Top 10 Girls’ Athletes: Schaefer, Flintridge Prep embarked on magical season
Team and individual success seemed to go hand-in-hand in what was another wonderful high school sports season for the city of La Cañada Flintridge and its high schools. School records were rewritten, dominant teams and players emerged, and championships followed.
Leading the way was the 2016-17 La Cañada Valley Sun Girls’ Athlete of the Year, Helen Schaefer of Flintridge Prep.
Here is the list of the La Cañada Valley Sun’s top-10 girls’ athletes in 2016-17.
1 Helen Schaefer, Flintridge Prep soccer: As the sophomore sensation grew and progressed, so did her team.
The Rebels enjoyed arguably their best season since the turn of the century as they posted a 23-5-3 record, went 8-1-1 in league and claimed an undisputed Prep League title.
Just as phenomenal as the Rebels’ run was, Schaefer’s numbers and accomplishments were every bit as amazing.
Schaefer ended the season as the All-Area Girls’ Soccer Player of the Year, an All-CIF Southern Section Division III first-team choice and the All-Prep League Most Valuable Offensive Player.
She tallied an equally balanced and eye-popping 31 goals and 30 assists.
The unshared league crown marked the first time Flintridge Prep had denied archrival Pasadena Poly a piece or all of the title since 2013.
Schaefer had a big foot in the Rebels’ 4-0 pouncing of Poly on Jan. 31 when she scored two goals and added one assist.
“That’s what we’ve all be striving for, to win a league title,” Schaefer said. “Our focus is to always win the league and that is something that we work very hard on accomplishing.”
While every other area team fell in the early rounds of the postseason, Schaefer and Flintridge Prep kept going.
For the first time since 2002, the Rebels advanced to the CIF Southern Section Division III semifinals, a feat made more remarkable since Flintridge Prep soccer was playing at as high or higher a division than any other area squad.
During the Rebels’ run to a league crown and semifinal run, the team racked up eight straight victories, all via shutout.
Flintridge Prep’s playoff run was ended by juggernaut South Torrance, which defeated the host Rebels, 5-2, in the semifinals on Feb. 28.
After the loss, the Rebels earned their first-ever CIF Southern California Regional Division III berth.
The Rebels notched their first-ever regional win over Mission Oaks, 2-1, on March 7 thanks to a goal from Schaefer.
Flintridge Prep saw its second playoff run ended by South Torrance, 3-1, on March 9 in the state semifinals.
2 Kayla Lund, Flintridge Sacrded Heart Academy volleyball: The University of Pittsburgh-bound outside hitter capped a terrific career with the Tologs in the fall.
Lund was selected as the All-Area Girls’ Volleyball Player of the Year for a second straight season and totaled an area-best 555 kills, 348 digs, 251 assists, 81 aces and 38 blocks.
“When you’re looking for someone to set an example, she’s right there,” Flintridge Sacred Heart assistant coach Trent Tcheng said. “You don’t need rah-rah speeches with Kayla, she understands and motivates.”
Lund was also chosen a Maxpreps.com third team All-American, an American Volleyball Coaches Assn. All-American, an All-CIF Southern Section Division I and a Mission League first-teamer.
This past season, Lund’s young Tologs finished 23-10 and 5-3 in league to take second.
3 Claire Murray, La Cañada track and field: History was made on the track and field for La Cañada High and Murray, the All-Area Girls’ Track and Field Athlete of the Year.
The junior turned in her first big effort at the Arcadia Invitational when she finished sixth in the open 100-meter hurdles in a then personal-best and school-record mark of 14.85.
Murray declared her dominance of the Rio Hondo League by winning the 100 hurdles championship in 14.98 at South Pasadena High on May 5.
Though she already owned the school record, Murray further etched her name into La Cañada High lore when she captured the CIF Southern Section Division III 100 hurdles championship in 14.71 at Cerritos College on May 20.
In taking the crown, Murray became her school’s first-ever girls’ hurdles champion. She also advanced to the Masters Meet, becoming the area’s only female athlete to go that far.
“To win a championship was something I dreamed of and worked toward,” Murray said. “It was wonderful to cross that finish line and to be a champion. It’s something I won’t forget.”
Murray’s sensational season ended at the Masters Meet in Arcadia on May 26, when she clipped a hurdle and went down.
4 Julia Gonzalez, Flintridge Prep soccer: The forward forms one half of an amazing attacking duo with Helen Schaefer.
After tallying 31 goals and 22 assists, Gonzalez was named an All-Area, All-Prep League and All-CIF Southern Section Division III first-teamer.
Gonzalez and the Rebels advanced to the semifinals of the CIF Southern Section Division III and CIF Southern California Regional Division III tournaments.
The SoCal playoff run was the first in team history, while the Southern Section postseason march was the furthest for the program in 15 years.
5 Zoe Williams, La Cañada basketball: There were plenty of expectations heaped upon Williams, a senior forward who looked to continue upholding the program’s tradition. Williams stepped in and took on all responsibilities given to her.
Williams’ excellence helped the Spartans reel in their second straight undefeated Rio Hondo League championship. Williams recorded 10 double-doubles and contributed a team-best 12.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.2 blocks per game. She was selected the Rio Hondo League Most Valuable Player and was an All-CIF Southern Section Division I-A second-team pick.
The Spartans began the postseason with a 60-33 victory against Redlands East Valley. Williams collected 19 points and 17 rebounds. She then recorded 19 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks in a 49-44 defeat versus Riverside JW North.
