Top 10 Sports Stories: Flintridge Prep girls’ cross-country dynasty dominates
From multiple high school girls’ basketball teams to a couple of former high school standouts helping the USC women’s soccer team win an NCAA championship, 2016 proved to be an interesting year for several La Cañada Flintridge individuals and high school teams.
Although many of the stories deserve recognition, a select few stood out among the others.
Chosen by the Valley Sun staff, here is a list of the top 10 sports stories of 2016.
1. Flintridge Prep girls’ cross-country wins a triple crown: There was nothing the Flintridge Prep girls’ cross-country team could not accomplish in 2016.
For the second time in school history, Flintridge Prep captured a triple crown — winning the Prep League title, CIF Southern Section Division V crown and CIF State Division V championship.
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Perhaps the most difficult leg of that journey was the first, as Flintridge Prep defeated archrival Mayfield Senior School, which competes in Division IV, by a 19-36 score as Rebel Sasha Codiga won the individual league title. Only a year earlier, the Cubs defeated the Rebels at the league finals.
After that victory, Flintridge Prep soared to a 31-127 triumph over Pacifica Christian at the Southern Section Division V finals at Riverside City Cross-Country Course on Nov. 19 thanks to a second-place effort from Natalie O’Brien. It was the Rebels’ third consecutive section championship.
Finally, the Rebels saved their most impressive effort for last, as they blasted Francis Parker, 51-170, at the state finals on Nov. 26 at Fresno’s Woodward Park for a third straight title. The score represented the largest margin of victory in girls’ state history, while the Rebels’ team time of 95 minutes, 16 seconds set a Division V record.
We wanted to run a time that would be hard for any team to beat for years to come,” junior Sophie Gitlin said. “Being part of this group and setting such amazing records means everything to me, because it shows we’re so close knit and we run well for each other and we stay balanced for one another.”
The big news for the squad continued into the offseason as 19-year veteran Mike Roffina stepped down as co-coach and left the duties to fellow co-coach Jill Riehl.
“What we accomplished this year was absolutely incredible,” Roffina said. “It’s something I’ll cherish and I think this program will have success for years to come.”
2. Flintridge Prep girls’ basketball wins first-ever CIF championship: After coming up short in recent seasons from reaching a CIF championship contest, Flintridge Prep finally broke through. The Rebels eliminated their recent heartbreak by recording a historic milestone to the tune of a CIF Southern Section Division V-AA championship under the direction of co-coaches Kevin Kiyomura and Jayme Kiyomura Chan.
Flintridge Prep went 21-5, 11-1 in league for first place.
The high level of play spilled over to the postseason, with Flintridge Prep posting a 39-34 overtime victory against Mission College Prep in the title contest for the program’s first championship. The Rebels then advanced to the CIF State Division V Southern California Regional quarterfinals.
The Rebels had an impressive cast that included senior forward Tala Ismail (10 points and 8.7 rebounds per game), junior guards Taylor Yoshida (13 points per game) and Renae Tamura (11.5 points per game).
Tamura was selected the division’s player of the year. For good measure, Kiyomura and Kiyomura Chan were named the division’s co-coaches of the year after guiding Flintridge Prep to its first championship game since 2007.
“This feels so good,” Kiyomura Chan said. “I’m so happy for the girls, but it also feels great to be a part of this. I’ve been involved in basketball for 20 years and this is my first trip to a CIF finals. It’s real precious.”
3. La Cañada girls’ basketball posts greatest season: Questions arose in August after girls’ basketball coach Jett del Mundo resigned.
The school quickly hired 2004 alumnus Sarah Beattie and the program didn’t miss a beat, as La Cañada raced out to an 8-0 start, which included winning the Crescenta Valley Tournament.
La Cañada continued its hot play into the league season as the Spartans captured an undefeated Rio Hondo League crown (10-0) and advanced all the way to the championship game of the CIF Southern Section Division III-A playoffs for the first time in school history.
Though the Spartans fell to Antelope Valley, 59-46, they recovered and picked up three victories in the CIF State Division IV playoffs before again running into Antelope Valley in the Southern California Regional.
For a third time that season, the Antelopes topped the Spartans, 66-51.
Overall, La Cañada finished with a 29-5 record and Beattie was named the All-Area Girls’ Basketball Coach of the Year.
“There were some tears, but honestly – the coaching staff – we’re so proud of them,” Beattie said. “They’re the first team to do a lot of things this year [and] get this far. They are the best group of kids.”
