Crescenta Valley water polo staves off La Serna
PASADENA — The Crescenta Valley High boys’ water polo team’s nonleague schedule has been stacked with respected and talented opponents.
Four games into the season, the Falcons defeated El Segundo, currently the third-ranked team in CIF Southern Section Division IV.
A match later, the Falcons, ranked No. 4 in Division IV, lost to a strong Moorpark squad that is ranked eighth in Division III before meeting El Segundo once again.
In their final nonleague match before the start of Pacific League play, coach Jan Sakonju’s team met La Serna, the second-ranked team in Division V, on Tuesday at Pasadena City College.
The Falcons welcomed the challenge of another impressive opponent and came away with an 8-7 victory seven days before they meet Hoover to start league.
“A game like this, there is not much pressure because you know you’re playing against a quality team and it’s just about us executing,” Sakonju said. “That’s what we worked on today.
“This is a win-win situation. Even if we lost to the No. 2 team in Division V, there’s no shame in that.”
CV junior Brandon Fernandez made sure his team didn’t lose.
He scored the first two goals of the fourth quarter, his third and fourth scores of the match, to give the Falcons an 8-6 advantage. The Falcons clamped down on defense the rest of the way, allowing just one goal with two minutes left to preserve the win.
“I like to put pressure on myself to help the team out,” Fernandez said. “I know that when I play well I can help the team a lot. Everyone stepped up in the fourth quarter. Fourth quarter, that’s when you have to go all out.”
The Falcons (3-3) didn’t have many scoring opportunities in the opening half. La Serna (8-3) played an aggressive defensive style that limited the Falcons to three goals in the first half.
“They have some very aggressive guys who pressure on the perimeter, that’s very much how Hoover will play, very physical play,” Sakonju said. “That gets us ready because that opener is next week.”
After halftime, La Serna didn’t pressure the perimeter as much, instead focusing on CV hole/set Vasil Halchev. The focus on Halchev gave the Falcons more room to drive and CV capitalized with three third-quarter goals that tied the match at 6 entering the fourth.
Senior Reagan Heese had two first-half goals and Jesse Sullivan and Halchev added a score apiece for the Falcons.
“[Halchev] will attract the double teams,” Sakonju said. “You need the other five guys to step in and take on the role of shooter.”
CV has more challenges coming its way in nonleague play. It will play Arroyo Grande, the fifth-ranked team in Division IV, on Oct. 23 before playing Righetti, Division IV’s top-ranked team, the following day. The Falcons will end their regular season with an Oct. 30 match against Cerritos, the second-ranked team in their division. All three matches will be on the road.
“For nonleague games, we always want to have the strongest competition possible,” Sakonju said. “It’s not about the wins and losses, it’s about the experience. In nonleague, a loss could be more valuable than a win because your errors are more glaring.”
The Falcons should be well-prepared for a tough league slate that includes Hoover – ranked seventh in Division IV – and Burroughs and Pasadena, both of which have received consideration for the top 10 ranking in the same division.