Eagles

CAMARILLO — Nearly everything that happened while the Providence High softball team was at the plate during the early innings of Tuesday's CIF Southern Section Division VII playoff game forecasted the makings of an upset. The Pioneers scrapped and battled to get enough runs across the plate to take a slim lead against top-seeded Cornerstone Christian. Once the game turned into a slugging contest in the later innings, however, Providence simply could not keep pace with the Eagles' big bats, as it suffered a 10-5 season-ending defeat on the road.

With a little help from Smokey Bear, Eagle Scout candidates and Burbank city officials dedicated fire-danger signs on Tuesday at Fire Station 16. Four Eagle Scout candidates from Troop 209 took on the challenge of building the signs, which rate the risk of fire in an area, for their Eagle Scout project. The Scouts built the signs to mark the anniversary of last year's Harvard Incident Fire, which in October burned more than 1,100 acres in the Verdugo Mountains above Burbank.

WEST HILLS — Burbank High running back Marcus Hood was a marked man. And as such, the Chaminade defense was ready for him Friday night in a nonleague game at Vukelich Field. As a result, the Bulldogs had a difficult time moving the ball, and lost, 46-6. The inability to control the ground game led to a struggling passing game. More importantly, Bulldog quarterbacks Robert Linda and Keith Hoefel were constantly running for their lives. "I said that if we ran the ball and stopped their run, we had a chance to win the game," Burbank Coach Greg Sobiech said.

LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE — It took five energy draining games and one classic match, but the greatest season in the history of La Cañada High boys' volleyball finally came to an end. With it came the end of, arguably, the greatest career in Spartan history, as senior Mike Gaudino left a lasting impression in the form of 39 kills. It came as La Cañada fell in dramatic fashion to visiting Brentwood, 26-24, 20-25, 25-23, 23-25, 15-10, at the Spartan gym in the CIF Southern Section Division IV quarterfinals.

UPLAND ? The teams traded errors, unearned runs and leads. In the end, the Flintridge Prep baseball squad saw its season end on a disappointing note. Flintridge Prep squandered three leads en route to an 11-10 loss to Upland Christian on Friday in a CIF Southern Section Division VI first-round loss at Upland Memorial Park. The Rebels (14-7) picked up their equipment prior to meeting with friends and family members before boarding the team bus back to La Ca"ada Flintridge wondering what might have been.

Joyce Rudolph Great entertainment and a new concessionaire are what will set the 2005 Starlight Bowl Summer Concert Series apart, organizers say. Some new and familiar faces will grace the stage, said Garth Nelson, deputy director of Burbank Park, Recreation and Community Services. "We had a great concert on the Fourth of July, and the entire Starlight team is looking forward to the remaining concerts," he said. "An Eagles tribute band, Hotel California, is a new act this year," he said.

Jacqui Brown Taylor Barlow, 14, has a sash full of merit badges he's earned through his two-year participation in the Boy Scouts. The silver-edged ones are the most important right now, because they're what he's already earned in his attempt to move up the ladder to the coveted Eagle Scout status. That's the one badge he wants to see on the sash. It's the one that will set him on equal ground with his two older brothers, who have already received that honor.

BURROUGHS VS. CHAMINADE WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday. WHERE: Burroughs High's Memorial Field. RECORDS: The Indians are 2-1; the Eagles are 3-0. LAST WEEK: Burroughs lost to St. Francis, 38-22; Chaminade defeated Calabasas, 49-27. OUTLOOK: The Indians experienced their first stumble of the season last week in a nonleague loss to the Golden Knights on the road. The team will get a chance to get back on the winning track Friday with a return to the comfy confines of Memorial Field.

Jeff Tully Even Bellarmine-Jefferson High Coach Eli Essa was surprised when he looked up at the scoreboard in the fourth quarter to see his team leading powerhouse L.A. Verbum Dei. With an offensive punch that has pummeled their share of opponents, the Eagles are ranked No. 1 in CIF Southern Section Division IVA and have an athletic team that boasts one 6-foot-10 player, two 6-8 starters and one 6-6 reserve....

Jeff Tully If he had his way, Providence High girls' basketball Coach Andrew Bencze might change the name of the Pioneers' annual tournament. "Maybe we should call it the seventh annual Pioneer Third-Place Shootout," he said. "Because it seems like we are always playing for third place in our own tournament." That was the case Friday, as Providence was relegated to competing for the third-place spot after a disappointing loss in the championship semifinals one day earlier.