Top 10 Boys’ Athletes of 2016-17: Scott delivered magic for St. Francis
The top 10 boys’ high school athletes of the year were voted on by the Glendale News-Press sports department. These are selections two through 10.
2 Daniel Scott, St. Francis football/basketball, senior: A year’s worth of recognition was backed by big-time plays, clutch efforts and plenty of success.
Scott, who is headed to Cal Berkeley this fall, was named the All-Area Football Player of the Year after being tabbed the Angelus League Most Valuable Defensive Player of the Year, team co-MVP and to the All-CIF Division III first team.
The receiver/defensive back racked up a team-high 41 catches for 688 yards and 10 touchdowns, while he also punched in one score on the ground and returned one punt for a score.
Defensively, Scott tallied 70 tackles, four for a loss, finished with five interceptions and five pass break-ups.
As for his squad, Scott helped the Golden Knights to a 9-2 record and a second-place finish in the Angelus League.
“We needed him to be exactly what he was this year,” St. Francis Coach Jim Bonds said, “which was one of our best players on offense and one of our best players on defense.”
As for basketball, the senior guard averaged 2.8 points and two rebounds per game off the bench for the Golden Knights, who finished 14-13 and qualified to the Division III-AA playoffs.
3 Colin FitzGerald, Crescenta Valley cross-country/track and field, junior: Success and heavy mileage went hand in hand for the Falcons junior.
FitzGerald was voted his school’s first All-Area Boys’ Cross-Country Runner of the Year since 2008 thanks to a great season in which he won five races and captured a Pacific League individual championship.
Perhaps the highlight came at the CIF Southern Section Division I Championships at the Riverside City Cross-Country Course on Nov. 16 when FitzGerald finished second with a time of 14 minutes, 44.5 seconds.
FitzGerald’s effort helped the Falcons to a 10th-place finish in Division I with 286 points.
FitzGerald closed out his season placing 44th at the CIF State Division I Championships at Fresno’s Woodward Park in 16:04.7.
“There was an expectation that Colin would do real well this season, but you never quite know until you actually set foot to ground,” Crescenta Valley Coach Mark Evans said. “What he did this year was incredible and he’s set himself up for more success.”
In track and field, FitzGerald turned in a banner day May 5 when he captured the Pacific League individual championship in the 1,600-meter (4:26.56) and 3,200 (9:32.77) runs at Arcadia High. He was subsequently the All-Area selection for the 1,600 and 3,200.
4 Trevor Beer, Crescenta Valley baseball, junior: Coming into the season with high expectations, the ace left-hander didn’t disappoint.
Thriving on the mound, Beer finished 9-1 with a 0.767 earned-run average. He struck out 101 and walked 16 in 73 innings to help the Falcons win their second straight Pacific League championship.
Beer provided the Falcons with confidence when he stepped on the bump.
Beer made 12 starts, but came out of the bullpen to notch two saves for playoff-bound Crescenta Valley (25-3, 13-1 in league).
Beer, named the league’s pitcher of the year, earned All-CIF Southern Section Division II honors and was selected All-Area Baseball Player of the Year for the first time.
5 Chris White, Hoover football/wrestling/track and field, senior: Maybe no area athlete had as busy a year as White, a three-sport star for the Tornadoes.
In football, White played an integral part in Hoover’s best season in years as the Tornadoes finished with four wins and clobbered archrival Glendale, 49-12, on Nov. 4. For his efforts, the linebacker was named to the All-Pacific League second team.
In wrestling, White became one of two Tornadoes to win a Rio Hondo League individual championship when he pinned Monrovia’s Alex Marin in 2:13 for the 220-pound championship on Feb. 8.
White also picked up one individual victory at the CIF Southern Section Inland Division Championships at Temecula Valley High in a season in which Hoover finished second in league as a team.
As for track and field, the senior turned in a historic effort at the league finals on May 5 at Arcadia High by capturing the shot put title with a toss of 50 feet.
At the Division III prelims, White set the All-Area mark in the shot put by finishing second with a throw of 52-4 1/2. White ended his season placing fifth in the Division III championships with a mark of 50-4 1/4 at Cerritos College on May 20.
6 Evan Pattinelli, Flintridge Prep cross-country/track and field, junior: Look at the small-school rankings and Pattinelli’s name was certain to be near the top.
