Team of the Year: Crescenta Valley football stands alone

The area’s top-10 high school teams from the 2014-15 season were selected by the Glendale News-Press sports department.

1 Crescenta Valley football — After a 41-year title drought, Crescenta Valley returned to glory by winning the CIF Southern Section Southeast Division championship. For the most part, the Falcons did so convincingly with coach Paul Schilling leading the way.

“It’s a team that thought they could win before the season began,” Schilling said. “They weren’t saying they would win one, but they believed they could and that’s where things started looking up.”

The Falcons finished 14-0, 7-0 in the Pacific League for their first league title since 2004. It came after the Falcons went 8-2 in 2013 and didn’t qualify for the postseason.

Crescenta Valley stormed through the regular season, earning the fourth seed in the playoffs. Crescenta Valley then answered the bell in the postseason, picking up wins against Harvard-Westlake, Paramount, La Serna and completing its championship run with a 21-14 win against Downey at Glendale High’s Moyse Field.

The Falcons were led by senior quarterback Brian Gadsby, the All-Area Football Player of the Year, a talented offensive core and a hard-nosed defense.

Gadsby tossed 40 touchdowns and completed 230 of 377 passes for 3,780 yards and rushed for eight touchdowns.

Senior defensive end Davo Hakobyan (101 tackles, 11.5 sacks) was instrumental in sparking the Falcons to their first title since 1973, as were senior linebacker Sean Bloks (138 tackles), senior defensive end Matt Erickson (134 tackles), sophomore safety Tyler Hill (team-best 141 tackles), senior running back Jonathan Jun (1,457 yards and 17 touchdowns), senior cornerback/receiver Jordan Lobianco (15 total touchdowns and nine interceptions), senior receiver Connor Van Ginkel (67 receptions, 1,405 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns) and senior offensive tackle Bryan Wong, who all garnered All-CIF recognition.

“They had an edge to them when they took the field and they practiced well together,” Schilling said. “This team had a lot of character. They grew up together. It was amazing to hold the championship plaque. I don’t think you begin to appreciate what we were able to do until later on.”

2 St. Francis football — Under coach Jim Bonds, St. Francis finished 11-1, 5-0 in the Angelus League. It marked the first league championship for the Golden Knights since 1997, when they won a Mission League crown.

St. Francis breezed throughout the regular season and earned the top seed in the CIF Southern Section Southeast Division. They lost standout quarterback Jeremiah Martin to a fractured collarbone in a first-round playoff win against Mayfair, though. In a quarterfinal contest in which it was also without standout linebacker Matt Bayle, St. Francis’ championship aspirations were derailed following a 38-35 road defeat against La Serna.

It turned out to be a successful season overall, though, for the Golden Knights, who had a talented cast of skill players, a superb defensive unit and reached double digits in victories for the second straight season.

With no varsity experience, Martin turned in a big season. Martin, who was selected the league’s co-most valuable player and received an All-CIF selection, completed 130 of 189 passes for 2,460 yards. He threw 29 touchdowns and no interceptions and rushed for 595 yards and 10 touchdowns to pick up All-Area first-team accolades.

Also turning in excellent seasons for St. Francis were senior tight end/receiver John Carroll (33 catches and nine touchdowns), junior wide receiver Dylan Crawford (1,006 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns) and senior linebacker Bayle (69 tackles and three sacks), among others.

3 Crescenta Valley baseball — Though the Falcons didn’t win the Pacific League championship for the first time in three seasons, they still enjoyed a superb campaign that was highlighted by a deep playoff run.

Led by veteran coach Phil Torres, the Falcons finished 25-6, 11-3 in league and marched to the CIF Southern Section Division II semifinals. It marked the first time the Falcons had reached the semifinals since 1998, when they won a Division I championship.

The Falcons were led by standout senior starting pitcher Brian Gadsby, the All-Area Baseball Player of the Year, and first baseman Adrian Damla

Gadsby shined on the mound, going 12-4 with a 0.578 earned-run average. He struck out 104 and walked 13 in 109 innings. In the playoffs, the right-hander went 2-1 and turned in complete-game victories against Ventura and Trabuco Hills. The UCLA-bound Gadsby would go on to earn multiple postseason accolades.

Damla batted .393 with 15 runs batted in. He had a team-best 30 runs along with eight doubles and seven triples and helped stabilize Crescenta Valley’s infield. Catcher Kewin Ledesma and outfielder Chase Walker also contributed for the Falcons.

4 Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy swimming — To claim to dominate the Mission League in any sport is an accomplishment and Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy has certainly owned its league in recent years.

At the 2015 Mission League swim finals at the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center on April 28, the Tologs’ reign extended another year as the team won its fourth consecutive league crown with ease with 629 points, which easily outlasted runner-up Sherman Oaks Notre Dame (483.5).

The title marked the first time in the program’s history that it won four consecutive league titles as swimming joined volleyball (twice) in accomplishing the feat.

That day in Pasadena, Kirsten Vose and Christina Campbell won two individual events and were part of both the Tologs’ winning relay teams.

Vose won the 200-yard individual medley (2 minutes 2.33 seconds) and 100 freestyle (50.04), while Campbell took the 500 freestyle (5:07.94) and 200 freestyle (1:51.89). Diver Caroline Bender also added to the winning tally by capturing her fourth consecutive championship.

At the CIF Southern Section Division I championships at Riverside City College on May 16, the Tologs finished in the top 10 for a third straight year by placing ninth with 114.50 points.

Individually, Vose, a senior, captured her team’s lone title by setting the Division I record in the 200 IM with a mark of 1:56.07.

