Falcons

BURROUGHS HIGH — Since joining the Pacific League five years ago, the Burroughs High girls' basketball team has had its share of close battles with Crescenta Valley. During the four-year span, the teams took turns besting one another, as the Indians finished ahead of the Falcons twice and Crescenta Valley finished ahead of Burroughs twice. In addition, the squads never placed lower than fourth place in league. This season things have changed, however, as the Falcons field a young, inexperienced team and the Indians field one of the most successful teams in years.

GIRLS' BASKETBALL Burroughs 49, Crescenta Valley 36 : The Indians opened Pacific League play Tuesday with an impressive win against the host Falcons. For the first half, Burroughs (11-3) and Crescenta Valley (7-6) were locked in a tight game. The Indians held a 22-20 halftime lead before playing strong defense and getting some timely baskets in turning back the Falcons, who advanced to the quarterfinals last season for the first time since 2001 with an experienced squad.

Paulina Antaplyan, Junior, Flintridge Sacred Heart Symbolic of her team as a whole, the talented Antaplyan saved her best for last, turning in a 14th-place finish in 19:03 at Woodward Park to lead the Tologs to a program-best third-place finish at the CIF-State Division IV finals. She earned second-team All-State Division IV honors with her run, which culminated a season in which she was consistently the top runner on a Tologs squad that went up and down. Erika Johnson, Freshman, Crescenta Valley Was a difference maker late in the season in aiding the Falcons to a share of another Pacific League title.

LA CRESCENTA — With rain rarely relenting and the ball speeding up, stopping and switching at an unpredictable rate, when Crescenta Valley High's girls' soccer team hosted Burroughs, the Pacific League match quickly became one in which anything could happen. The anything, essentially, turned out to be nothing. Both the Falcons and Indians survived scoring scares before walking away with a 0-0 tie on a wet and rainy Friday afternoon at CV High. With Crescenta Valley earning a 2-2 tie against Burbank two days earlier, Burroughs Coach Louie Binda knew the Falcons would come out with a solid effort.

LA CRESCENTA — With a combined two wins, the Burbank High and Crescenta Valley boys' soccer teams didn't exactly vault into Pacific League play Friday with a great deal of momentum behind them. But it was evident early on that the squads were ready to put a disappointing nonleague campaign behind them, as the Bulldogs and Falcons each scored a goal in the opening seven minutes of the match at Crescenta Valley. But thereafter, Burbank couldn't capitalize on a wealth of scoring opportunities, the Falcons controlled the midfield and the Bulldogs suffered through their share of defensive lapses.

andrew.shortall@latimes.com LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE — The Crescenta Valley High girls' soccer offense got a jolt of life at the expense of host La Cañada on Monday afternoon after having been dormant for most of the season prior. Crescenta Valley only had one goal to its name the entire season before manufacturing three goals against the Spartans for a 3-2 comeback win, with all three coming in the second half and the game-winner coming on a fall-away effort from Whitley Boller.

BURROUGHS VS. MUIR WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday. WHERE: Muir High. RECORDS: The Indians are 5-3, 5-0 in league; the Mustangs are 4-4, 3-2. LAST WEEK: Burroughs defeated Crescenta Valley, 21-14; Muir defeated Glendale, 31-6 OUTLOOK: The Indians had to fight from behind last week to win the game against the Falcons and stay undefeated in the Pacific League. A win this week and a victory Nov. 11 against Burbank will give the Burroughs its second league title in as many years, and its first outright crown since 2006.

GLENDALE — To the Crescenta Valley High football team, it appeared that its opponent on Thursday night, Burroughs, had just a few plays in its playbook. The Falcons saw the Indians run the counter, stretch run and wide receiver screen. "They run three plays," Crescenta Valley High Coach Paul Schilling said. "I have a lot more plays than that, but I'm going to use what works," Indians Coach Keith Knoop said. Those three plays worked pretty well for the Indians.

LA CRESCENTA — The Crescenta Valley High girls' volleyball team had the tough task of running through the gauntlet of Burbank-area schools in Pacific League contests this week. The Falcons started the week on somewhat of a sour note, falling to host Burroughs in three games Tuesday. Crescenta Valley was hoping to use its home court to its advantage Thursday when it hosted Burbank. The Falcons definitely had the momentum after winning the fourth game and forcing a deciding fifth.

BURBANK HIGH — At this point, Crescenta Valley High pitcher Nate Rousey might be the last guy the Burbank baseball team wants to see on the mound. The sophomore right-hander beat the Bulldogs for the second time this season on Tuesday afternoon, allowing one run on four hits over seven innings to lead the Falcons to an 8-1 Pacific League victory at Burbank. “I was just trying to get ahead in the count and let the defense work for me,” said Rousey, who received plenty of run support from Troy Mulcahey and Elliott Surrey, who both went four for four with a combined seven runs batted in. The win was Crescenta Valley’s 12th in its last 13 league games since dropping its league opener to Burroughs on March 23. The Falcons’ only loss in that span came to Arcadia, which clinched the league title on Tuesday with its win over Glendale.