During the cross-country season, Pattinelli won the Prep League Championship (15:42.1) at Pierce College on Oct. 29, while leading the Rebels to their 24th team title over the past 25 years.
Pattinelli followed up that effort by becoming his school’s fourth straight CIF Southern Section Division V individual champion when he captured the crown in 15:10.8 at the Riverside City Cross-Country Course on Nov. 16.
Pattinelli then finished off his season by taking second at the state Division V championships in 15:39.3, while the youngster guided Flintridge Prep to second as a team. He was an All-Area selection at season’s end.
As for track and field, Pattinelli continued his roll by winning the Prep League 3,200 (9:52.37) and taking second in league in the 1,600 (4:36.20).
Pattinelli capped the season by winning the CIF Southern Section Division IV Championship in the 3,200 (9:43.79) at Cerritos College on May 20.
7 Harout Ashkharian, Hoover water polo, senior: The talented Ashkharian got plenty accomplished for the Tornadoes.
Hoover finished 22-6, 8-0 in the Pacific League for first place. The Tornadoes won their first league championship since 1989 with Ashkharian paving the way.
Ashkharian, an attacker, finished with 74 goals, 58 assists and 53 steals, as the Tornadoes advanced to the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section Division II playoffs.
Ashkharian was named the league’s player of the year and the All-Area Boys’ Water Polo Player of the Year in 2016.
“When he first started, he was a great defender,” Hoover coach Kevin Witt said. “Then we moved him up and he right away became a much better offensive player. He excelled on offense and defense this year. He could score the big goals, but he also proved to be a phenomenal passer and defender. He was comfortable in any role he needed to play.”
8 Tyler Hill, Crescenta Valley football, senior: Talented player was perhaps the linchpin for the Falcons’ defense at safety and linebacker.
The Pacific League co-Player of the Year finished with 75 tackles, six sacks and one fumble caused and recovered. He also showed his versatility on offense, as he rushed for 145 yards in 22 carries and seven touchdowns. He had eight receptions for 65 yards and one touchdown.
A four-year starter and former All-CIF selection who helped Crescenta Valley win a CIF Southern Section championship in 2014, Hill was bestowed with all-league and All-Area recognition following each campaign.
Hill, a former quarterback, finished his stellar career with 31 total touchdowns. On defense, he tallied 344 tackles, six sacks, five forced fumbles and four interceptions.
Crescenta Valley went 9-2, 7-0 in league to win its second league championship in three seasons.
9 Romio Silsian, Hoover soccer, senior: Sislian, a midfielder, wrapped up his career with the Tornadoes in style.
Sislian finished with 26 goals and 17 assists to help Hoover advance to the playoffs for the first time since 2010.
Sislian was named the Pacific League Player of the Year and received All-CIF Southern Section Division IV accolades. Sislian was also named the All-Area Boys’ Soccer Player of the Year.
“I think he knew how good he was, but he still wanted to get better as a player,” Hoover coach Anastasios “Ace” Metallinos said. “We would stay after practice to work on his shots. He just has that drive where he wants to succeed and he wants to get better.
“He had a good season a year ago as a junior, but this season, he just took his game to another level.”
10 Kendall Kikkawa, Flintridge Prep football, basketball, baseball, senior: There wasn’t much time off for the Rebels senior, who played in the fall, winter and spring.
Kikkawa was part of a resurgence in football as the squad took up the eight-man variety.
Kikkawa totaled 14 rushing touchdowns and eight receiving en route to the running back being named to the All-Area second team and All-CIF eight-man Division I squads.
Flintridge Prep finished 7-4 and advanced to the Division I semifinals.
On the court, Kikkawa averaged 9.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.7 assists per contest for Flintridge Prep in being named to the All-Prep League first team. The Rebels finished 12-9, took second place in league and advanced to the second round of the Divsion IV-AA playoffs.
Kikkawa concluded his prep career in baseball and was named to the All-Prep League first team and All-Area second team after batting .364 with 23 runs, 21 runs batted in and seven doubles.
Flintridge Prep finished 14-8-1 and 7-5 in league to finish in third behind archrival Pasadena Poly and Rio Hondo Prep.
Honorable Mention: Michael Bonds, St. Francis football; Jack Freer, St. Francis tennis, Ian Freer, St. Francis tennis; Matthew Molina, St. Francis track and field.
