Lacrosse Preview: Glendale, Crescenta Valley girls expecting Pacific League battle
Glendale High Head Coach Joe Campbell addresses his team during a game against Crescenta Valley High in a Pacific League girls’ lacrosse match on Friday, April 3, 2015.
Strides continue to be made in shaping the foundation of the Glendale High girls’ lacrosse team.
There’s been plenty of things accomplished by the Nitros in their five-year existence, including another appearance in the USA Lacrosse Southern Section North Division playoffs last season. Glendale finished second in the Pacific League behind Chaminade and reached the semifinals.
While Glendale continues to develop talent, it will look rather different this season after several key players graduated. Gone are standouts Ariella Ruiz, Claire Bernardo and Marina Percastegui.
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Glendale Coach Joe Campbell, who was inducted into the Lacrosse Hall of Fame’s Greater Los Angeles chapter in 2008, has been searching to find players capable of stepping in and carrying the torch.
“I think we will be OK,” said Campbell, who led Glendale to a share of the league championship in 2014. “We have lost a lot of our scoring from last year, but you bring in the next group to lead the way.
“We’ll be really young. That’s fine. We’ll be playing an even more difficult schedule against teams like Redondo Union, Oak Park, Tesoro, Agoura and Peninsula to get our players more up to speed. We’ll see what happens. We’ll go out there and give it our best shot.”
The Nitros will bring back senior goalkeeper Jenina Villabroza, a reigning all-league honoree, and senior midfielder Tess Walker.
Crescenta Valley High junior attacker Leah Crowther and the Falcons girls’ lacrosse team will be starting just its second season in 2015.
Crescenta Valley will begin its second season and will feature a talented cast looking to move up in the Pacific League after finishing tied for third with La Cañada in 2015.
The Falcons have a burgeoning lineup under coach Boz Crowther. It will include junior attackers Leah Crowther and Abby Sheklow, junior defender Kimmie Foster and sophomore midfielder Madeline Heeg.
Crescenta Valley will also have a true home field, playing its matches on campus after hosting contests last season at nearby Rosemont Middle School.
“I think we had a very successful first season,” Boz Crowther said. “I think we more than held our own and you could see the progress that was made from the start of the season right up until the end.
“We’ll be as best prepared as we can be and we’ll be playing a much tougher schedule against experienced teams. We want to do better in league and contend for a playoff spot.”
On the boys’ side, St. Francis will begin its fourth season under the direction of coach Geoff Watson. The Golden Knights will begin their second season in the Mission League after previously competing as a freelance squad.
St. Francis will compete against Harvard-Westlake, Loyola, Crespi and Chaminade in league. Harvard-Westlake won the league title last season.
There’s reason for optimism that the Knights, who didn’t win a league match last season, will improve.
“There’s a lot of leadership,” Watson said. “We have a lot of juniors and seniors and there’s some good chemistry.
“Right now, we’re just looking to see more improvement being made.”
St. Francis attacker Evan Swayne runs for a position to pass against Glendale High’s Jesus Chavez on Thursday, March 27, 2014.
The Golden Knights’ core will be senior attacker Evan Swayne, a reigning all-league pick, senior goalkeeper Michael Guida, junior defender Jim Murphy and junior attacker Hagen Harvey.
Glendale will start its third season. The Nitros will be an independent team coached by Campbell.
Glendale will have some leadership with senior midfielder Andrew Nazarians and junior defender Max Gonzalez and junior attacker/midfielder Albert Ruballos leading the charge.
“We’ll be very young,” said Campbell, who hopes to have Glendale in a league in the near future. “I think we’ll definitely be much improved and the commitment level is way up.
“We have a chance at finishing above .500. If they can continue to practice hard and put in the work, then they will continue to believe in themselves.”
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Charles Rich, charles.rich@latimes.com
Twitter: @TCNCharlesRich