“On Kirsten’s shoulders we swam really well,” said Flintridge Sacred Heart Coach Steve Bergen, whose team finished sixth and seventh the past two seasons. “To be top 10 again in Division I, for a school our size, we’re ecstatic. We lost a bunch [of seniors] and didn’t do well on Thursday, so to come back today and still stay in the top 10, it’s a testament to the program and how hard the girls work.”

5 Glendale boys’ water polo — After winning the CIF Southern Section Division V championship in 2013, Glendale began a new era in the program’s history in 2014.

First, the Nitros moved up to Division IV and did so under new coach Stephen Whittier. Glendale entered the season having won three straight undefeated Pacific League titles. The Nitros appeared in line for a fourth consecutive undefeated league crown before suffering a 9-7 defeat against rival Crescenta Valley in the league’s tournament championship match.

Glendale finished 19-12, 7-1 in league for a share of the title and reached the semifinals before falling to host Cerritos.

Glendale received remarkable seasons again from senior utility players Manuk Piloyan, the All-Area Boys’ Water Polo Player of the Year, and Artak Arzumanyan. Piloyan, who was named the Pacific League Most Valuable Player, registered 105 goals. Arzumanyan collected 99 goals.

Goalkeeper David Tiraturyan and driver Jayson Wilia also made key contributions for Glendale.

6 Crescenta Valley boys’ water polo — Under veteran coach Jan Sakonju, Crescenta Valley rallied back to gain a split of the Pacific League championship with rival Glendale. Needing a victory in the league’s tournament championship match to pick up a share of the league crown, the Falcons responded with a 9-7 victory against the Nitros.

Crescenta Valley went 20-9, 7-1 in league and marched to the CIF Southern Section Division IV semifinals before falling to eventual champion and top-seeded Righetti on the road.

The Falcons featured a steady lineup that included junior goalkeeper Logan Goddard and junior hole/set Vasil Halchev. Goddard finished with 332 saves and Halchev had 94 goals and 47 steals.

Griffin Harting, Omar Trad and Trevor Goddard also flourished for the Falcons. Sakonju was named the All-Area Girls’ Water Polo Coach of the Year.

7 Flintridge Prep baseball — At the conclusion of the regular season, the Flintridge Prep baseball team was even at 12-12.

Yet the .500 record belied a squad that was building momentum as the Rebels had won 12 of 19 games, which included finishing runner-up in the Prep League while defeating champion Pasadena Poly, 5-2, in the season finale.

Once the postseason got underway, Flintridge Prep wasn’t the most dominant team in its division, but perhaps the most persistent.

The Rebels rallied in four of five playoff victories, winning those contests all by one-run margins. The only game that wasn’t tight was a surprising 10-0 mercy-rule victory in the second round at No. 3 Lancaster Desert Christian, the highest-ranked team Flintridge Prep knocked off in the postseason.

The Rebels won their first-ever divisional title in only the program’s second visit with a 3-2 eight-inning triumph over St. Anthony at UC Riverside on June 6 to clinch the CIF Southern Section Division VI championship.

8 Crescenta Valley boys’ swimming — Despite suffering a rare regular season loss to Pacific League archrival Arcadia earlier in the year, the Falcons avenged their defeat with a close victory at the league finals at Burbank High on May 7.

Crescenta Valley held off a hard charge from Arcadia, 513-459, to clinch the program’s 23rd consecutive league crown.

Edward Yi was his team’s catalyst at league finals as the senior was a member of four victories, including individual wins in the 100-yard butterfly (50.25 seconds) and 200 freestyle (1:44.63).

A little more than a week later, the Falcons finished 11th with exactly 100 points at the CIF Southern Section Division II finals in Riverside.

9 Crescenta Valley girls’ swimming — There was no stopping the Falcons at the Pacific League finals on May 7 at Burbank High.

While the squad was missing one of its key swimmers, Yvette Kim, Crescenta Valley still battled to a 450-339 triumph over Arcadia. The win secured the Falcons their eighth consecutive Pacific League crown.

Heather MacDougall played a large role in her team’s dominance with four victories, two as a member of Crescenta Valley’s 200 medley (1:56.25) and 200 freestyle (1:43.87) relays squads. MacDougall also captured the league’s individual titles in the 100 butterfly (59.09) and 100 breaststroke (1:07.14).

On May 16 at the Division II finals in Riverside, the Falcons took 12th with 86 points.

MacDougall represented her team well by taking fifth in the 200 freestyle in 1:52.85 and seventh in the 100 freestyle (52.24).

10 Crescenta Valley girls’ water polo — Crescenta Valley had another fine season, winning its sixth straight Pacific League championship and advancing to the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division IV playoffs.

The Falcons, under first-year coach Ricky Mulcahey, finished 24-3, 8-0 in league. They were led by junior driver Audrey Taylor, who had a career-best 98 goals and was named the All-Area Girls’ Water Polo Player of the Year. Also contributing for the Falcons were senior utility Ani Aghakhanian, the Pacific League Player of the Year, junior hole/set Esma Dollaku and junior driver Brynn Fernandez. The quartet all earned postseason recognition. Mulcahey was named the All-Area Girls’ Water Polo Coach of the Year.

Honorable mention: Crescenta Valley girls’ basketball, Crescenta Valley boys’ volleyball, Flintridge Prep boys’ volleyball, Crescenta Valley boys’ cross-country, Crescenta Valley girls’ cross-country, Flintridge Prep girls’ cross-country, Flintridge Prep boys’ cross-country, Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy volleyball, Flintridge Prep girls’ basketball.