Top 10 Girls’ Athletes: La Cañada’s Scoville enjoys sensational year from fall to spring
Championships, special runs and wonderful individual efforts highlighted a big year for girls’ female athletes in the city of La Cañada Flintridge, led by the 2016 La Cañada Valley Sun Girls’ Athlete of the Year, Katie Scoville of La Cañada High.
Here is the list of the La Cañada Valley Sun’s top-10 girls’ athletes in 2015-16.
1 Katie Scoville, La Cañada cross-country and track and field, sophomore – A wonderful freshman season was followed up by an extraordinary 2015-16 campaign for Scoville.
She would go on to win three Rio Hondo League individual titles, take home two CIF Southern Section championships and make two trips to state.
In cross-country, the sophomore led her squad to a Rio Hondo League championship and a ninth-place finish at the CIF Southern Section Division IV championship.
Individually, the two-year starter finished second at the Fastback Shootout (11 minutes, 34.33 seconds) and second in the Division IV race (18:38) at the Mt. SAC Invitational.
Scoville then captured her second straight Rio Hondo League individual championship at Lacy Park in 18:49.61 on Nov. 5. The sophomore became her school’s first section champion since 1998 when she took home the CIF Southern Section Division IV individual title in 17:53.6 at Mt. San Antonio College on Nov. 21.
The All-Area first-team selection then finished off her sophomore season by taking 10th in Division IV at state in 18:13.9.
Track and field proved just as successful for Scoville.
She won the 3,000-meter run in 10:21.89 before finishing seventh in a personal-best one-mile time of 4:59.08 at the Mt. SAC Relays.
As for the postseason, Scoville won the Rio Hondo League championship 1,600-meter (5:06.47) and 3,200 titles (11:18.42) on May 6.
At the Southern Section Division III championships at Cerritos College, Scoville put on a spectacular display, rallying from last place to take home the 3,200-meter crown in a school-record mark of 10:39.82.
“I knew all the girls would go out with [Division I] Destiny Collins [of Great Oak] really fast,” Scoville said. “Last week, I went out really fast and it didn’t work out, so this time I went out pretty conservatively.”
At the CIF State Championships in Clovis, Scoville finished 17th in state with a mark of 10:51.41.
2 Cassie McKenzie, La Cañada tennis, senior – For most of the regular season, the St. Louis University-bound senior was her team’s top singles player.
For the postseason, however, McKenzie joined up with freshmen sister Sophie McKenzie to form a formidable doubles tandem. It came a year after Cassie McKenzie paired with older sister Ally McKenzie and won the Rio Hondo League crown and advanced to the CIF Individual Championship semifinals.
A year later, Cassie and Sophie McKenzie repeated the feat.
The unanimous selection for All-Area Doubles Team of the Year steamrolled its way to the championship match of the Rio Hondo League finals on Oct. 29 at Live Oak Park before putting away San Marino’s feisty twosome of Madeleine Gandawidjaja and Libby Chang, 6-3, 6-3.
“We knew it was going to be tough in the finals,” Cassie said. “We just needed to play together and try not to make too many mistakes. ...But we knew we could do it.”
Seeded second in the CIF Southern Section Girls’ Tennis Individual Tournament Championships, the McKenzies had a bye followed by two victories at the Whittier Narrows Tennis Center.
In the round of 16 on Dec. 2 at the Seal Beach Tennis Center, the pair enjoyed an absolutely thrilling day.
The Spartans first rallied for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over the Murrieta Valley pair of Alana Andrews and Faith Pearson.
The comeback was the first of two on the day for McKenzies, who bounced back from a 5-0 deficit in the third set to defeat Campbell Hall’s Dominique Stone and Jay Kim, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (7-4).
An improbable run ended in the semifinals, when the sisters fell to Harvard-Westlake’s Jenna Mustafa and Julian Simon, 6-3, 6-0.
3 Kayla Lund, Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy volleyball, junior — Flintridge Sacred Heart found itself atop the Mission League, splitting the crown with Marymount. The 6-foot-1 Lund, an outside hitter, played a large part in the Tologs’ success.
