Lacrosse Season Preview: Glendale, Crescenta Valley girls expected to rekindle rivalry in historic season
There’s expected to be some continuing story lines set to unfold, along with a couple of new key items, surrounding the area lacrosse scene.
For the past few seasons, the Glendale High and Crescenta Valley girls’ squads have repeatedly battled for Pacific League supremacy. It’s likely the Nitros and Falcons will continue that trend in 2020.
A couple of new developments will also be in place for the 2020 campaign.
The CIF Southern Section announced last spring the inaugural CIF Southern Section Boys’ and Girls’ Lacrosse Championships will take place in May. Although lacrosse has been a part of the CIF Southern Section for many years, the reason for the creation of division championships is attributed to the fact that at least 20% of the section’s member schools field teams.
There will be three divisions for girls and three for boys.
The CIF announced that beginning with the 2021 season, playoff groupings will be developed using a 2020 on-field data points system to determine that season’s playoff divisions and all playoff divisions in subsequent years.
“I think it’s something that will be exciting for all of the teams out there,” veteran Glendale boys’ and girls’ coach Joe Campbell said. “It will continue to give the sport more exposure and a chance to win a CIF championship is a great thing for the sport itself.”
Crescenta Valley fields a boys’ squad for the first time, while St. Francis has a new coach.
Here is a closer look at the teams.
GIRLS
GLENDALE
Glendale enjoyed another impressive season, winning a second straight Pacific League championship. Glendale went 18-3, 4-0 in league before falling, 19-14, to Redondo Union in a Los Angeles Lacrosse Foundation Division I semifinal match at Culver City High.
The Nitros lost a couple of prolific players to graduation in Rachel Fong and Xcaret Salvador. Fong scored 106 goals last season and Salvador provided scoring punch to support Fong.
“We’re going to miss both of them a lot, but we still have a lot of talent to make noise,” said Campbell, whose team will reside in Division I. “In a lot of ways, we’ll be trying to come up with a new identity and we have a very strong group of underclass players.
“It’s great to have a chance to make the playoffs again. In league, I think it will be a two-horse race between Glendale and Crescenta Valley.”
Glendale will be anchored by senior midfielder/defender Zoe Charum, senior attacker Brooke Marquardt and senior midfielders Samantha Hutchinson and Sofie Berweyen.
The four-team Pacific League will consist of Glendale, Crescenta Valley, La Cañada and Village Christian, a first-year program.
CRESCENTA VALLEY
Expect Crescenta Valley to again contend for the Pacific League title. The Falcons will look to win their first league crown since 2018.
Crescenta Valley went 14-4, 3-1 in league for second place last season before falling to main rival Glendale, 14-9, in a Los Angeles Lacrosse Foundation Division I second-round road match.
The pieces might be in place for the Falcons to make a serious playoff run despite losing eight starters to graduation.
“We’re reloading now,” said Crescenta Valley coach Boz Crowther, whose team will be in Division I. “We’re a lot better than expected in that we have players who have jumped right in and are ready to contribute.
“We have five freshmen who might start and they’ve done a good job at picking up things. The good thing about freshmen is that nobody has really seen them play or knows anything about them. We expect to battle with Glendale for the league championship.”
The Falcons return senior midfielder Allie Foster, senior defender Maya Sheklow, junior goalkeeper Phoebe Crowther and freshman defender Brianne Ballard.
ST. MONICA ACADEMY
There will be something new for the Crusaders, who are in their fourth season.
St. Monica will join the Prep League after being a freelance squad its first three seasons. In addition, the Crusaders will be in Division III under second-year coach Jenna Nance.
“It will be exciting to be competing in a league for the first time,” said Nance, a Glendale High graduate. “We have a lot more experience and have players competing at the club level, plus we have about 90% of the team returning.
“The bar is a lot higher this year and I think we’ll be a much more successful team.”
The Crusaders (9-10 in 2019) will rely on senior midfielder Riley O’Brien and junior midfielder Catarine Marji.
The Prep League will also consist of Westridge, Chadwick and Sierra Vista.
BOYS
ST. FRANCIS
St. Francis has begun a new era in program history after bringing in Don Bowers to be its new coach. Bowers takes over for Jared Little.
There figures to be plenty of talent in the mix for St. Francis, which went 8-9, 2-4 in the Mission League for fourth place last season. St. Francis fell, 13-4, to host Oaks Christian in the first round of the Los Angeles Lacrosse Foundation Division I playoffs.
The Golden Knights, who will be in Division I, will again be in the competative Mission League with Loyola, Harvard-Westlake, Crespi, Chaminade and Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.
“The league will be strong once again and we know that going in,” said Bowers, who coached the past four seasons at Calabasas. “We have an opportunity to move up and I’m very optimistic because we have a lot of leaders and depth.
“The players have been around each other the last couple of years. We’ll have eight seniors and nine juniors leading the way.”
St. Francis will be paced by senior goalkeeper David Baker, senior defender Miles Jackson, junior attacker Michael Lund and sophomore defender Myles Shannon.
GLENDALE
The Nitros will be competing in the new Gold Coast League after being a freelance squad their first six seasons. Glendale will be joined by first-year program Crescenta Valley, along with Brentwood, Village Christian, Sierra Canyon and Viewpoint.
Glendale will be in Division III, under coach Joe Campbell.
“We’re very young, but we expect to fight for a playoff spot,” Campbell said. “It will be a tough fight, but we have set some goals and look to meet them.”
Glendale will count on senior midfielder/attacker Luis Mendoza, senior midfielder Aaron Garcia and senior defender Arin Sangangam to lead the charge.
CRESCENTA VALLEY
The Falcons are the newest addition to the area. Crescenta Valley will operate under the tutelage of coach Nik Soforenku, who served as an assistant for the Crespi varsity squad and junior varsity head coach the past five seasons.
“It will be exciting to be a part of a new program,” Soforenku said. “CV had a club team last year and the guys gained some good experience.
“We have numbers and they have been putting in the work to get better. We love the challenge of being able to contend for league and make the playoffs. We can win 18 games or lose 18 games, but we’ll be tough to play against.
Crescenta Valley will be in the new Gold Coast League with Glendale, Brentwood, Village Christian, Sierra Canyon and Viewpoint. The Falcons will reside in Division III.
Crescenta Valley will be led by junior attacker Carter Sherrit, sophomore midfielder Brody Biller, sophomore defender Easton Caneva and sophomore goalkeeper Hayden Lunt.