Williams was voted the All-Area Girls’ Basketball Player of the Year, becoming the first Spartan to be selected since Courtney Chen in 2014.
“What impressed me most about Zoe was her work ethic,” said La Cañada coach Sarah Beattie, whose team finished 23-6, 10-0 in league. “That’s what makes her so impressive. She sets an example for the team and they all knew that she could be counted on.”
6 Sophie McKenzie, La Cañada tennis: The youngster broke out of the shadow of her older sisters Ally and Cassie McKenzie by creating her own legacy at La Cañada.
McKenzie was voted the All-Area Girls’ Tennis Player of the Year after a season in which she posted a 29-6 mark and finished runner-up in the challenging Rio Hondo League.
McKenzie earned the No. 2 seed in the Rio Hondo League tournament at Arcadia County Park and picked up victories over South Pasadena’s Ashley Huang (8-1) and La Cañada’s Annabel Kevakian (8-3) to earn a berth in the championship match on Oct. 27.
McKenzie’s drive to become her school’s third-ever individual champion ended in the finals when she was ousted by top-seeded Anessa Lee of San Marino, 6-3, 6-0.
Despite that setback, McKenzie earned advancement to the CIF Individual Tournament.
There, the sophomore advanced three rounds into the tournament with a bye followed by a 6-0, 6-0 triumph over Marina Chow Gladstone in the second round.
In the third round, McKenzie’s run was ended by Eryn Cayetano of St. Anthony, 6-3, 6-3 at Whittier Narrows.
“I was really happy with how I did overall for the season,” McKenzie said. “But I was a little disappointed with CIF. I did have a tough draw and I had to go against one of the better girls in the draw and I lost. But even though I lost, I thought I played pretty well and I had a really good time.”
7 Carolyn Stern, La Cañada water polo: A gauntlet was thrown to the Spartans and their goalie before the beginning of the season by the CIF Southern Section.
A year after the freshman and her teammates advanced to the semifinals of the Division V playoffs, La Cañada was bumped up three divisions to Division II.
While the large move had repercussions in the postseason, Stern and her teammates ran roughshod in the Rio Hondo League by finishing 8-0 and capturing the program’s first outright crown since 2009.
In the postseason, La Cañada proved it could hang in its new division by defeating Dana Hills, a quarterfinalist a year ago, by an 8-7 score at Pasadena City College on Feb. 16.
Stern helped with tight defense, tallying six of her eight saves in the third quarter.
La Cañada fell in the next round, 12-10, to eventual division champion Montebello Schurr.
For her efforts, Stern was named an All-Area first-team choice, the Rio Hondo League Most Valuable Goalkeeper and an All-CIF Southern Section Division II third-team choice.
She finished with 227 saves, 36 steals and 29 assists
8 Hanna Barakat, Flintridge Prep track and field: The senior finished with a flurry with her best day taking place at the Prep League finals on April 28 at Burroughs High.
Barakat won four league titles and capped her career total at 10, having won at least one title over the final three seasons.
Barakat won the 100-meter dash (12.79 seconds), 200 (25.56) and 400 (59.35), while joining up with teammates Arielle Guzman, Julie Le and Sasha Codiga for a victory in the 1,600 relay (4:13.59).
Her fleet feet carried her to the CIF Southern Section finals, where she finished fifth in the 200 (25.75) and 400 (58.08) in Division IV.
Barakat, is an All-Area selection in two events as she owns the area’s top times in the 200 (25.19) and 400 (58.08), while she placed first 12 times this season.
9 Libby Penn, Flintridge Prep tennis, soccer, softball: The three-sport star may have shined brightest on the tennis court.
Penn served as the perfect No. 2 singles player, behind Crystal Juan, on the Rebels historic postseason run.
Flintridge Prep finished 12-9 overall and placed second in the Prep League.
The real magic, though, took place in the postseason as the Rebels were slotted in Division V.
Flintridge Prep advanced all the way from the wild-card round to the semifinals thanks in large part to the singles play.
The Rebels finished 4-1 in the postseason and advanced to the final four for the first time in school history. Flintridge Prep’s postseason drive was halted by Thacher, 11-7, in Ojai on Nov. 9.
Penn certainly did everything she could to help the cause, going a perfect 15-0 in postseason singles play.
From there, Penn played in 12 matches as a reserve goalkeeper for the Flintridge Prep girls’ soccer team, which won the Prep League and advanced to the semifinals of the CIF Southern Section and CIF State Division III playoffs.
In softball, the utility player was stellar at the dish.
Penn was named an All-Prep League first-team and All-Area second-team selection after batting .480 with 13 runs and 18 runs batted in.
10 Holly Stoner, La Cañada: Stoner had another magnificent season for the Spartans. In Rio Hondo League competition, Stoner finished 12-0 with a 0.21 earned-run average. In 66 league innings, the junior struck out 102 and walked 12.
The right-hander was named the league most valuable pitcher after helping the Spartans capture the league championship outright for the third season in a row.
Stoner was bestowed with All-Area first-team accolades after helping the Spartans finish 17-5 and qualify for the CIF Southern Section Division IV playoffs.
Honorable Mention: Sophia Codiga, Flintridge Prep cross-country/track and field; Cheyenne Garcia, La Cañada wrestling; Crystal Juan, Flintridge Prep tennis.
