Sports Briefs: Glendale Adventist Academy girls’ volleyball duo merit accolades
Two Cougars net league honors
A pair of Glendale Adventist Academy girls’ volleyball players were bestowed with All-Liberty League recognition. Glendale Adventist finished 24-6, 5-3 in league to tie for second with Providence behind Archer.
The Cougars won the CIF Southern Section Division IX championship and reached the semifinals of the CIF State Division V Southern California Regional Championship, losing to Maranatha Christian, 3-1. Maranatha Christian won the state title and lost only one game in the state playoffs, which was against GAA.
Freshman outside hitter Elyse Knipschild and senior libero Camille Pizarro earned all-league honors. There is just a singular All-Liberty League team.
Knipschild finished with 291 kills, 259 digs, 53 aces and 13 blocks.
“She came in with a lot of experience and we let her play,” Glendale Adventist coach Gared Luquet said. “She had a remarkable consistency to her overall game.”
Pizarro had 498 digs and 37 aces.
“She was our behind the scenes leader,” Luquet said. “She always did extra repetitions in practice and it paid off in the end.”
Jackson safe for now in Cleveland
On the same day the Cleveland Browns fired their general manager in the middle of another abysmal season, head coach and former Glendale Community College standout Hue Jackson was given a reprieve for the rest of the season.
Browns general manager Sashi Brown was fired on Wednesday in a press conference in which Browns owner Jimmy Haslam said no decision would be made to similarly sack Jackson.
“Hue Jackson will remain our coach and will return for the 2018 season but we feel it is necessary to take significant steps to strengthen our personnel department,” Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam communicated in a statement. “We have begun the process of having productive conversations regarding leadership of our football operations and will provide further updates when appropriate.”
It’s been a rocky season-plus for Jackson, who was hired in January of 2016.
Cleveland has lost 27 of 28 games under Jackson and is currently 0-12 heading into Sunday’s home contest versus the Green Bay Packers.
On Thursday, Cleveland hired former Kansas City Chiefs executive John Dorsey as the new general manager.
Annual Hoop Shoot competition
Glendale Elks Lodge No. 1289 invites all girls and boys, ages 8-13, to participate in its annual “Hoop Shoot” basketball competition at 8 a.m. today at Hoover High’s gymnasium, 651 Glenwood Road, Glendale.
The competition is open to all students from public and private schools in the Glendale area. Winners who qualify will go on to represent their schools at district, regional, state and national competitions.
Schools that wish to participate should contact John Jolly at (818) 242-2105 or hoopshoot1289@aol.com.
Christmas golf tournament set
The Senior Men’s Christmas Golf Tournament, hosted by Scholl Canyon Men’s Golf Club, will be held Dec. 16 at Scholl Canyon Golf Course, 3800 E. Glenoaks Blvd., Glendale.
The cost is $35 per person. Check in at 6:30 a.m., followed by tee off at 7.
New golfers invited. Cans of food being accepted for local food bank.
For more information, email Lynn McGinnis at mcginnix@aol.com with a subject line titled “Golf.”
Falcons Winter Baseball Camp
The 22nd annual Falcons Winter Baseball Camp will run from 9 a.m. to noon Dec. 27-28 at Stengel Field in Glendale.
The camp, conducted by Crescenta Valley baseball coach Phil Torres, will focus on hitting, pitching and more. The cost is $75 per person.
The event is geared for ages 7-13 during the 2017-18 school year.
For more information, contact Torres at (818) 249-5871, ext., 6110, or at cvbaseball@hotmail.com.