Throughout the season, the Spartans featured a balanced cast that received all-league, All-CIF and All-Area accolades, from senior guard Sarah Kurdoghlian, junior guard Alexi Nazarian, junior guard Kristina Kurdoghlian, senior post Amber Graves and junior center Zoe Williams.
4. Crazy football season for La Cañada High football: Expectations for the Spartans varied as wildly as the rumors of if star running back Drake Beasley would actually play.
The senior transferred from Loyola High in August and started practicing at La Cañada after enrolling at the school on Aug. 8.
Though Beasley’s transfer was initially approved, it was later denied by the CIF Southern Section office after an appeal from Loyola.
“He’s a special player for sure,” La Cañada Coach Ryan Zerbel said, “but it’s not like we tailored our whole offense around him. We had a blueprint for success before Drake was here.”
Appeals made by Beasley’s family to overturn the denial were rebuffed and the former La Cañada Gladiators standout was forced to sit out the entire season. In an interesting twist, Beasley will represent La Cañada in the San Gabriel Valley East/West All-Star Football Game Classic on Jan. 27 at West Covina High.
Without Beasley, the Spartans alternated wins and losses all season until two straight defeats to Monrovia and South Pasadena to open Rio Hondo League play left La Cañada 3-4 and 0-2 in league.
The Spartans responded with three straight victories to close out the season, including a forfeit victory over Blair that added to the odd nature of the league season and then a 28-13 upset victory over defending league champion and state runner-up San Marino on Nov. 4 in the season-finale, which was La Cañada’s first win over the Titans since 2010.
Though La Cañada tied for second in league, the Spartans lost two tie-breakers, ended the season seeded fourth in the Rio Hondo League and did not advance to the postseason. The Spartans finished the year with a 6-4 record and 3-2 mark in league.
5. Flintridge Prep boys’ basketball enjoys riveting playoff run: Five seasons after winning its first-ever section crown, Flintridge Prep returned to a CIF championship game under coach Garrett Ohara.
Flintridge Prep went 22-6, 8-0 in league to win its 13th league championship in the last 15 seasons, all under Ohara. The Rebels advanced to the title game, falling to top-seeded Santa Maria St. Joseph, 62-45. Flintridge Prep then made it to the second round of the CIF State Division V playoffs.
Third-seeded Flintridge Prep’s most exciting postseason game came in the semifinals against second-seeded Saddleback Valley Christian, when it rallied from a double-digit deficit in the second half and went on to post a 70-67 overtime victory.
Backed by an experienced cast that included senior forwards Dante Fregoso and Andrew Tsangeos, Flintridge Prep proved it could dominate. Fregoso and Tsangeos earned All-CIF accolades and provided a lethal one-two punch.
Fregoso averaged 16.3 points, 10.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. Tsangeos contributed 18.1 points, 9.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.2 steals per contest.
“This has been a fun ride and I’m proud to be a part of this,” Tsangeos said.
6. Kate Hansen calls it a career: It was a somewhat low-key ending to a career defined by thrilling highs and lively dance moves.
La Cañada Flintridge native Kate Hansen, who placed 10th at the Sochi Winter Olympics and gained even more fame because of her warm-up dance moves, held no press conference, but quietly announced that she retired in February.
“I was concentrated on that goal. All I wanted to do was go the Olympics and finish in the top 10,” Hansen said. “So I accomplished what I wanted.”
Two years earlier, Hansen made history in the final tune-up before the Olympics.
She won the World Cup in Latvia in January of 2014 to become the first American winner since 1997.
At the Olympic Games, she was the second-highest American finisher and placed 10th.
During competition, she became famous for her warm-up dance moves, which were a variation of moves from pop icon Beyonce.
Hansen appeared on various talk shows, while she also made headlines for a prank she and late night host Jimmy Kimmel devised that claimed to show a wolf roving through Olympic housing.
Shortly after the Olympics, the 24-year-old Hansen re-enrolled at BYU.
7. Former Tologs lead USC women’s soccer team to glory: Katie Johnson and Kayla Mills once played key roles in helping the Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy soccer team win a CIF Southern Section Division I championship in 2011.
The dynamic talents proved they could excel at the collegiate level with the USC women’s soccer team. Johnson and Mills were vital contributors in helping the second-seeded Trojans beat top-seeded West Virginia to win the NCAA Division I championship on Dec. 4.