Lund was selected the league’s co-most valuable player and named the All-Area Girls’ Volleyball Player of the Year.
She continued to pound the ball past opponents, finishing with an area-high 554 kills and added 273 digs. She contributed 59 blocks and 37 aces for the Tologs, who posted a 26-win campaign.
The University of Pittsburgh-bound Lund notched 1,120 kills over the last two seasons.
“She’s playing in a very tough league and you need to have that player who can step up at the most important times,” said Flintridge Sacred Heart Coach Ernest Banaag, whose team fell in five games to San Clemente in the first round of the playoffs. “I’ve seen her every day for the last three years and she’s done so well, but there’s still so much for her to learn.”
4 Julia Gonzalez, Flintridge Prep soccer, sophomore — Facilitating a youthful, but talented Rebels squad, Gonzalez showed poise and impressive numbers, including dishing off a school-record number of assists.
She contributed an area-best 32 assists and 24 goals for Flintridge Prep, which shared the Prep league championship with archrival Pasadena Poly.
“She took on a bigger role,” Flintridge Prep Coach Esteban Chavez said. “She got double-teamed and she could balance her scoring and distribution of the ball. When she got the ball, she could instantly recognize if somebody was open.
“It’s always a plus when she can create scoring situations. She’s going to be a big part of the team the next couple of years.”
Gonzalez was bestowed with plenty of postseason recognition after the Rebels reached the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division III playoffs.
She was tabbed as the league’s offensive player of the year and earned a spot on the league’s first team. In addition, Gonzalez received All-CIF first-team recognition before being named All-Area Girls’ Soccer Player of the Year.
5 Sophie McKenzie, La Cañada tennis, freshman – Normally the Spartans’ No. 2 singles player, the newcomer doubled up with senior sister Cassie McKenzie and came within a match of advancing to the CIF Southern Section Individual Tennis championship finale.
It was only a year prior that the sisterly duo of Cassie and Ally McKenzie advanced to the CIF Individual semifinals.
“I saw how Ally and Cassie did before, so I was excited about being able to play with Cassie,” Sophie McKenzie said. “We really know each other’s games, so that was kind of an advantage for us.”
Cassie and Sophie McKenzie, the All-Area Doubles Team of the Year, rolled to the doubles championship at the Rio Hondo League finals on Oct. 29 at Live Oak Park.
In the CIF postseason, the sisters went 2-0 and received two byes en route to advancing to the round of 16 at the Seal Beach Tennis Center.
In the second-to-last day of competition on Dec. 2, the sisters showed what resiliency was all about.
First, Sophie and Cassie bounced back to knock off upset-minded Alana Andrews and Faith Pearson of Murrieta Valley for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 triumph.
That rally, however, paled in comparison to what was next.
The McKenzies fell behind, 5-0, in the deciding third set of quarterfinal action, but still found a way to fight.
After fending off 12 match-points, the McKenzies topped Campbell Hall’s Dominique Stone and Jay Kim, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (7-4) to earn a trip to the Dec. 3 final four.
“Honestly, if I was playing singles and I was down, 5-0, I really don’t know if I would be able to come back from that,” Sophie McKenzie said. “Honestly, if Cassie wasn’t there to bring me back, I don’t know.”
Championship hopes were ended the next day, though, when the sisters were ousted by Harvard-Westlake’s Jenna Mustafa and Julian Simon, 6-3, 6-0.
6 Helen Schaefer, Flintridge Prep soccer, freshman — Not many knew about the forward entering the season. By the time the campaign concluded, Schaefer had received plenty of attention and accolades.
Backed by top playmaking skills, Schaefer registered a school-record 38 goals and 14 assists for 90 points. Flintridge Prep finished 16-3-5, 9-1 in the Prep League to tie for first place with rival Pasadena Poly. Flintridge Prep reached the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division III playoffs.
Schaefer earned All-Area, All-CIF and all-league first-team recognition.
