Crescenta Valley Bows Out Tearfully

Those looking for the silver lining often have to find it through misty eyes.

Such is the case for the Crescenta Valley High football team.

As its players cried in the end zone after a 14-10 Southern Section Division II first-round playoff loss to Gahr on Friday night at Glendale High, Coach Alan Eberhart tried to accentuate the positive.

“I told the kids 8-3 is nothing to be ashamed of,” Eberhart said. “We played good, hard football. You can’t always win, though.”

Still, the Falcons returned most key players from the team that advanced to the semifinals last season. They expected more than a first-round loss.

Part of the problem might have been a series of injuries to quarterback Dave Fielder, who missed most of the season with a sprained left ankle, followed by a separated right shoulder and, now, a sprained right ankle.

With junior John Watts running the offense, the Falcons couldn’t seem to get going. Crescenta Valley gained just 173 yards, 76 in the second half.

Watts, who completed five of 10 passes for 59 yards, mostly on a desperation final drive, was sacked four times.

“I felt fine,” Watts said, his voice cracking. “They just covered everyone. . . . I think they did. They looked covered to me.”

The Falcons’ running game could generate only 114 yards, led by senior Erik LaCom’s 90 and Brendan Jones’ 41.

“Every time we’d hit a hole,” Jones said, “it seemed like we were just one block away from breaking it.”

Crescenta Valley did not trail until the fourth quarter, when Gahr (7-4) took a 14-10 lead on a 10-yard run by Steve Smith with 11 minutes 5 seconds to play.

One of the Falcons’ ensuing drives ended with LaCom being stopped short on fourth and two at the Gahr 38.

“I think we all knew they would play this hard,” Jones said of the Gladiators. “They just came out and really wanted it.”

Both teams were relatively silent offensively in the first half, each scoring after recovering a fumble.

Crescenta Valley senior Marty Lane stripped the ball from Gahr quarterback Roy Saleapaga on the first play of the second quarter and Chris Hedrick recovered at the Gladiator six.

LaCom scored on fourth down from the two.

Later in the quarter, LaCom fumbled near midfield and Gahr drove for a tying score, a one-yard run by Mike Howell with 2:32 to play in the half.

The Falcons took a 10-7 lead on a 33-yard field goal by Jones early in the third quarter, but the offense could do little after that.