Johnson, a redshirt senior, tallied two goals, including the match-winner, to propel USC to a 3-1 win in the College Cup finale at Avaya Stadium in San Jose.
“I’m so excited. ... It was a really exciting moment,” said Johnson in an ESPNU post game interview. “I’m getting emotional, but I’m so proud of this team.”
Johnson was selected the 2016 College Cup Most Outstanding Player. Mills, a senior defender, had an impressive effort in the title match and secured a spot on the NCAA Women’s College Cup All-Tournament Team. Johnson and Mills graduated from Flintridge Sacred Heart in 2012 and 2013, respectively.
Johnson broke a 1-1 deadlock in the 75th minute and closed out the scoring 12 minutes later. USC (19-4-2) won its second College Cup and first since 2007.
Mills, a second-team National Soccer Coaches Assn. of America All-American, helped steady USC’s defense.
8. Flintridge Prep’s Jack Van Scoter shines on track: Though he had put together a pair of fantastic cross-country seasons, a banner track and field campaign was all that was missing for Flintridge Prep senior Jack Van Scoter.
The 2015-16 Valley Sun Boys’ Athlete of the Year showed off a level of dominance unseen before at the famous Arcadia Invitational when he finished third in the invitational 3,200-meter run with a mark of 8 minutes, 51.32 seconds.
That time stood as the best 3,200 mark in the state of California for the 2016 high school season.
Van Scoter continued to show off his distance chops when he won the 1,600 (4:20.42) and 3,200 (9:18.06) titles at the Prep League finals at Claremont College.
He followed that up by claiming CIF Southern Section Division IV championships in the 1,600 (4:13.90) and 3,200 (9:01.81) at Cerritos College before ultimately finishing fifth in the 3,200 (8:55.60) at the CIF State Championships in Clovis.
“I don’t think there was ever a worry that Jack wouldn’t have a great senior year, but you also have to acknowledge that he had an already successful run in high school,” Flintridge Prep cross-country Coach Ingrid Herskind said. “I think we were all excited to see what he would do.”
9. Flintridge Prep football excels in first year back in eight-man: The football landscape at Flintridge Prep changed dramatically in 2016. For the first time since 1996, Flintridge Prep competed in eight-man and brought in coach Russell White, a megastar at Crespi in the 1980s, to sweeten the prospects of the program.
Plenty went right for Flintridge Prep, which advanced to the Division I semifinals. The Rebels went 7-4, largely to their high-octane offense that featured senior running back Danny Chiarodit, senior offensive/defensive lineman Warren Hosseinion, senior running back Kendall Kikkawa, senior receiver Beau Detchemendy and sophomore quarterback John Lytle. All of them picked up All-CIF honors.
After a few high-scoring contests in the regular season, Flintridge Prep defeated Riverside County Education Academy and Rolling Hills Prep in the postseason before losing to top-seeded Mojave, which won the championship. It marked the first time since 2012 that the Rebels appeared in the playoffs.
“It was just a great season for us and I felt all of the team did a great job,” said White, whose team played its home games on campus after previously playing at Occidental College.
10. Flintridge Prep boys’ soccer team advances to semifinals: For a few days, it wasn’t clear if Flintridge Prep would be a part of the CIF Southern Section Division VI playoffs after it placed fourth in the Prep League. The Rebels breathed a sigh of relief when they received an at-large berth.
Then, a determined Flintridge Prep (13-6-2, 2-4 in league) went to work in the postseason, advancing to the semifinals under coach AJ Yates with a cast that included Tim Treinen, Hamilton Evans, Aidan Boyle, Andrew Lathrop, Garrett Gaines and Ramzi Beshir.
Flintridge Prep created a seismic shift in the division by opening with a win against second-seeded Monrovia, which had won the title in 2015. It then toppled Sage Hill and Rancho Mirage before falling to Shadow Hills.
“Things came together at the right time after we made the playoffs,” said Flintridge Prep Coach AJ Yates, the reigning All-Area Boys’ Soccer Coach of the Year. “It left a very good taste in our mouths with what we were able to accomplish.”
Honorable mention: La Cañada girls’ water polo’s young squad advances to CIF semifinals for first time; Katie Scoville of La Canada High runs all the way to state after winning Southern Section title; Jasher Foster wins two CIF track titles, advances to state; Flintridge Prep girls’ tennis advances to CIF semifinals for first time; After failing to make postseason for first time in century, La Cañada boys’ water polo wins league title and advances to Division V semifinals.
