Crescenta Valley Is Good and Lucky

A little luck, a little defense and a lot of Kenny Pritchett.

It all worked for Crescenta Valley High during a 16-3 nonleague victory over South Pasadena on Friday night.

The Falcons (4-0), ranked sixth team in The Times’ regional poll, devoured the South Pasadena ground game, holding the Tigers (3-1) to one yard rushing.

On three crucial plays, Lady Luck smiled down upon the Falcons.

But Pritchett, the senior running back, was the difference.

Pritchett rushed for 210 yards in 34 carries and a touchdown, accounting for 89% of the Falcons’ 236 yards despite seeing eight- and nine-man fronts.

“It’s hard,” said Pritchett, who said he has narrowed down his college choices to UCLA, Arizona, Arizona State and Colorado. “We don’t have as many people to block as they have in the box. It’s tiring, but you’ve got to do it.”

Tired? Don’t tell Crescenta Valley Coach Alan Eberhart, who, in an effort to improve team conditioning, ran practices this week as if they were two-a-days under the hot August sun.

“We’ve had good starts before and some years we’re OK, but some years we fade,” Eberhart said. “We were trying to get over that.”

Consider it done, though not without good fortune.

Pritchett carried nine times for 67 yards on a 10-play drive capped by Jesse Busta’s two-yard touchdown run 4:36 before halftime.

The snap on the extra point was bobbled by holder Geoff Clark, who recovered and ran around left end for a two-point conversion to make it 8-0.

On the last play of the first half, South Pasadena’s Anteus Whorton was stopped on the four-yard line on a 49-yard pass play Scott Stimpfel.

In the fourth quarter, Pritchett’s four-yard touchdown gave the Falcons a 16-3 lead with 9:21 left.

South Pasadena appeared to score with 4:19 left, but it was ruled Paul Wilkins fumbled before he ball crossed the goal line.

“Coulda, shoulda, woulda,” said South Pasadena Coach Ed Smith, whose team has lost nine consecutive games to Crescenta Valley. “That’s just part of football.”