.
Crescenta Valley blitzed Burbank, 35-21, on Oct. 28 in a battle of unbeatens. The Falcons followed that effort with an inspiring 49-28 victory at archrival Arcadia on Nov. 4 in the season finale to clinch the outright league title.
Crescenta Valley’s eight-game winning streak and season concluded Nov. 11. The Falcons, the highest-placed team in Pacific League, lost in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division VI playoffs, 38-29, to visiting Saugus.
Honorable Mention: Flintridge Prep boys’ cross-country; Flintridge Prep girls’ basketball; St. Francis football.
