Sports Briefs: Baffert brings home another win
Baffert claims Pennsylvania Derby
It was another winning weekend for La Cañada Flintridge resident and horse racing titan Bob Baffert.
The trainer saw his horse West Coast dominate at Saturday’s Grade 1 stakes $1-million Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing Course and Casino in Bensalem, PA.
The 3-year-old horse breezed to victory by a big margin of 7 1/4 lengths with jockey Mike Smith taking home the win.
The triumph is the fifth straight for West Coast and second big win within a months time as Baffert, Smith and their colt captured the Travers Stakes in late August.
Johnson providing impact for Seattle Reign
It’s a been a strong first year from former Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy standout Katie Johnson.
The rookie forward for the Seattle Reign FC women’s soccer team has netted four goals and two assists in 22 matches for her Pacific Northwest squad. Johnson has attempted 13 shots, with eight of them on frame.
Seattle finds itself in the middle of the pack heading into the final weekend of the season. The Reign is fifth in the 10-team National Women’s Soccer League with 31 points.
Seattle needs a lot of help to reach the postseason and there are only two matches remaining and it trails fourth-place Orlando by six points.
The Reign would have to win its last two matches and hope Orlando loses its final two matches for there to be a tie-breaker scenario. Orlando and Seattle tied twice in their two head-to-head matches, meaning the next tie-breaker is greater goal differential.
Seattle concludes the regular season Saturday in Maryland taking on the Washington Spirit.
Elby closes out season Saturday
Though the Boston Breakers women’s soccer team struggled this season, the Flintridge Prep product has continued a high standard.
The defender has played in 12 contests with nine starts and has taken six total shots.
Boston is 4-12-7 this season, which translates to ninth place in the 10-team league. Boston, though, is coming off a 3-0 victory over the Washington Spirit on Saturday.
Boston closes out the season on Saturday against Sky Blue FC.
Mills sees more action with Sky Blue
In her first season as part of the National Women’s Soccer League, Mills and her squad, Sky Blue FC, will finish sixth in the top 10-team league.
Sky Blue is 9-11-3 with 30 points and Mills has seen her time increase as the season winds down.
Mills, a defender, has played in 16 games with 13 starts and has taken two shots this year.
Sky Blue closes out the season Saturday at the Boston Breakers.
La Cañada’s Fraipont honored by CIF
La Cañada junior Genevieve Fraipont has certainly racked up the awards in her two-year high school sports career.
On Monday evening, Fraipoint earned another type of accolade as the swimmer and water polo player merited a 2016-2017 Champion for Character award during the event’s 14th annual banquet in Long Beach.
Fraipont was one of only 15 athletes and the lone area representative to be earn an award.
Character awards are granted to athletes, athletic trainers and directors, members of the media, superintendents, board members and principals who best represent the CIF’s six pillars: trustworthiness, responsibility, respect, fairness, caring and citizenship.
Fraipont has been a winner in and out of the pool. The attacker is a two-time All-Area first-team selection with the defending two-time Rio Hondo League champion La Cañada girls’ water polo team.
In swimming, the Spartans finished second last season in league to San Marino, but Fraipont joined with Megan Peters, Faith Florez and Halley Hemphill to win the league 400-yard freestyle relay championship in 3 minutes, 55.88 seconds.