SCOREBOARD / FACTS, FIGURES AND COMMENTS FROM AREA EVENTS

PREPS

One of the most successful football seasons in Crescenta Valley history came to an end Saturday when the Falcons lost to top-ranked Los Alamitos, 28-10, in the semifinals of the Southern Section Division II playoffs.

Crescenta Valley, which lost only to Los Alamitos and Pacific League champion Muir, finished 11-2 under Coach Jim Beckenhauer.

Los Alamitos quarterback Tim Carey, who will attend Stanford next year, passed for 279 yards as Los Alamitos stayed unbeaten at 13-0 and extended its winning streak to 20 games.

“We came together as a team,” Crescenta Valley running back/linebacker Paul Lopez said. “This has been our best year since 1976. You can’t take anything away from what we’ve done.”

Margarito Casillas’ bid for a state cross-country championship ended when the Hoover senior faded to 48th in the Kinney West Regional at Fresno.

Casillas, the defending West Regional champion, covered the 5,000-meter course at Woodward Park in 16 minutes 2 seconds, which was almost a minute slower than the time he clocked in winning the Southern Section title over the same course the previous week.

“I felt good at two miles,” Casillas said. “But my legs just locked up in the last 800. I felt like I was walking. There was nothing I could do about it.”

Neither Casillas, nor defending Division II state champion Ryan Wilson of Agoura--who failed to finish--qualified for Saturday’s national championship meet at San Diego.

COMMUNITY COLLEGES

The Glendale College football team finished 8-3 after losing to Antelope Valley, 24-23, in the Western State Conference Bowl.

Glendale, which lost a 17-point halftime lead, still had a chance to win the game in the final minute. Brad Faunce, who had kicked a 57-yard field goal earlier this season and had been successful against Antelope Valley from 36, 22 and 34 yards, attempted a 52-yard kick with 24 seconds left. The kick, however, was blocked, giving Antelope Valley (8-2-1) only its second victory over Glendale in eight games.

“Obviously, if we won Saturday we would have felt a lot better,” Glendale Coach John Cicuto said. “But even with the loss, we felt we had a great year.

“We had great chemistry with some kids that were overachievers.”

Glendale offensive lineman Albert Ocon will visit San Jose State this weekend on a recruiting trip. Offensive lineman Brian Feola will visit James Madison University.

Glendale’s men’s basketball team entered the week 3-6 after a fourth-place finish in the Golden West tournament.

Glendale beat Southwestern, 104-103, in the first round of the tournament behind a 32-point performance by Will Burr.

The Vaqueros lost in the semifinals to top-ranked Cerritos, 64-63, when Setrak Terzian missed a short jump shot with three seconds left. The Vaqueros also lost to Citrus, 64-63, in the third-place game.

Kenny Collins of Glendale was named to the all-tournament team.

The Glendale women’s basketball team entered the week 4-5 after defeating Pasadena City College, 55-48.

The Vaqueros were led by former Verdugo Hills High standout Makela Theriault, who had 14 points and 16 rebounds.

COLLEGES

The Occidental College men’s basketball team begins a three-game trip to Oregon on Saturday when the Tigers meet Multnomah Bible College.

Occidental, under Coach Brian Newhall, will also play George Fox and Concordia colleges before returning home and resuming its schedule Dec. 28-29 at a tournament at Pt. Loma College in San Diego. In the opening round, Occidental plays Wisconsin- Platteville, which was ranked No. 1 in a preseason Division III poll by Sports Illustrated.

Occidental improved to 2-1 with a 129-65 victory over Life Bible College. Blair Slattery had 24 points and 10 rebounds for Occidental. Slattery injured his wrist during the victory and will be out three weeks.

The Occidental women’s basketball team entered the week 2-0 after beating Pt. Loma, 68-66, and defeating Pacific Christian College, 75-28.

Stephanie Francis scored 24 points against Pt. Loma and 20 against Pacific Christian.

Two Occidental football players were selected to the GTE Academic All-American team for District 8.

Senior wide receiver Mark Krock, who carries a 3.66 grade-point average in biochemistry, and senior running back Gary Little, who has a 3.49 GPA in exercise science, are also nominees for the national Academic All-American team.

PREP ATHLETE OF WEEK

Erik La Com, Crescenta Valley--La Com gained 108 yards for the Falcons, including an 87-yard touchdown, during a 28-10 loss to top-ranked Los Alamitos in the semifinals of the Southern Section Division II playoffs.

La Com was instrumental in helping the Falcons to an 11-2 record.

COLLEGE ATHLETE OF WEEK

Pathon Rucker, Glendale--Rucker, a freshman running back, gained 175 yards in 32 carries during the Vaqueros’ 24-23 loss to Antelope Valley College in the Western State Conference Bowl.

Rucker, who was The Times’ Glendale-area back of the year at Glendale High in 1991, helped Glendale outgain Antelope Valley, 359 yards to 319.

HOW THE AREA’S TOP PREP BASKETBALL TEAMS FARED

Rank, Team and Synopsis 1 La Canada: The Spartans, under Coach Tom Hofman, return five players from last year’s Southern Section championship team that finished 27-3, notably 6-foot-11 senior Richard Mandeville, who will attend Indiana next year. 2 Crescenta Valley: Coach John Goffredo’s Falcons, who finished 15-11 last season, were buoyed by the transfer of guard Adam Jacobsen from Glendora. Jacobsen is the Southern Section’s all-time leader in three-point shooting. 3 Hoover: The Tornadoes, under Coach Kirt Kohlmeier, are led by Chad Reese and Joe Khouzman. Hoover finished 13-13 last season after a first-round loss to Lynwood in the Southern Section division 1-AA playoffs. 4 Glendale: David Sofro is the top returning player for Coach Bob Davidson and the Dynamiters, who finished 16-12 last season after losing to Alhambra in the first round of the Southern Section 1-AA playoffs. 5 St. Francis: The Golden Knights, who finished 8-17 last season under Coach John Jordan, are led by Jason Pruett. 6 Marshall: John and Marshall Kim lead the Barristers, who finished 13-7 last season after losing to top-seeded Fremont in the City Section 3-A Division playoffs. 7 Eagle Rock: Ron Kato has replaced Bill Whiting as coach of the Eagles, who finished 17-7 lastseason after losing to South Gate in the first round of the City Section 3-A playoffs. 8 Verdugo Hills: Eddie Powell, a Times All-Glendale player last season as a junior, is one of the area’s top returning players. The Dons, who finished 10-13 last season, are coached by Scott Kemple. 9 Ribet Academy: The Fighting Frogs, who finished 19-8 last season, are expected to be a power again in the Southern Section 5-A. 10 Franklin: The Panthers, under Coach Robin Cardona, will attempt to improve upon last season’s 7-14 record. 11 Flintridge Prep: The Rebels are coming off a 9-15 season during which they qualified for theSouthern Section 5-A playoffs before losing a first-round game against Cate. 12 Glendale Adventist: The Cougars are expected to improve upon last season’s 4-15 record and Could contend for a playoff spot. Rankings according to Times Glendale sportswriters’ poll.