Falcons cruise, 39-7

With their journey down Foothill Boulevard a success and now complete, the Crescenta Valley High football team can look toward the Pacific.

Now it will remain to be seen if the Falcons can fly over the Pacific — that would be the Pacific League.

Crescenta Valley concluded the nonleague portion of its schedule Friday night with a lopsided 39-7 road victory against Verdugo Hills in an intersectional contest.

The Falcons went 2-1 against a trio of schools that reside on or just off Foothill Boulevard. Crescenta Valley, which opened with a win against La Cañada before falling to St. Francis, scored on its first six possessions to make quick work of the Dons (1-3). It marked the second time that the Falcons, who went 5-5 last season, have registered a 39-7 win this season.

“It’s not a bad start for us,” said second-year Crescenta Valley Coach Tony Zarrillo, whose team got four rushing touchdowns and picked up another on a 16-yard fumble recovery from senior linebacker Ryan Eberhart.

“I like a lot of things that they have done.

“Obviously, we have some rough edges, but our kids have played hard throughout. I like what our offense does, and it’s fun to watch.”

Crescenta Valley grabbed a 6-0 lead on a two-yard run by Eberhart with 6:19 left in the first quarter before junior running back Harrison Pessy made it 12-0 on a two-yard score less than four minutes later.

After the Dons cut the lead to 12-7 early in the second quarter, Crescenta Valley responded on its next drive when senior quarterback Karsen Reedy launched a 29-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Matthew Zilinsky with 6:26 remaining in the first half to 20-7.

Sophomore running back Daityevon McFadden had a two-yard run to make it 26-7 with 2:09 left in the third quarter before Eberhart scored on a fumble recovery after linebackers Jake Walker and Andrew Carcich sacked Verdugo Hills quarterback Matthew Torres.

The Falcons, who finished with six sacks, closed out the scoring on a 15-yard scoring pass from Carcich with 8:19 left in the game.

Zarrillo and the Falcons will begin Pacific League competition at 7 p.m. Thursday against Burroughs at Glendale High’s Moyse Field.

“We have some good teams in our league,” Zarrillo said. “You have a situation where almost anybody can beat anybody.

“In my estimation, it’s a very balanced league.”