SPORTS ROUNDUP: Idle Flintridge Prep baseball wins Prep League title
BASEBALL
Flintridge Prep wins share of Prep League title: Though Flintridge Prep closed out the regular season with a 10-2 win over Rio Hondo Prep on Wednesday, the Rebels won themselves a share of the Prep League title on Friday afternoon.
On the strength of Pasadena Poly defeating Webb Schools, 10-3, on Friday for the second time in as many days, the Panthers forced a three-way tie atop the standings, bestowing the Rebels with a share of their first league title in more than 15 years.
“Oh my, we’re really pumped — really pumped,” said first-year Rebels Coach Guillermo Gonzalez, whose team is 15-8 overall and shares a 9-3 league record with the Panthers and Gauls. “[The players are] really excited to have the opportunity to win a league title.”
Further excitement came in the form of the Rebels winning a tiebreaker before the game that sends them into next week’s CIF Southern Section Division 6 playoffs as the league’s No. 1 team, with Poly as No. 2 and Webb as No. 3.
“When I heard that, I was hoping even more Poly would pull it out,” said Gonzalez, who said he believed the last Rebels’ league title in baseball came in 1996 or 1997. “It’s a big accomplishment for [the players].”
BOYS’ SWIMMING
Crescenta Valley High in CIF Southern Section Division II prelims: Aiming for consecutive CIF championships, the Falcons got a number of standout performances Friday at Riverside City College.
Crescenta Valley will have four entrants in individual championship races, along with three relay teams and four more participants in consolation events Saturday in the Division II finals, which begin at 10 a.m.
Crescenta Valley’s lone victory Friday came in the 200-yard medley relay. Its team of Harrison Thai, Young Tea Seo, Edward Yi and Jacob Ksendzov trimmed .19 of a second off its seed time by touching the wall in one minute, 35.04 seconds. CV saw its two other relay teams – 200 (1:27.97) and 400 freestyle (3:12.91) – take fourth Friday.
The 200 freestyle relay team consisted of Stephen Woo, Eric Park, Antonio Camarillo and Ksendzov. The 400 freestyle relay team featured Yi, Eric Park, Thai and Seo.
Seo (1:52.22) slipped to the second seed in the 200 individual medley, as he was just edged by Lakewood’s Daniel McArthur (1:52.02) by .20 of a second. He was also runner-up in the 100 breaststroke (55.65), as he was out touched by Arroyo Grande’s Zachary Stevens (55.15) by half a second.
Thai took third in the individual medley with a 1:53 flat. Park of the Falcons qualified for the consolation final with a 16th-place finish in 2:00.64.
The top nine swimmers in each race Friday moved onto championship races on Saturday, while the 10th through 18th finishers swim consolation finals. The 19th and 20th placers earned alternate status.
Yi put together a big performance in the 100 butterfly, trimming nearly a second off his seed time to take fourth Friday (51.12). The Falcons’ Hyunsung Kim took 22nd in the event (54.63).
Yi later just missed qualifying to the top race in the 500 free, as he took 10th. His time of 4:43.94 was .03 of a second off the ninth-place finisher and less than a second off the seventh swimmer.
Ksendzov cut .39 of a second off his 50-freestyle seed time to move into the consolation final with a mark of 22.16, which was good for 12th. He later took 12th in the breaststroke (59.94).
GIRLS’ SWIMMING
Crescenta Valley at CIF Southern Section Division II prelims: It was the Falcons’ freshmen that enjoyed the team’s top performances Friday at Riverside City College.
Heather MacDougall had a hand in both CV victories, as she won the 100-yard freestyle in 51.07 seconds and later swam on the 200-medley relay team that just edged Palm Springs for first place in 1:49.38. Fellow freshman Tiare Coker took fourth in the 100 free (52.09). MacDougall worked with Coker, Iva Icheva and Jess Gabor to win the 200 medley relay.
Crescenta Valley’s dynamic first-year duo also qualified for championship races in their two other individual races. MacDougall was third in the 200 individual medley (2:05.13) and Coker went for seventh in 100 butterfly (57.39).
Icheva qualified for the championship final in the 100 backstroke (seventh, 59.26) and just squeaked into the 50-free consolation finals with a time of 24.98 that was good for 16th.
The CV 200-freestyle relay team of Samantha Kohn, Cameron Campbell, Katie Benson and Any Aghakhanian took 32nd (1:47.29).
The Division II finals will take place Saturday at 10 a.m. with the top nine finishers in each Friday race swimming championship races Saturday and the 10th to 18th swimmers taking part in a consolation final. The 19th and 20th-place finishers are alternates.
SOFTBALL
Mayfield 13, Flintridge Prep 1 (five innings): Chelsea Johnson had a run-scoring double for the visiting Rebels on Thursday in a Pacific League contest called in the fifth inning because of the 10-run mercy rule. Flintridge Prep finished 1-18, 0-12 in league.