7 Megan Reilly, La Cañada volleyball, soccer and softball, senior – Perhaps there was no more versatile athlete in the city than Reilly.
The senior didn’t just play, but excelled in three sports.
In volleyball, Reilly was part of a Spartans squad that finished 11-17 and missed the playoffs on the final day of the regular season. Even so, the right side hitter turned in a strong year with 237 kills, 161 digs, 60 aces and 18 blocks and was named an All-Area and Rio Hondo League first-team selection.
As for soccer, the Spartans had more success as a team as they finished 14-7-3 and 7-3 in league for second place. La Cañada defeated Oak Hills, 2-1, in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division IV playoffs before falling in the second round.
As for Reilly, the defender tallied three goals and seven assists and earned All-Area second-team and Rio Hondo League honorable mention accolades.
Finally, Reilly captured a league championship in softball as her team finished 19-7 overall and 11-1 in league. La Cañada defeated Rialto, 8-2, in the first round of the Division IV playoffs before suffering a tough 2-1 defeat at Santa Monica in the second round.
For her efforts, Reilly was named a Rio Hondo League first-team and All-Area second-team choice as an outfielder and batted .395 (30 for 76) with seven doubles, 23 runs and 20 RBI.
8 Tala Ismail, Flintridge Prep basketball, senior — Ismail, a forward, missed the beginning of the season with a knee injury. She regained her stamina and helped the Rebels win the Prep League and CIF Southern Section Division V-AA crowns.
Fourth-seeded Flintridge Prep picked up a 39-34 overtime win against Mission College Prep in the Division V-AA championship game, as Ismail contributed six points, nine rebounds and three steals.
Ismail and the Rebels finished 21-5, 11-1 in league. The four-year varsity standout averaged 10.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, four steals, 1.7 blocks and 1.9 assists per game. Ismail was selected the league’s most valuable player and earned All-Area first-team and All-CIF second-team nods.
10 Natalie O’Brien, Flintridge Prep cross-country/track and field, junior — O’Brien had a huge hand in Flintridge Prep excelling on the course and track.
In cross-country, O’Brien clocked 18 minutes 18 seconds to finish second in the Prep League finals at L.A. Pierce College. The Rebels took second in league in the team competition to Mayfield.
O’Brien and the Rebels struck gold following the league final. At the CIF Southern Section Division V final at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, O’Brien had a mark of 19:07.1 to place fifth overall and help Flintridge Prep win the championship for the third straight year.
At the CIF State Cross Country Division V Championship at Woodard Park in Fresno, O’Brien took eighth in 18:54.6. Flintridge Prep finished first for the second straight season.
In track and field, O’Brien won the league title in the 3,200-meter race in 11:22.66.
10 Amber Graves, La Cañada girls’ basketball, senior – The fortunes of both the Spartans senior center and her team were closely tied.
La Cañada enjoyed its greatest season in program history as the Spartans advanced to their first-ever CIF Southern Section championship game, the CIF State Regional Division IV title game and turned in an undefeated run to a Rio Hondo League title.
La Cañada won its first eight games of the season en route to posting a 29-5 record and a 10-0 mark in league. The squad won three postseason games during the Southern Section Division III-A playoffs before falling to Antelope Valley, 59-46, in the championship game on March 4 at Santa Ana Godinez High.
The Spartans rebounded from the defeat to win three games in the State Division IV playoffs before running into Antelope Valley again in the regional championship game - a game short of the state title appearance - at Colony High on March 19.
In that contest, Antelope Valley came out on top, 66-51, to end the Spartans’ amazing season.
For her efforts, Graves was named the Rio Hondo League Most Valuable Player, an All-Area honoree and an All-CIF Division III-A second-team selection. The center was a key contributor inside and averaged 11.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per contest.
Honorable mention: Claire Lund, Flintridge Sacred Heart volleyball; Maddie Kang, La Cañada golf; Carolyn Stern, La Cañada water polo, Renae Tamura, Flintridge Prep basketball.
