Local soccer earns five All-CIF awards

While the La Cañada High boys’ soccer team held its banquet Monday night, the CIF Southern Section released its all-division teams.

Seniors Armand Bagramyan and Aidan Tourani and juniors Austin Gartside and Graham Labran-Boyd were named to the All-CIF Southern Section Division V boys’ soccer awards list.

While the 2013 season was a bitter ending for the Spartans, who were ranked No. 1 in Division I, with a loss in their playoff opener, the awards were a testament to their individual success.

For Bagramyan, who was named to the divisional first team, the honors continue to roll in.

The UC Santa Barbara-bound forward was also named the Rio Hondo League Offensive Player of the Year after a brilliant season in which he set a school record and led the area with 43 goals and 21 assists.

“I sort of knew Armand was a lock, you kind of knew that,” La Cañada Coach Alex Harrison said. “Nobody else scored 43 goals anywhere in Southern California.”

As for the remaining La Cañada three, they were all named to the divisional third team.

Goalie Graham-Boyd finished with 106 saves and joined with Gartside (three goals and three assists) in helping lead the Spartans to 11 shutouts.

“I felt Austin deserved to be a first-teamer. It’s nice to make the team, but I felt he could have been higher,” Harrison said. “With Graham, it’s kind of hard because he gave up two goals in our playoff game, but he was great and unbelievable the rest of the year.”

Tourani moved from defense, where he was an first-team Rio Hondo League and second-team CIF pick a year ago, to the midfield. He finished with a goal and an assist on the year, as he was primarily a defensive midfielder.

“It probably cost him being first-team Rio Hondo League and definitely probably cost him first-team CIF,” Harrison said. “We did it for the team and he went with it, but it didn’t work necessarily for his benefit, but it was for the team benefit. I am glad it got through to CIF.”

St. Francis senior Luca Coppola was once again one of the top goalkeepers in the competitive Mission League. Coppola registered four shutouts and made 98 saves for the Golden Knights, who went 8-11-4, 5-6-1 in league for third place.

“We’ve had some excellent goalies come through the program and Luca is among them,” St. Francis Coach Glen Appels said.

Coppola was selected to the Division I second team.