San Marino

Defense was the name of the game Friday night as La Cañada and San Marino went head to head at both team?s Rio Hondo League opener. The Spartans, anchored by a tough defensive line, held the Titans to one touchdown to tie the game at 7-7. ?We are very excited,? said Head Coach Rich Wheeler. ?I mean, you hate to tie, but to come through what we?ve been through, this is a great way to start league.? What Wheeler was referring to was La Cañada?s challenging pre-season, what he called the toughest lineup he?

The La Cañada varsity baseball team traveled to Monrovia on Thursday, April 26 to take on the league-leading Wildcats. The game was a see-saw offensive battle. La Cañada jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning on a single by Mitch Maseredjian, a two-base error and an RBI hit from Eric Smith. Monrovia came right back scoring two runs in the first inning and three in the second to take a 5-1 lead. The Spartans closed to within one run by scoring three runs in the third on a double by Maseredjian, a single by Smith, a Monrovia error and a two-run RBI single by Devin King.

In a lopsided victory July 15, the Spartan girls’ varsity basketball team defeated San Marino 44-19 in South Pasadena league play. The team remained undefeated in the SoPas league, which ends next week. La Cañada had eight players available to play and they all contributed in a physical contest. Shannon Denney dominated the inside, Tia Chen easily broke through the pressure defense and led a very strong defensive effort. Denney ended up with 15 points (7/7 from the field and four rebounds)

Maybe it wasn’t the perfect ending to Homecoming the Spartans wanted, but it was still a good one. Though they were falling early to favored San Marino, La Canada bounced back to almost tie the game and looked to take the lead at one point. Yet a run offense and a fumble to start the third quarter that no one saw coming ended up being too costly for the Spartans, as they lost to San Marino, 23-14. The Spartans (3-4, 1-1 in league) played well against the pass, but suffered against the run, giving up 301 total yards on the ground, 195 to Titans’ running back Scott Dooley.

After the Spartans? 3-0 blowout of Hart High School last Thursday, La Cañada Head Coach Brock Turner reflected on his team?s performance in the preseason. ?We?ve had nice momentum, and we play with intensity,? Turner said. ?But we have work to do; we serve aggressively and that could hurt us.? In fact, it was the Spartans? stellar serving and intensity at the net that helped them to a well-deserved win over San Marino in La Cañada?s league opener on Tuesday. Five-foot-11 senior Cami Martin served 14 consecutive points, including four aces, en route to the Spartans?

The La Cañada girls’ volleyball team, now ranked No. 1 in CIF Division II-A, continued their dominance Tuesday with their eighth straight victory, beating San Marino, 25-7, 25-14, 25-15. “I’m pleased with the win and we’re going to move on to the Redondo Tournament,” Spartans’ Head Coach Brock Turner said. “I thought we played really well,” Senior Captain and middleblocker Madison Anderson said. “We could have picked it up more, but we still had a lot of good plays.

The Spartans have a habit of putting teams away early this season. Friday?s home game against San Marino was no different as La Cañada?s fast start was enough to handily beat the Titans, 57-38. It was the Spartan defense that allowed them to win handily, limiting San Marino to just six first quarter points and did not allow the Titans to convert a field goal for nearly 8 minutes. ?We?re a real good defensive team right now,? said Spartan head coach Tom Hoffman. ?We?re getting a lot better.

Now that La Cañada High has added a girls' golf team, the squad will be hoping to establish some chemistry while being competitive. Rich Wheeler, La Cañada's junior varsity golf coach for the past five years and former football coach, has been named the team's head coach in its inaugural season. Richard Tetu, head boys' golf coach, will be the team's assistant coach. "I am looking forward to the program having a girls' golf team. It will make the program bigger and better," Tetu said.

For the first time, a female, Jennifer Kim of La Cañada High, qualified to play in the Rio Hondo League championship golf tournament last season. With no girls' golf team at the school, Kim had to compete against the boys. She won't have to do that for the upcoming 2010-11 school year, as the Spartans will field a girls' squad for the first time. "There has been an increase in girls interested in golf," La Cañada Athletic Director Craig Franzen said. "We have had a co-ed golf team, but the demand basically got to where we needed to consider [adding a girls' team]

CLUBS Pasadena Women's Connection — Aug. 11 at 11:30 a.m . "The Savvy Traveler Post 9/11" luncheon and program will be presented at Brookside Country Club, 1133 N. Rosemont, Pasadena. Chris Knowles, Travel Consultant, tour guide and owner of Significant Living Travel will share travel tips and tell about exciting local day trips that can be taken Toni Hoffman, registered nurse, mother, homemaker and over-achiever will proclaim, "If it's to Be, It's Up to Me|"in her inspirational talk.

Grayson Frazier and Trent Jones have known of each other since they were in elementary school. As they both began to engulf themselves in tennis, both took similar paths, following in the footsteps of their tennis-enthusiast fathers, as they made the sport a priority when middle school rolled around. That similar development has led to similar success. "Doubles is a different game than singles," La Cañada High boys' tennis Coach Will Moravec said. "There wasn't a lot of miscommunication between them because they were both learning it at the same rate, at the same time."

Opponents of the proposed underground tunnel extension of the Long Beach (710) Freeway are weighing their options after the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority voted on May 27 to initiate a major environmental study of the project. "I think a lot remains to be seen," said Ann Wilson, senior management analysis with the city of La Cañada Flintridge. "We are not really sure what financial information will come out, how it will come out, when it will come out." Glendale Mayor Ara Najarian, who as chairman of the MTA Board of Directors has been a vocal opponent of the tunnel, tried to push an amendment that would have called on officials to first study all available solutions to the traffic congestion — including a tunnel, light rail and freight corridor improvements — and compare the cost benefits, but that effort failed.

Being one of the final eight teams in the CIF Southern Section Division II playoffs is something the La Cañada boys' tennis team can be proud of this season. However, the Spartans were able to accomplish much more. Along with handing San Marino its first Rio Hondo League loss in 28 years, La Cañada also defeated two league champions in consecutive playoff matches and reached the CIF quarterfinals for the first time in 10 years. Unfortunately for the Spartans, they ran up against a talented Palm Desert team in their attempt to reach the semifinals.