Pacific League

Just two of the city's four high school baseball teams qualified for the CIF Southern Section playoffs, and both of them open the playoffs with wild-card games. Burroughs and Burbank highs will be in action with Division II wild-card games Tuesday. The Bulldogs (17-8, 12-2 in league) were relegated to the wild-card round despite tying for first place in the Pacific League with Crescenta Valley. Burbank is the No. 2 seed from the league as it lost the season series to Crescenta Valley.

GLENDALE — From Glendale to La Crescenta and across to the San Gabriel Valley, eight high school football coaches from the Pacific League are devising plans to make their respective way to the top of the Pacific League. At hand for Crescenta Valley, Glendale, Hoover, Muir, Arcadia and Pasadena will be the challenge of knocking off defending co-league champions Burbank and Burroughs. With the nonleague portion of the 10-week schedule complete, those teams will get to work when Pacific League plays begins this week.

After winning the Pacific League championship outright and advancing to the CIF Southern Section Division III championship match in 2011, the Burroughs High boys' volleyball team had high expectations for the 2012 campaign. The Indians fell a bit short of their goals, as they were eliminated in the semifinal round of the playoffs this season and lost the final match of the regular season, forcing the team to share the Pacific League crown with Claremont. It was the second time in three years the Indians shared the league title with the Wolfpack.

LA CRESCENTA — In 2006, its first season in the Pacific League, the success enjoyed by the Burroughs’ High girls’ volleyball team was a pleasant surprise. Welcoming almost all of their starters back, the Indians entered 2007 Pacific League play poised to surpass the accomplishments of last season, in which they went 15-9, placed third in league and reached the quarterfinals of the CIF playoffs for the first time in 20 years. With a 25-11, 25-22, 25-17 victory on Thursday against host Crescenta Valley, last year’s fourth-place team in league, the Indians ran their league record to 4-0 and are quickly emerging as one of the top teams in the Pacific League.

PASADENA — For somebody who just won a second straight individual Pacific League championship, Justin Yu wasn’t overly thrilled. The senior Crescenta Valley High boys’ golfer didn’t turn in the type of performance he believed should merit elite status despite winning by a whopping 12 strokes. Yu carded a seven-over-par 77 on Wednesday afternoon to capture the league title at Brookside Golf Course No. 2 in Pasadena. “Seven-over-par isn’t a good round for me,” said Yu, who recorded a three-round score of 213 to topple Arcadia’s Erik Stratton (225)

GLENDALE — In nonleague competition, the Glendale and Burbank high girls' tennis squads built a respectable rivalry. Now, they will look to do the same while participating in the Pacific League. The Nitros and Bulldogs completed their first league match Tuesday with the Nitros posting a 14-4 home victory. Burbank (1-2) joined the Pacific League, along with Burroughs, after a lengthy stint in the Foothill League. The Nitros (2-0) traditionally play Burbank during the first or second week of the season to prepare for the rigors of competing against perennial Pacific League powerhouses Crescenta Valley and Arcadia.

GLENDALE ? It certainly wasn't an ordinary Pacific League opener for the Hoover and Burroughs high boys' water polo teams. The first-year coaches on both squads would attest to that assessment, though their defensive units seemed to take the day off in Burroughs' 19-17 road victory against Hoover on Tuesday. Hoover Coach Matt Jung and Burroughs Coach Kristina Garcia said following the 36-goal match, that defense had been a strong point. That didn't seem indicative Tuesday.

MEMORIAL FIELD — The Burbank High football team couldn't afford another Pacific League loss after last week's one-point, double-overtime setback to Muir. This meant Friday night's encounter against Arcadia could make or break their chances at a league title. But all is well, as the Bulldogs easily handled the Apaches, 42-14, at Memorial Field. Senior quarterback Robert Linda was especially effective as a runner. In the opening half, Linda accounted for 161 yards on the ground with scoring runs of 19, 56 and 54 yards.

blr-BurroughsBaseball02.TextOV269H59BASEBALL: Crescenta Valley proves too much for Burroughs in Pacific League game on the road, 9-0.Credit: BY TAMMY ABBOTT The Leader Caption: Burroughs High starting pitcher Byron Pacheco delivers Tuesday in a Pacific League game against host Crescenta Valley. The Indians lost, 9-0. blr-BurroughsBaseball02TextN9269H41GNPThe Leader BURROUGHS HIGHBURROUGHS HIGH — With the lone blemish on its Pacific League record coming at the hands of Burroughs High, the Crescenta Valley baseball team set out to atone that lone loss on Tuesday.

LA CRESCENTA — After getting swept in its last two matches, perhaps the Crescenta Valley High girls' volleyball team is beginning to look beatable to the other teams in the Pacific League. Burbank certainly showed no fear of the Falcons in its league match Thursday, testing Crescenta Valley in a tight first game before eventually falling, 25-23, 25-15, 25-18. "I was kind of afraid we would let it slip," said the Falcons' Ally Hearn (five kills) of the first game in which the Bulldogs battled back to tie the score at 23. "We shouldn't have let it get that close."

Just two of the city's four high school baseball teams qualified for the CIF Southern Section playoffs, and both of them open the playoffs with wild-card games. Burroughs and Burbank highs will be in action with Division II wild-card games Tuesday. The Bulldogs (17-8, 12-2 in league) were relegated to the wild-card round despite tying for first place in the Pacific League with Crescenta Valley. Burbank is the No. 2 seed from the league as it lost the season series to Crescenta Valley.

BURBANK - A jubilant group of Burbank High baseball team met pitcher Ricky Perez on the mound shortly after he recorded a strikeout that secured a 4-1 victory against rival Burroughs on Friday. With the win, the Bulldogs clinched a share of the Pacific League title - the program's first since 1991. With equally high stakes in the other dugout, a disappointed Indians' squad saw their league-title hopes squandered, despite matching the Bulldogs' will in a well-played game at Burroughs.

BURBANK - Having wrapped up the Pacific League championship last week, the Burbank High softball team could have afforded a loss in its season finale Thursday. However, the Bulldogs had plenty to play for. Along with the chance to finish the league undefeated, the Bulldogs were also trying to hold on to their No. 2 ranking in CIF Southern Section Division III. There was also a little motivation to beat their cross-town rival Burroughs. Behind a fine pitching performance, as well as a solid outing at the plate, from sophomore Caitlyn Brooks, who tossed a one-hitter, Burbank was able to complete its perfect Pacific League campaign with a 9-0 victory against the Indians at Olive Park.

ARCADIA - Winning and advancing were the two most important elements for the Burbank and Burroughs high track and field programs at Friday evening's Pacific League Finals at Arcadia's Salter Stadium. The Bulldogs and Indians produced six overall winners and 14 qualifiers to next week's CIF Southern Section Division I preliminaries at Trabuco Hills High. Perhaps the athlete who stood out most was Bulldogs junior Andy Hurtado. While the thrower didn't match his personal-best mark of 151 feet in the discus hit at the recent city meet, Hurtado was still thrilled in winning the discus with a toss of 143 feet, 10 inches.

The Burbank High baseball team showed it can be explosive on offense in a Pacific League game Friday night against visiting Arcadia. In a battle of two of three teams atop the league standings, the Bulldogs broke open the contest with 10 runs in the fourth inning to record a 13-3 victory against the Apaches. The game was called in the fifth inning because of the 10-run mercy rule. The win keeps Burbank (15-8, 10-2 in league) in first place with Crescenta Valley (18-7, 10-2)

ARCADIA - The last time the Burbank High softball team was able to capture a league championship was in 1987, when the Bulldogs had a premier starting pitcher in All-American Debby Day. This season, Burbank has another outstanding hurler in sophomore Caitlyn Brooks, who is in the midst of a wildly successful season. Like Day, she has also helped guide the team to a league championship. While the Bulldogs offense might have sputtered Friday in a Pacific League game against host Arcadia, Brooks was able to keep them in the game.

PASADENA - What started as a seven-team tournament nearly ended as an all-Burbank city affair Wednesday afternoon at the Pacific League boys' tennis finals at Pasadena High. Burroughs and Burbank high placed competitors in the league's singles and doubles finals with the Indians taking home each crown and the Bulldogs advancing two competitors to the CIF Southern Section Boys Individual Tennis Tournament. PHOTOS: Pacific League boys' tennis finals While it may have seemed reasonable to think the Indians' postseason fortunes were in shambles after the season-ending injury suffered in March to singles ace Garrett Auproux, the two-time reigning All-Area Singles Player of the Year, Burroughs proved resilient as sophomore Sawyer Patterson captured the singles championship and the squad of Michael Whelan and Calvin Fox captured the doubles crown.

For the first time in 26 years and in the Pacific League, the Burbank High softball team will be able to call itself a league champion. The Bulldogs secured a share of the league title Wednesday with an 11-1 win over Pasadena in six innings Wednesday at McCambridge Park. They improved to 21-2, 11-0 in league with the victory and are ranked second in CIF Southern Section Division III. Burbank can wrap up the title outright with a win against Arcadia on Friday. Arcadia is tied for second in league with Burroughs and Crescenta Valley, who all have three losses.

BURBANK - All four area boys' golf teams had something at stake Tuesday leading into the Pacific League prelims at De Bell Golf Club. Each team looked to send at least one athlete to the league's individual tournament. Three of the squads aimed to clinch spots in the CIF Southern Section Northern Team Divisional. Each left De Bell pleased, as Burbank, Crescenta Valley and Burroughs qualified for the playoffs and nine area players moved on to Wednesday's individual final, which will also include a pair of Glendale athletes.

BURBANK - In the midst of a two-game skid, the Burroughs High baseball team likely couldn't afford another loss if it hoped to stay in the thick of things among the Pacific League frontrunners. That made Friday afternoon's league matchup against visiting Pasadena an important contest for the Indians. PHOTOS: Burroughs vs. Pasadena baseball Burroughs was able to respond, taking advantage of Pasadena pitching problems and receiving a solid performance from starting pitcher Miles Haddad to notch a 6-4 victory.